Tokyo Tower (東京タワー, Tōkyō-tawā) is a communications tower located in Shiba Park, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The 332.6-meter-tall (1,091 ft) orange and white lattice tower is the tallest self-supporting steel structure in the world, the tallest artificial structure in Japan, and was the 11th tallest tower in the world. Built in 1958, this Eiffel Tower-like structure supports an antenna that broadcasts television and radio signals for important Japanese media outlets such as NHK, TBS and Fuji TV. In recent years, the tower has also been instrumental in Japan's push to switch from an analog signal to digital signal.In addition to being a television and radio communications tower, Tokyo Tower functions as a major Tokyo tourist site. Over 2.5 million people annually visit the tower's recreational Foot Town and two observations decks. Foot Town is a 4-story building stationed directly under the tower which houses several museums, restaurants and shops. Departing from here, guests can also visit the two observation decks. The 2-story Main Observatory is located at 150 m, while the smaller Special Observatory is at 250 m.
Construction and history
In the postwar boom of the 1950s, Japan was searching for a monument to symbolize its ascendancy as a global economic powerhouse. Looking to the Western world for inspiration, the design of Tokyo Tower is based on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Groundbreaking occurred in June 1957, and a daily team of about 220,000 people worked on the tower for 18 months. The tower was completed by the Takenaka Corporation on December 23, 1958 (69 years after the Eiffel Tower) at a total cost of ¥2.8 billion ($30 million). The tower is constructed of steel, a third of which was scrap metal taken from 90 US tanks damaged in the Korean War. Despite being 8.6 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower (32.6 if the tower's TV antenna is included), Tokyo Tower only weighs about 4,000 tons, 3,300 tons less than the Eiffel Tower. Mainly surrounded by low-rise buildings, Tokyo Tower can be seen from many points in the central wards of Tokyo, such as Roppongi Hills, Tokyo Bay, the east gardens of the Imperial Palace, and the southern promenade of Shinjuku Station.
One of the tower's key early proponents was politician and Sankei Shimbun co-founder Hisakichi Maeda. Maeda's son, Fukusaburo Maeda, later became president of Nihon Denpato, the tower's operating company. In 1988, at the height of the Japanese asset price bubble, he established a subsidiary (Tokyo Tower Development) to set up a golf course project in Chiba Prefecture. Although the golf course opened in 1995, it failed to make a return on its profits due to an economic recession in Japan, and the company ended up deeply in debt and losing money. As a result, Tokyo Tower was mortgaged for ¥10 billion in 2000. The planned opening of the taller Tokyo Sky Tree in 2011 is expected to further depress Tokyo Tower's profits as broadcasters move to the new tower.
Appearance
Tokyo Tower required 28,000 liters of paint in order paint it white and international orange according to air safety regulations. From dusk to midnight, 176 floodlights completely illuminate the tower. Sodium vapor lamps are used from October 2 to July 6 to cover the tower in an orange color. From July 7 to October 1, the lights are changed to metal halide lamps to illuminate the tower with a white color. The reasoning behind the change is a seasonal one. It is believed that orange is a warmer color and helps to offset the cold winter months. Conversely, white is seen as a cool color and helps during the hot summer months. The Millennium Lighting was designed by Motoko Ishii.
Facilities
In addition to functioning as a radio and television broadcasting antenna support structure, Tokyo Tower is a tourist destination that houses several different attractions. The first place tourists must visit during their tour is Foot Town, a 4-story building stationed directly under the tower. Here, visitors can eat, shop and enjoy several museums and galleries. Elevators that depart from the first floor of Foot Town can be used to reach the first of two observations decks, the 2-story Main Observatory. For the price of another ticket, visitors can again board another set of elevators that depart from the second floor of the Main Observatory in order to reach the final observation deck, the Special Observatory.
Foot Town
Located in the base of the tower is a 4 story building known as Foot Town. Each of its 4 floors houses specific tourist attractions.
The first floor house the Aquarium Gallery (home to 50,000 fish), a reception hall, the 400-person-capacity "Tower Restaurant," a FamilyMart convenience store and the Tokio 333 souvenir shop. The main attractions, however, are the three elevators that serve as a direct ride to the Main Observatory.
The second floor is primarily a food and shopping area for tourists. There is a food court that consists of 4 restaurants, including a McDonalds and a Pizza-La. In addition to the court, there are 5 standalone restaurants whose food ranges from curry to soba to Baskin Robins' ice cream. The other part of the second floor is devoted to shopping. Most of these shops consist of souvenirs (another Tokio 333 is located on this floor).
The third floor is home to more traditional tourist attractions. One of these attractions is a Guinness Book of World Records museum. This museum is houses over 300 life-size figures, photo panels, and memorabilia images depicting interesting records that are authenticated by the Guinness Book. Another large attraction on this floor is the Tokyo Tower Was Museum. This museum, opened in 1970, displays wax figures imported directly from the Workshop in London where they were made. The figures displayed there range from pop culture icons such as The Beatles to historical figures such as Jesus Christ. Rounding out the third floor is the hologram gallery Gallery DeLux, a lounge and a few specialty stores.
The fourth and final floor of Foot Town contains the least amount of attractions for tourists. The most popular attraction is the Trick Art Gallery. This art gallery displays many optical illusions, including paintings and objects that visitors can interact with to create unique illusions for their own personal photographs. In addition to this gallery, there are exhibits highlighting statistics and economics. There is also a small gaming area located on this floor.
The roof of the Foot Town building is utilized as a small attraction as it is home to a small amusement park that contains several small rides and performances for younger children. On weekends and holidays, visitors can visit the roof to access the outside stairwell (of approximately 600 steps) that can be alternatively used to reach the Main Observatory.
Observation decks
There are two observation decks, the Main Observatory and the Special Observatory; both offer a 360 degree view of Tokyo and, on clear days, Mount Fuji. Unlike the Eiffel Tower, neither observation deck at Tokyo Tower is located near the top of the structure.
The two-floor Main Observatory, located at 145 m, not only provides a spectacular view of Tokyo, but it also houses several attractions. The first floor is home to a small café and Club 333 - a small stage which is used to put on live music shows.[28] Also located on this floor are two "look down windows" that allow visitors to stand over a small clear window and look to the ground 145 m below. The second floor (at 150 m) is home to the Goods Shop, a small souvenir shop, and a Shinto shrine - the highest shrine in the special wards of Tokyo. The elevators leading to the Special Observatory are also located on this floor.Located at 250 m, the Special Observatory is a small, completely enclosed circular observatory whose walls are made almost entirely of glass. This design allows visitors to have the best possible views of the city.
In popular culture
Just as the Eiffel Tower is often used in popular culture to immediately locate a scene in Paris, France, Tokyo Tower is often used in the same way to locate a scene in Tokyo. It is often used in anime and manga such as Digimon, Sailor Moon, and Tenchi Muyo!. The tower is also frequently used in the Japanese kaiju film genre. It has been the location of the climatic battles between Godzilla, Mothra, and King Kong (King Kong Escapes) wherein it is frequently destroyed and rebuilt.
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