Tokyo Tower 東京タワー Tyōkyō tawā

The unabashed Eiffel Tower tribute that somehow became an icon in its own right. Built in 1958, it’s the architectural equivalent of wearing your older sibling’s hand-me-downs but making them look better.

Tower Stats:

Height: 333 meters, deliberately made 13 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower because size apparently matters
Weight: 4,000 tons, less than half the weight of its Parisian inspiration (Japan’s subtle way of saying “we do more with less”)
Lighting: 176 lights that change colors seasonally and for special events (Tokyo’s largest mood lamp)

Three reasons for its existence:

To broadcast television signals across Tokyo (its actual purpose)
To symbolize Japan’s post-war economic recovery (its emotional purpose)
To give anime directors something to destroy in their apocalyptic storylines (its cultural purpose)

Visiting tips

For the full experience, spring for both observation decks – the メインデッキ Mein Dekki (Main Deck) at 150m and the pricier but less crowded トップデッキ Toppu Dekki (Top Deck) at 250m.

Time your visit for sunset to catch both daytime views and the tower’s nighttime illumination, when it transforms from functional radio tower to magical landmark.

The surrounding “Foot Town” building offers the usual tourist trappings – overpriced restaurants, quirky museums, and gift shops where you can buy miniature Tokyo Towers to place on your shelf at home, creating an infinite regression of tower-within-tower-within-tower.

The elephant in the room:

Tokyo Skytree (634m) opened in 2012, making Tokyo Tower the telecommunications equivalent of a flip phone in an iPhone world. But Tokyo Tower maintains its retro charm and cultural significance, like vinyl records or your dad’s mustache.