The iconic Tokyo Tower, a communications and observation tower standing at 332.6 metres (1,091 ft), withstood Friday’s ferocious 8.9-magnitude quake that struck Japan with minor damage. The tower, which is 13 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower, appears to have only suffered a bent tip as a result of the devastating earthquake.
Below is footage from a tourist who was on the observation deck of the 4,000 tonne steel structure at the time that the massive earthquake struck, probably one of the last places that you would want to be during the 5th largest earthquake in recorded history. Japan’s strict building codes are no doubt responsible for saving a lot of lives and preventing plenty of damage.
Tōkyō Tower (東京タワー, Tōkyō-tawā) is 13 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower, so Ash and I embarked on an expedition to check it out. Before we made tracks, I had shown him a couple of photos of the tower in an attempt to cultivate a pre-expedition buzz. However, on the road, everytime we passed a construction site that had an orange crane, Ash would yell “Look Daddy, Tōkyō Tower!”.
Tokyo Tower
We caught the Hanzōmon metro line from Shibuya to Aoyama-itchōme station where we changed onto the Toei Ōedo subway line bound for Akabanebashi station. It was a short walk from the station. Arriving at the tower I grabbed our tickets.
Ushered to the elevator we were crammed in for a 150 metre ascent to the Main Observatory. Alighting from the elevator we were confronted with a spectacular panoramic view of Tōkyō.
Tokyo Tower
Tokyo Tower
Visitors can also continue up to the Special Observatory at 250 meters. Under good weather conditions, Mount Fuji can be seen in the distance.
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