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World's tallest tower opens to thousands of visitors in Tokyo
Tens of thousands of visitors flocked to the Tokyo Skytree on Tuesday, trying to be among the first people to get a view of the Japanese capital from the world's tallest tower.
The Skytree rises 634 meters (2,080 feet) above Tokyo. It was certified as the world's tallest tower by Guinness World Records on November 17, according to the Skytree's website.
Guinness lists the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, at 828 meters (2,716 feet 6 inches), as the world's tallest building.
The distinction is that Burj Khalifa is an occupied building. The Skytree is a broadcast structure, with digital transmissions for Tokyo media beamed from it. Its towering height doubles the coverage that was previously available, as it enables signals to get past the countless other skyscrapers in the Japanese capital, according to the Skytree website.
People showing up for trips up the Skytree were beaming with pride and excitement Tuesday, according to local news reports.
Michihiko Katsuragi, 27, has watched construction of the tower since moving to the area in 2009, according to a report in the Mainichi Daily News.
"I felt like I was growing up at the same time," he was quoted as saying.
Kazutaka Hasegawa got in line on May 16 and was the first visitor to the Skytree on Tuesday, according to the Mainichi Daily News.
"As a resident of Sumida Ward, I feel a sense of satisfaction in being the first person to ascend the tower," Hasegawa was quoted as saying.
The Skytree has two observation decks, at 350 meters (1,148 feet) and at 450 meters (1,476 feet).
The upper deck can hold 900 people at a time and the lower deck 2,000, according to a report from the Japan Daily Press. Only 6,000 tickets to the decks will be sold daily and they are sold online through a lottery system, the report said.
louisiana lottery
The Skytree complex, which also includes a shopping area, was expected to draw about 200,000 visitors on Tuesday, according to the Daily Press.
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It's not a building doesn't count
neither does the tokyo skytree
No, they didn't. If you would have noticed that the entire list was buildings, except for this one in the story.
Earthquakes and irradiated dust.... two great reasons to go 2000 feet in to the air.
Don't worry, guys. This tower is safe; I don't own it.
Can someone tell me what the point of this tower is? It doesn't seem to have any functioning use other than an observation desk... Am I missing something?
A spire shouldn't count. Occupied floors and an antenna are far different things.
Very impressive for a country plagued by earthquakes. I'd like to see how much it would wave back and forth without breaking during a quake.
Trump International Hotel and Tower should also be on the list, if I'm not mistaken (Chicago).
Where is the CN Tower on this list? At 1815 feet it is the third tallest structure, just below the Tokyo Skytree.
It's not considered a building
Wonderful looking builing, hope the foundation is strong enough to handle earthquakes.
Um CN Tower in Toronto?
At 1815 feet, it should be on this list.
I think it is funny that Hasegawa says he was the first to ascend the tower. Umm, maybe he doesn't understand how things are built.
This is all Obama's fault. I wish we could go back to the good times we had under Bush Jr. 😉
we can not have one, we are in debt because of two republicans wars and Bush tax cuts for the rich.....$14 trillion that our kids must pay...but racist greedy Republicans live tax free and are trying to take our social security checks to pay for the massive debt.....When Obama gets re-elected we will pass a law doing away with the Republican party...there will be law against being Republican and closing down Fox network...England is already running the Murdocks out of their country
ha tower envey
I live near the shortest tower in the world. In fact, I'm standing on it right now.