25 Places to visit before you die: No. 17. Tokyo Tower

Tokyo is one of the great world cities, described as one of the three 'command centers' of the world economy, (London, New York & Tokyo) and with a population of more than 35 million in Greater Tokyo a bustling metropolis of business, culture and style. Due to both human and natural catastrophes in the 20th Century, much of Tokyo is new and for such a great city there are surprisingly few iconic sights, however, Tokyo Tower, the tallest artificial structure in Japan, has such iconic status. The 332.5 meters communication and observation tower is homage to the older Eiffel Tower, and has since its construction in 1958 attracted over 150 million visitors. Many more would have 'seen' Tokyo's great tower when watching almost any film that is set in Japan, as the Tower is as synonymous with films set in Tokyo as Tower bridge to London set films.  Tokyo Tower, as a symbol of a fabulous city and country, is on Afterabc's list of, 25 Places to visit before you die.

The first half of the 20th Century was a tragic period for Japan: Two cataclysmic events would ravage Tokyo. In 1923, the Great Kanto earthquake devastated much of Tokyo; the quake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale resulted in 140,000 killed or missing. Japan was heavily bombed during World War II, (from 1944 to 45), much of the Tokyo was again destroyed and between 75,000 - 200,000 Tokyo residents killed.

After the War Japan prospered, the 1950's was a period of economic boom and growing international emergence from the isolation of earlier years. The practical need for a tall broadcast tower presented an opportunity to build a tower that would also celebrate and symbolize Japanese ascendancy in the 'new world order'. 

In the early 1950's the world's tallest building was the Empire State Building (New York) at a height of 381 meters. The original plan for the Tokyo Tower was to exceed such a height, but a lack of funds and suitable building materials meant that the ambitions for the Tower were scaled down by approximately 50 meters to 332.5 meters. (The new height was determined by the physics of transmission signal strength, rather than the glory of world's tallest building).

Perhaps a little oddly for a country keen to construct a symbolic monument of Japanese re-birth, the designer, Tachū Naitō, sort inspiration from the Occident.

The Eiffel Tower, Paris, was to be the perfect template, however, with a 90-meter antenna, Tokyo Tower is taller than its Parisian sister by 13 meters. Despite being taller, Tokyo Tower only weighs about 4,000 tons, 3,300 tons less than the Eiffel Tower.  At the time of its construction in 1958, the Tower was the tallest structure in Japan. (Today several other buildings are taller). The construction engineers claim that the Tower could withstand earthquakes with twice the intensity of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake or typhoons with wind speeds of up to 220 kilometers per hour (140 mph).

Remarkably, the Tower opened to the public just 18 months after construction began. The project employed hundreds of traditional high-rise Japanese construction workers - tobi, and usually over 400 laborers would be on site each day.

Unlike the Eiffel Tower, Tokyo Tower is located in the middle of a city block, and such seems fitting in a city of such intensity.Tokyo Tower is still the tallest self-supporting steel structure in the world, and a great example of recycling and turning "swords into plowshares" -- Isaiah 2:4 & Micah 4:3; a third of the steel was scrap metal taken from US tanks damaged in the Korean War. The Tower is coloured white and orange, and every five years is maintained by a yearlong repainting that requires 28,000 liters of paint. 

The costs of construction were ¥2.8 billion ($8.4 million in 1958), and whilst crude financial calculation is not the point, the Tower is more than financially viable; with two main revenue sources; antenna television broadcast leasing and tourism. Since completion in 1958, over 150 million people have visited the Tower; however, attendance was in steady decline until 2000, when 2.3 million people visited. Improvements and renewed interest have subsequently increased numbers to approximately 3 million per year.

For many, the overriding reason for visiting the Tower is simple: the incredible and fabulous views of Tokyo experienced from the observation decks. Nevertheless, the Tower does have more to offer the visitor: At the base of the Tower is 'FootTown', a four-story building that houses, restaurants, souvenir shops, the Guinness World Records Museum Tokyo, (the museum features, figures, photographs and memorabilia of world records), a "Madam Tussauds" Wax Museum. FootTown also has a hologram gallery and a 'trick art' gallery that allows visitors to interactive with the art to create optical illusions.

Tokyo Tower has two observation decks, the lower deck- the Main Observatory, is at a height of 145m and can be reached either by elevator or by ascending, from the roof of FootTown, the approximately 600 steps of the outside stairwell. On a clear day, Mount Fuji can be seen from this vantage point, and a wonderful 360-degree view of Tokyo. The Main Observatory is on two floors, on the lower floor are two 'look down windows' that allow visitors to look down to the ground below. This lower floor also houses a small café and Club 333, a small stage that is used to put on live music shows. The upper floor of the Main Observatory has a small Shinto Shrine and a souvenir shop, it also is the point of elevator entry and exit for the Special Observatory that is a further 100 meters higher. The views from the much smaller Special Observatory at 250 meters are phenomenal!

Visitor numbers in the 1980's were declining and in 1987 lighting designer, Motoko Ishii was commissioned to restyle the Tower to attract a new audience. Prior to Ishii involvement, the Tower's only lighting were light bulbs located on the corner contours that extended from the base to the antenna.

Unveiled in 1989, the new lighting arrangement required the removal of the contour-outlining light bulbs and the installation of 176 floodlights in and around the tower's frame. From dusk to midnight, the floodlights illuminate the entire tower. Sodium vapor lamps are used from October 2 to July 6 to cover the tower in an orange colour. From July 7 to October 1, the lights are changed to metal halide lamps to illuminate the tower with a white colour. The reasoning behind the change is a seasonal one. Ishii reasoned that orange is a warmer colour and helps to offset the cold winter months. Conversely, white is thought to be a cool colour that helps during the hot summer months. On special occasions, the illumination of the Tower is altered, for example for the FIFA World Cup in Japan the Tower was lit in blue, and to celebrate National Breast Cancer Awareness Month the Tower is illuminated in pink light on October 1st.

Tokyo Tower is no longer regarded as an exceptionally tall structure, and much has changed since its opening in 1958, however, the City of Tokyo remains a 'must see' and the Tower affords a wonderful vantage point to survey a jewel of Asia.

July 16, 2010  |  Article Posted By: Administrator 1 , London
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