Tokyo Skytree 5.06

Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting, restaurant, and observation tower in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It became the tallest structure in Japan in 2010 and reached its full height of 634.0m in March 2011, making it the tallest tower in the world, displacing the Canton Tower, and the second tallest structure in the world after the Burj Khalifa (829.8 m/2,722 ft).The tower is the primary television and radio broadcast site for the Kantō region; the older Tokyo Tower no longer gives complete digital terrestrial television broadcasting coverage because it is surrounded by high-rise buildings. Skytree was completed on 29 February 2012, with the tower opening to the public on 22 May 2012. The tower is the centrepiece of a large commercial development funded by Tobu Railway and a group of six terrestrial broadcasters headed by NHK. Trains stop at the adjacent Tokyo Skytree Station and nearby Oshiage Station. The complex is 7km north-east of Tokyo Station.DesignThe design was published on 24 November 2006, based on the following three concepts: Fusion of neofuturistic design and the traditional beauty of Japan, Catalyst for revitalization of the city, Contribution to disaster prevention – "Safety and Security". The base of the tower has a structure similar to a tripod; from a height of about 350m and above, the tower's structure is cylindrical to offer panoramic views of the river and the city. There are observatories at 350m, with a capacity of up to 2000 people, and 450m, with a capacity of 900 people. The upper observatory features a spiral, glass-covered skywalk in which visitors ascend the last 5 meters to the highest point at the upper platform. A section of glass flooring gives visitors a direct downward view of the streets below.