As a destination, Tokyo boasts hundreds of attractions and countless places to see and visit, but one of the spots that attracts the most attention and thousands and thousands of visitors is Tokyo Tower. For decades it’s been one of the classic snapshots to take when visiting the Japanese capital, but this year to coincide with the tower’s 60th anniversary they’ve pulled out all the stops to offer visitors a tour of the upper platform at the 250m level. The observation floor has been revamped and now has a futuristic feel to it with LED lighting and geometrical mirrors throughout the whole area. This is the only way to visit the newly renamed Top Deck.
To access the Top Deck Tour, visitors must use the advance reservation system and select the date and time they want to visit. Once inside the tower, you must remember to arrive on time; otherwise, your reservation will be cancelled by the authorities. It provides audio-guides in 13 languages, or you can opt for a guided visit of the platform, or deck. You’ll also find drinks, souvenirs and of course, service and attention from the staff that’s second to none.
During the tour, visitors have the feeling of floating among the clouds and travelling through time in the new glass-panelled elevator that provides stunning panoramic views of the city and opens your eyes to the contrast of the revamped, futuristic Top Deck compared to Main Deck of the Tokyo Tower.
You should also know that entrance to the Main Deck (previously named the Main Observatory) at the height of 150m is also included in the ticket price for the upper platform, along with access to several other services mentioned above.
Some other interesting facts about the Tower
- Construction of the tower was completed on October 14th, 1958 and it was opened to the public on December 23rd of the same year.
- The tower stands at 332.6m, 6m taller than the Eiffel Tower, although it’s not as well known as the iconic French building, and weighs about 4000 tons, less than half the 10,100 tons of the Eiffel Tower.
- Its main purpose is to act as an analogue signal broadcasting antenna, and since 2003 it also broadcasts in digital in the Kanto
- It’s painted red and white to comply with air safety regulations.
- Although not one of Tokyo’s tallest towers, it’s still one of the city’s leading tourist attractions today.
- The change from analogue to digital television in 2011 presented problems as the tower was not tall enough to fully support the broadcasting of the digital terrestrial signal to the entire region, so the Skytree tower was designed with this purpose in mind and opened in 2012 to become the tallest structure in Japan, outstripping Tokyo Tower of the title.
Tokyo Tourism now offers visitors to the city the possibility to enjoy the unforgettable experience of watching the Japanese capital from high above and also being part of the history of the 60th anniversary celebrations of this world-renowned monument.
