View from the Top of Tokyo!

TOKYO – Every year some quarter of a million people climb to the top of Japan’s famed Mt. Fuji to get a fantastic view of a big chunk of the country, including Tokyo in the distance.

There is a much easier way to get a bird’s eye view of Tokyo that is only a few minutes from any part of the city, and can be reached by elevator. This alternative choice is the landmark Tokyo Tower, which at 333 meters in height (1,093 ft.) is higher than France’s Eiffel Tower.

Built in 1958 to facilitate radio and television broadcasting, Tokyo Tower has two observation decks, one 150 meters above ground and the other at the 250-meter level, making it one of the highest observation decks in the world.

Located on one of the many low hills that dot the south and southwestern portions of Tokyo, which adds to its height above sea-level, the tower was an instant hit with city residents and visitors alike because at the time of its construction there were no high-rise structures in the city.

Both of the tower’s observation decks are equipped with fixed telescopes for close-up views of the sprawling city, but one of the most popular views from the decks doesn’t require a telescope.

On clear days, the towering pinnacle of Mt. Fuji can be seen to the southwest, 100 kilometers (62 mi.) away, adjoining the shores of Suruga Bay. [Visitors flying into Japan have reported sighting the snow-clad peak of Mt. Fuji when they were still 300 miles out.]

But the views from Tokyo Tower that are the most interesting – and useful – are those of the city itself, because they provide viewers with an opportunity to see the layout of the sprawling metropolis, which, from ground level, can be more confusing than a maze.

Among the most prominent of the several dozen major “centers” that make up the city that are identifiable from the observation decks are the Imperial Palace grounds, Nagata-cho (government center), the famous Ginza shopping and entertainment district, “hotel center” in Minato Ward, the wild and wooly Roppongi entertainment district, the Marunouchi, Otemachi and Nihonbashi business districts, the forest of high-rise office buildings in the Shinjuku district, the young people’s entertainment and shopping havens of Harajuku and Shibuya, and Ikebukuro with its towering Sunshine Building in the northwestern portion of the city.

And that is not the half of it. You can also see the Akasaka geisha district, the shopping and entertainment mecca of Asakusa which until 1956 boasted one of the world’s largest and most elaborate red-light districts, and the imposing sumo stadium in Ryogoku.

Then there is Tokyo Bay with its man-made island of Odaiba that is noted for its shops, restaurants and hot spring spa; along with Disneyland on the northeastern edge of the bay, Haneda Airport, the famous Meiji Jingu Shrine, and more...including Yokohama and other nearby cities.

The ground and lower levels of the Tokyo Tower complex include a variety of gift shops and restaurants, plus a large wax museum that features replicas of famous personages.

The tower complex is within walking distance of several subway stations, including Kamiyacho on the Hibiya Line, Roppongi 1-chome on the Nanboku Line, and Onarimon and Shiba Koen stations on the Toei Mita Line. It is within 5 to 10 taxi minutes from more than a dozen of the city’s leading hotels.

While most visitors to Tokyo Tower automatically go during the day, the night-time views of the city from its observation decks are spectacular and have an ambiance that is totally different from the daytime views…making it one of the top romantic spots in the city for couples.

Copyright © 2007 by Boye Lafayette De Mente
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Boye Lafayette De Mente has been involved with Japan, Korea, China and Mexico since the late 1940s as a member of a U.S. intelligence agency, student, journalist, and editor. He is the author of more than 50 books on these countries, including the first books ever on the Japanese way of doing business: Japanese Etiquette & Ethics in Business, first published in 1959 and still in print, and How to Do Business in Japan, published in 1961.

To see a complete list of his titles [each one linked to Amazon.com’s buy page], go to his personal website: http://www.phoenixbookspublishers.com/.