There is the CN Tower in Toronto, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Empire State Building in New York. These iconic structures have been embraced by the people who live in these cities and by the tourists who visit. They are a symbol of development.
While everyone has heard of the buildings mentioned above, do you know about the two towers diversifying the Tokyo skyline?
One is the Tokyo Tower that’s colored bright red.
The other is Tokyo Sky Tree, which is the world’s tallest freestanding tower. The CN Tower is now ranked the third highest tower.
While the Tokyo Tower at one time was the highest tower in Japan, it gained a new companion in the Tokyo Sky Tree when its construction began in the summer of 2008.
Even though the Tokyo Tower was sparkling and expressing Japan’s development and reconstruction after the Second World War, it was gradually being overshadowed and hidden due to the other high-rise buildings that were made as Japan continued to develop.
Accordingly, the owners of the Tokyo Tower made the decision to decorate it with bright lighting in the hopes of getting it popular again and making it an iconic representative of Tokyo once more. With the big expectations, the Tokyo Tower became a key representative of Tokyo and Japan ever since.
The building can also act as a symbolic tool, depending on the situation. For instance, it changed its color to blue and red like the American flag when President Obama visited Japan. Moreover, it was made to look like a rainbow when Japan was selected to the host for the Olympic games in 2020.
In February 2012, the Tokyo Sky Tree was completed, with construction taking over four years.
As high-rise buildings continued to surround the Tokyo Tower, which was used as radio tower, its communication speed was lagging behind because of its surroundings. That’s why the Tokyo Sky Tree replaced it as the city’s new radio tower.
In addition, the Tokyo Sky Tree is a commercial facility that includes an aquarium, a planetarium and a museum on the bottom floor of the tower. As mentioned, it’s the highest freestanding tower in the world, so you can see all of Tokyo as far as the eye can see.
The dynamic between these two towers is a very rare case, in that very seldom does one city has two massive, iconic and attractive towers that has a relationship which compliments the other almost seamlessly.
Everybody can feel peace of mind knowing the Tokyo Tower is still around, while at the same time being in love with the fusion between old and nostalgic Japan, while the Tokyo Sky Tree brings countless tourists to Tokyo with its reputation of being a must see attraction.
The Tokyo Sky Tree and the Tokyo Tower are definitely worth visiting if you have an opportunity visit Japan.
Featured Image:Tokyo Tower and the Tokyo Sky Tree from Yebisu Garden Place. Morio/Wikimedia Commons