Japan in Motion---Pro-web casting from across Japan.

Tokyo Tower

Made in Japan

Japanese love Tokyo Tower. For foreigners, on the other hand, it can be a bit of a puzzle. Although the Tower’s main purpose is to support a radio and television antenna, its deeper purpose was to make a statement about the rise of Japan and its economy during the post-war boom of the 1950’s. It is also, of course, a huge tourist attraction.

The Tower was completed in 1958, in deliberate imitation of the more famous Eiffel Tower. This seems, on the face of it, an odd choice for a structure intended to symbolize Japan’s arrival as a global economic power. There’s really nothing Japanese about Tokyo Tower. In fact, the whole concept is a little bizarre. What is Tokyo Tower? It’s a copy of the Eiffel Tower in the heart of Tokyo, taller than the original by a few meters and painted bright orange and white in keeping with air safety laws. On the ground floor you’ll find (what else?) an aquarium, with 50,000 fish. On the third floor, visitors are treated to a wax museum and a holographic attraction called the “Mysterious Walking Zone.” Want more? On the fourth floor, the Tower houses the Trick Art Gallery, which the official website calls “a gallery where you can enjoy original, funny 3-D trick pictures painted with special paints.” On the same floor, there is an exhibition room devoted to the history and presentation of statistical data. You can begin to see why many foreign visitors to the Tower wander out with a slightly mystified look on their faces. On the other hand, most Japanese I talk to are both fond and proud of the Tower, and that alone may be good enough reason to check it out.

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Both the main and “special” observatories (at 150 and 250 meters above the ground) provide good 360 degree views of the city. However, guidebooks recommend going on a clear day, or even taking in the view from a bar or restaurant at one of Tokyo’s many skyscrapers. And that’s an important point, because Tokyo Tower may, in the end, be better to look at than to visit. This is especially true at night, when the Tower is at its loveliest bathed in orange illumination. If you visit Tokyo Tower, try going during the day. The views from the observatories are very good at night, but if you spend the evening somewhere up high nearby, you can enjoy the city lights of Tokyo, including the Tower, with a drink in your hand.

●Tokyo Tower
>>Access
4-2-8 Shiba-koen, Minato-ku, Tokyo

JR Hamamatsucho station====(Oedo line, 5 min.)===Akaba station===(On foot, 5 min.)===Tokyo Tower

>>Open Hours
9:00 - 22:00

>>Holiday
None

>>Map
Central Tokyo & JR Yamanote line map>>Click here to view.

>>Website
Tokyo Tower (English, Korean, Chinese)

-Matt Mangham