When I first heard about the Tokyo Sky Tree (東京スカイツリー) this time last year, I had many questions. What is this new construction project that has so many people in Tokyo and around the world buzzing with excitement? How tall is it? Where is it? When will it be fully functioning? Here are some answers. The Sky Tree is a broadcasting, restaurant and observation tower going up in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward. The tower’s height is 634 meters (2,080 feet). Construction is wrapping up this month and is due to be complete in Spring 2012. The tower will be open to the public on May 22, 2012. Its primary purpose is to serve as a television and radio broadcasting tower. Tokyo's current broadcasting tower, Tokyo Tower, at 333 meters (1,093 feet) is no longer tall enough to provide complete digital television broadcasting coverage because it is surrounded by many highrises.
A consortium of six 
Japanese broadcasting companies led by national network NHK proposed and planned the Sky Tree project. Contractor Obayashi Corporation began construction in July 2008. The completed structure will be the centerpiece of a very large commercial development located between Narihirabashi Station and Oshiage Station. It is already transforming the quiet Shitamachi neighborhood of Narihirabashi into a magnet for tourists and interested onlookers. A 31-story office space and restaurants will make the tower a multi-purpose showplace. At 634 meters, the Tokyo Sky Tree has just been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the tallest tower in the world! It is the second tallest structure in the world, after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, a building which stands at 829 meters.
Japanese broadcasting companies led by national network NHK proposed and planned the Sky Tree project. Contractor Obayashi Corporation began construction in July 2008. The completed structure will be the centerpiece of a very large commercial development located between Narihirabashi Station and Oshiage Station. It is already transforming the quiet Shitamachi neighborhood of Narihirabashi into a magnet for tourists and interested onlookers. A 31-story office space and restaurants will make the tower a multi-purpose showplace. At 634 meters, the Tokyo Sky Tree has just been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the tallest tower in the world! It is the second tallest structure in the world, after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, a building which stands at 829 meters.Considerin
g the fact that Japan is prone to enduring large earthquakes, the new tower will incorporate the latest seismic engineering techniques, and also some quite ancient construction technology borrowed from Japanese temples. The Tokyo Sky Tree employs Japanese cutting-edge technology in reproducing the traditional architectural know-how of the "Shimbashira-Seishin" (Center Column Vibration Control) used in Kyoto’s five-level pagoda, a structure that has stood firm for centuries. The shimbashira is a central column of reinforced concrete that is structurally separate from the exterior steel truss. It acts as a counterweight when the tower sways. Engineers are confident because five-storied pagodas with shimbashira columns have never been toppled by quakes in Japan. Another key design element is that the tower will gradually change in cross-section from triangular at the base to round at the 1,000 ft point. This will help it to better withstand strong winds.
g the fact that Japan is prone to enduring large earthquakes, the new tower will incorporate the latest seismic engineering techniques, and also some quite ancient construction technology borrowed from Japanese temples. The Tokyo Sky Tree employs Japanese cutting-edge technology in reproducing the traditional architectural know-how of the "Shimbashira-Seishin" (Center Column Vibration Control) used in Kyoto’s five-level pagoda, a structure that has stood firm for centuries. The shimbashira is a central column of reinforced concrete that is structurally separate from the exterior steel truss. It acts as a counterweight when the tower sways. Engineers are confident because five-storied pagodas with shimbashira columns have never been toppled by quakes in Japan. Another key design element is that the tower will gradually change in cross-section from triangular at the base to round at the 1,000 ft point. This will help it to better withstand strong winds.Hirotake Takanishi, PR manager for Tobu Tower Sky Tree, has stated that anti-quake measures in this structure can reduce quake vibrations by 50 percent. He said that the design team has run simulations showing the Sky Tree will withstand an 8.0-magnitude earthquake. So far, so good. Earlier this year, the Sky Tree suffered almost no damage in the March 11 earthquake and aftershocks that hit Tohoku and the Kanto area as well, where Tokyo is located.
Japan’s newest tourist attraction has just started accepting reservations to access the tower when it opens next year on May 12. A ¥2,000 ticket will get an adult visitor to the first observation deck, at the 350 meter mark. You can go higher -- to the 450-meter second deck – but it costs more (¥3,000 for an adult) and that has to be paid for on the day of your visit. To get to the Tokyo Sky Tree, take the Tobu Isesaki Line to Narihirabashi Station (the station name is going to be changed to the Tokyo Sky Tree Station), or by taking the Asakusa Line to Oshiage Station. Next year our Japan travel plans will definitely include a trip to see the new Tokyo Sky Tree firsthand. Yours should too! Find out more here.
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