Tokyo Skytree Television Tower

Tokyo Television Tower is recognized as the tallest television tower in the world. Its huge spire is visible from anywhere in the city. Together with its antenna, the Tokyo Skytree rises to 634 meters, which is only 194 meters lower than Dubai’s Burj Khalifa skyscraper (828 meters), which is currently considered the tallest building on the planet.

.

Video: Tokyo Television Tower

Contents

Highlights

Since 2012, the new TV Tower in Tokyo has taken over almost all digital broadcasting loads in and around the Japanese capital. It is also used for mobile communications and navigation systems, and is popular as a tourist attraction. The giant structure has become one of Tokyo’s calling cards and a symbol of Japanese society’s technological achievements.

.

The reason for the construction of the new television tower was Japan’s transition to digital television. The old Tokyo TV tower, which had been in operation in the Japanese capital for half a century, could not cope with the transmission of signals to the upper floors of some modern skyscrapers. As a result, there was an urgent need to erect a much taller structure for modern television broadcasting.

Construction of a new TV tower in the city began in the summer of 2008. The speed with which the Japanese took up the task amazed everyone. The steel structure “grew” by 10 meters per week! And by the end of February 2012, the new TV tower was ready.

.

It should be said that according to the preliminary project to finish this construction should have been in December 2011, but because of the earthquake in March 2011, funding was cut, and the construction timeline was slightly lengthened. The Tokyo Television Tower was officially opened on May 22, 2012. The cost of the project was massive. In the unusual construction involved 580 thousand specialists, and $ 812 million dollars were spent.

.

Recently, helicopter and bus tours around the Tokyo Skytree television tower have become very popular with travelers visiting Tokyo, allowing them to see in great detail the features of its architecture and design.

.

Tokyo’s Old TV Tower

Tokyoites affectionately call their old TV tower “Tokyo tawa”, slightly distorting the English words “Tokyo tower”. In the central part of the Japanese capital, it is visible from everywhere. The characteristic spire rises above the lower buildings and then suddenly appears in the gaps of narrow streets. The old tower has a height of 332.6 meters and outwardly copies the Eiffel Tower in Paris. However, it is 13 meters taller than its French prototype and 3,000 tons lighter.

.

This TV tower appeared in the city in 1958. According to the existing international norms of aviation safety, its metal structure is painted in white and orange colors. Moreover, about 28 thousand tons of dyes are used for painting, which takes place once every five years. As a result of a strong earthquake in 2011, the upper part of the antenna of the old TV tower was deformed.

.

Today, with the main television and radio broadcasts being carried by Tokyo Skytree, the old Tokyo Television Tower is more of a tourist attraction. Every year, up to 2.5 million visitors visit its museums and two observation decks, located at 150 meters and 250 meters high. And in total, the old tower has already welcomed more than 150 million guests over the years.

.

The four-story building, which bears the name “Underfoot Town”, houses one of the country’s best aquariums, where more than 50,000 fish are kept. There’s a wax museum and a Guinness Book of World Records museum, a permanent holography exhibit, and a gallery of optical illusions. A large restaurant, several cafeterias and souvenir shops are open under the old TV tower. And children’s rides are installed on the roof of the “Underfoot Town”.

.

The Old TV Tower is located at 4-2-8 Shiba-Koen, Minato-ku. Its observation decks are open from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

.

Features of the Tokyo Skytree or Sky Tree

construction

Given that Japan is in a zone of increased seismic activity, all structures and buildings here are built so that they can resist possible earthquakes. The new TV tower is no exception. The most advanced anti-seismic technologies were used in its construction. According to calculations, the Tokyo TV tower will be able to withstand earthquakes with a magnitude of up to 7, even if the epicenter of the earthquake will be directly under the building. The structures developed by the engineers will be able to absorb up to 50% of the energy of the tremors in case of danger. And that’s a very large safety margin!

.

The height of the new television tower in Tokyo is 634 meters. This figure was not chosen by chance. In Japanese, the combination of the numbers 6-3-4 sounds like “mu-sa-shi”. “Musashi” is the name of the historical area within whose boundaries modern Tokyo is located.

.

At its base, the Celestial Tree is a regular triangular structure. However, as it gains height, the shape of the television tower becomes increasingly rounded. It is completely circular at 320 meters, so depending on the angle of observation, the tower structure looks different.

.

A tour of the Sky Tree

The name of the new TV tower, Tokyo Skytree, was chosen by popular vote, which the city government held in the spring of 2008. Thirty-three thousand Tokyoites (30% of the voting population) voted in favor of naming the tower.

There are two observation decks available to visitors of the Tokyo Television Tower. The lower one is called “Tembo Deck”. It occupies three floors at heights ranging from 340 meters to 350 meters. The high-speed elevator from the tower entrance to this observation deck takes only one minute. Through wide, floor-to-ceiling windows, the panorama of Tokyo’s urban neighborhoods is perfectly visible. Part of the floor here is made of transparent glass panels, and through them you can clearly see the foot of the giant TV tower. The lower observation deck houses a French-Japanese restaurant, a café and a souvenir store.

.

The top observation deck, which offers a truly spectacular view of the city, is called “Skywalk” or “Skyway”. It is located at a height of 445 meters and is connected to the lower observation deck by several elevators. At this level, you can take a circular trip on a spiral ramp around the Tokyo TV Tower with a 75-meter climb to a height of 451.2 meters. This is the highest point of Tokyo Skytree that visitors can reach.

.

At the foot of the TV Tower is the large shopping and entertainment center “Tokyo Solamachi”, which features more than 300 stores, cafes, offices and restaurants. If desired, visitors can check out the aquarium, planetarium or postal museum located here. To get to the entrance of the Tokyo TV Tower, you need to climb to the 4th floor of the shopping center. For tourists, the TV Tower is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

.

Features of buying tickets

Only tickets for the lower observation deck are sold at the entrance to the Tokyo Television Tower. Tickets for the upper observation deck can be purchased by going up to the level of the lower observation deck.

If you buy tickets directly on the day you visit the tower, you may encounter a situation where there are many other people who want to enter. In this case, the waiting time to enter the Tokyo Skytree will be at least an hour. In addition, daily ticket sales are limited to 10,000 tickets. This means that in case of an influx of visitors, there may not be enough tickets.

.

Tourists can buy tickets to the TV tower at a higher price – in the so-called “Skytree fast queue”. With special tickets, you won’t have to wait at the entrance. For the Tembo Deck observation deck, an adult ticket costs ¥2,820, teenagers 12-17 years old are ¥2,260, children 6-11 years old are ¥1,580, toddlers 4-5 years old are ¥1,240, and babies under 3 years old can go free. Tickets without a pre-scheduled time are ¥500 cheaper. To learn more about the rules for visiting the Tokyo Television Tower, visit the official website tokyo-skytree.jp/en.

.

How to get there

Tokyo’s new television tower is located in the capital’s Sumida district at 1-1-2, Oshiage, Sumida-ku. Tokyo Skytree can be reached on foot from Tokyo Skytree, Asakusa, or Oshiage subway stations. From Tokyo Skytree Station, it is easy to get to the TV Tower by one of the buses that run on this route at 20-minute intervals and take half an hour to reach the TV Tower. From Tokyo Haneda Airport, it takes 50-70 minutes by bus to reach the TV tower.

.