The Tokyo Tower, Tokyo's Premiere Visitor's Spot

Tokyo, Japan is a fascinating city. It is full of sights and sounds that can be exhilarating to the imagination.

Tokyo is chocked full of interesting places to visit. The rich culture of Japan makes walking through a large modern city seem futuristic at times and at the same time ancient. It is possible at any given time to see a modern office building within yards of, what seems, an ancient looking building, perhaps from the days of the Shogun.

A point of interest that is well worth taking your time to visit is the Tokyo Tower.

The Tokyo Tower opened in 1958 and holds the record as the tallest self supporting steel structure in the world at 333 meters tall. The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, stands only 320 meters high, a full 13 meters shorter. I always thought of the Eiffel Tower as being monumental , yet the Tokyo Tower is more so.

The Tokyo Tower, although taller than the Eiffel Tower, weighs in at about 4,000 tons while the Eiffel Tower weighs about 7,000 tons. The 3,000 ton difference is due to advances in technology in steel manufacturing. Just in case you were wondering, there is a building centered directly under the structure, itself.

I visited the Tokyo Tower during daylight hours so I did not have the advantage of seeing it lit up at night. There are 176 floodlights that light up the night from various parts of the tower. In the summer months, the lights are an incandescent white but orange in the winter and can be seen for miles. I would imagine it being sort of like a gigantic year round steel Christmas tree. The lights were set to a neon green color for the opening of "The Matrix" in Tokyo.

This attraction is open year round and sports not only two observation decks but a wax museum, a miniature play land behind it (mini amusement park), cartoon characters that run around the bottom floor delighting the kids and more.

The first floor of the Tokyo Tower affords a souvenir shop, an old fashioned restaurant, the Aquarium Gallery, information booth and office with a small sweet shop.. Bathrooms, change machines and a special room just to change your baby is available and well marked.

The second floor is for the famished! Restaurants abound...anything from traditional Japanese food to Pizza Inn and McDonald's. There is also a coffee shop and an ice cream parlor. There are more souvenir shops than you could possibly imagine so anything is possible. One shop, the Crystal Planet, offers anything from gemstones to jewelry.

The third floor sports the Guinness World Records Museum, Tokyo, a wonderful wax museum and something called "Space Wax" that is full of holographic exhibits. The "Space Wax" room is too sharp to describe but you have to see it if you go!

The fourth floor includes a game room for both the young and young at heart and a section set aside for statistical information. You can either play or learn...what a choice!

On the roof you will find the Amusement Park Roof Garden and the Glass Plaza (local performances). From the roof you can either ascend to the observation decks by stairs or elevator. Anyone wishing to advance to the observation decks must buy a ticket to do so.

The first observation deck on the Tokyo Tower is 150 meters above the ground. The bird's eye view of Tokyo is breathtaking. You can literally get a 360 degree view of one of the most busy cities on the planet, a mix of old and new. Looking down can make your heart skip several beats and the cars below seem smaller than "Matchbox" toy cars You can also take a break from the view to visit the coffee shop or see a scheduled show at "Club 333".

The second observation deck is 250 meters high. The view from this height is even more stunning! This view includes Mt. Fuji and Mt. Tsukuba.

Interesting facts about the tower include the fact that it took 28,000 liters of paint to paint it...about 140 drums of it. It is painted orange and white to abide by the Civil Aeronautic Law in Japan.

Tokyo Tower also transmits 24 broadcast waves, 14 analog and 10 digital. Most broadcast stations in Tokyo use the Tokyo Tower to broadcast their signals.

Tokyo Tower was conceived in the 1950s as a way to symbolize Japan's rebirth and ascension to an economic power after WWII. Modeled after the Eiffel Tower, it has become a powerful icon for Japan.

The Tokyo Tower has also appeared in several movies and cartoons.

If you ever visit Tokyo, you would be missing an extraordinary spectacle if you did not visit the Tokyo Tower!