March 19, 2012—The gigantic Tokyo Sky Tree is the newest architectural wonder on the Tokyo, Japan skyline. Delayed due to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan’s northern coastal cities in March 2011, the tower is now due to open May 22, 2012.
The tower became the tallest artificial structure in Japan when it reached its full height of 634 meters (2,080 ft.) in March 2011. When it opens to the public in May, the Observation Deck at 450 meters will overtake Tokyo City View’s 250-meter-high observation deck to become the highest in Tokyo. The tower easily surpasses the height of the current Tokyo Tower (250m, 820 ft.) and other skyscrapers in Tokyo, creating a new Tokyo skyline, says the Japan National Tourism Organization.
The Tokyo Sky Tree is currently the tallest free-standing tower in the world, and the second tallest structure in the world, only topped by the 828-meter Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai, UAE.
The statuesque structure features observatories at 350m and 450m, and sports a huge digital TV antenna at the top. Since analog broadcasting will end in Japan in July 2011, five commercial stations and NHK took the initiative in 2006 to prepare in advance for digital broadcasting from a point significantly higher than the other circa-200m high-rise buildings in this major traditional international tourism zone of Japan. The tower is also expected to be equipped with disaster prevention features.
