Tokyo Tower – Tokyo, Japan
Continuing on from A view from the top: Campanile di San Marco, another tall attraction in another fantastic city, is Tokyo Tower.
Although not the world’s most famous tower, at 333m tall the Tokyo Tower is the world’s tallest, self-supporting steel tower. Not as iconic as the Eiffel Tower, Tokyoites are pretty proud of the fact that it is both taller and lighter than the famous Parisian landmark. While by day it may look like the love child of the Eiffel Tower and a candy cane, the Tokyo Tower does serve a function other than amusing tourists – it is used to broadcast signals for Japanese television and radio.
Pros – There’s live music up there. Also, in true Japanese fashion, the tower has its own mascots known as the Noppon Brothers. The Noppon Brothers look a bit like big pink tear drops and have their own interesting mottos
“Look at things with a hot heart with the cool touch”
and
“Start with small things and keep going on steady”.
Cons – Like all good attractions, you have to pay to enter (around ¥820 or roughly £6 at time of writing). I hear that there is another building in Tokyo where you can take in a decent view of the city for free (sorry not sure where!)
Surprises – I guess the Noppon Brothers are a bit of surprise – until you remember you are in Japan and that characters aren’t just for children in a land where even businessmen have kawaii phone charms.
Verdict – It’s worth a look if you’re into your cities and landmarks, makes a change from the countless photos taken of the New York skyline, although if I get back to Japan I will seek out new heights – perhaps if I’m rich enough I’ll go stay at the Park Hyatt and have my own ‘Lost in Translation‘ moment!
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