Tokyo Tower

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Tokyo Tower

The Tokyo Tower (Japanese :東京タワー, Tōkyō Tawa) is a tower in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan whose design is based on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

The tower is 333 meters tall (11 meters taller than the Eiffel) making it the world's highest self-supporting iron tower, though the Eiffel Tower is probably in a more beautiful setting, since the Tokyo Tower is located in the middle of a city block. The tower only weighs about 4000 tons, which is extremely light compared to the 7000 ton Eiffel Tower, and it is painted in white and orange according to aviation safety regulations.

In the postwar boom of the 1950s, Japan was looking for a monument to symbolize its ascendancy as a global economic powerhouse. Looking to the occident for inspiration, the Tokyo Government decided to erect its own Eiffel Tower. It was completed by the Takenaka Corporation in 1958 at a total cost of ¥2.8bn. At the time it was built it was the tallest structure in Tokyo, but it has since been superseded by several buildings in the Shinjuku and Ikebukuro districts. Although it chiefly functions as a radio and television broadcasting antenna, the tower is better known as the city's preeminent tourist destination. Surrounded by Tokyo Tower tea towels and key rings, the first floor houses an aquarium - home to 50,000 (rather small) fish - the third floor a wax museum and the Mysterious Walking World, and the fourth floor a Trick Art Gallery.

Tokyo Tower

At night the tower is illuminated beautifully depending on the season. There are two observatory floors in the tower, the main observatory (at 150 m) and the special observatory (at 250 m); the floors have a spectacular view over the city of Tokyo and if one is lucky one may even be able to see Mt. Fuji, although often the city is covered with smog or above average humidity.

Much the same way the Eiffel Tower has become a cliche in American cinema, the Tokyo Tower is often used in anime - series such as Sailor Moon, Tenchi Muyo!, X, and Magic Knight Rayearth feature climatic events occurring at the Tokyo Tower, insinuating that it is a focus of mystic powers.

It is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers.

Address: Nippon Television City Corporation 4-2-8 Shibakoen, Minato-Ku Tokyo, Japan 105-0011

See also: List of towers