Tokyo Tower

The Tokyo Tower (Japanese :東京タワー, Tokyo Tawa) is a red tower in Minato-ku, Tokyo 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.

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 At the time it was built it was the tallest structure in Tokyo, but it has since been superceded by several buildings in the Shinjuku and Ikebukuro districts.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 broadcasting 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.

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