Tokyo Tower

The Tokyo Tower is a red tower based on the Eiffel Tower in Minato-ku, Tokyo. The tower is 333 meters tall (11 meters taller than the Eiffel), making it the world's highest self-supporting iron tower. The tower only weighs about 4000 tons, which is extremely light compared to the 7000 ton Eiffel Tower in France, though the Eiffel Tower is probably in a more beautiful setting, since the Tokyo Tower is located in the middle of a city block.

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 At the time it was built, it was the tallest structure in Tokyo, but it has since been superceded by several buildings in the Shinjuku and Ikebukuro districts. Although it chiefly functions as a radio and television antenna, it also houses a small aquarium, art gallery, and wax museum, as well as two observation decks.

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.

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