Best of the Best

I am very grateful that I am starting to build a photographic collection of various observation decks worldwide. The list includes the Seattle Space Needle, the Willis + John Hancock Towers, The Shard and the Eiffel Tower. There might be a couple more I’m forgetting if you browse this site. I have to admit that among the group, the Tokyo Skytree tops the list and that is mostly because of the vastness of Tokyo. The city just continues and continues.

Approach

On street level, while navigating different neighborhoods of Tokyo, it’s hard to miss the sight of the Tokyo Skytree. It’s makes for a great marker to gain your bearings. After some metro riding, I emerged in Sumida City and walked the rest of the way to the tower. The walking route was along the Sumida River and I was able to capture sights of the Asahi Beer Headquarters and it’s “golden flame.” I also came across the statue of Katsu Kaishu, a statesman known for founding Japan’s modern navy. After that, my eyes were all over the Skytree. Completed in 2010, it is the world’s tallest tower at 634m and is the 2nd tallest structure in the world after the Burj Khalifa. I honestly did not know that until after my trip. I was at the 2nd tallest structure in the world! How cool? It’s glorious. There’s not much more to say. I looked forward to ascending and made my way through it’s lobby while catching a glimpse of a local juggler:

Let the views begin…

After a very quick elevator ascent with ears popping as expected, I reached the 350th floor observation deck. The only word is “wow.” This was one of those moments were I shamelessly overshot. Experiencing great architecture and views like this is one of, if not, the purest joy of my life. I shot endlessly and un-apologetically. Be prepared for some repeats and similar shots. Colors changed at bit towards the end as sunset began. I found a lot of joy in zooming in and creating more isometric images of just a few city blocks. It was very reminiscent of the view you’d get while playing SimCity (one of my favorite games as a kid). Overall, the way I’ve described the view to others, and you’ll see, is that the urban density of Tokyo is like taking the island of Manhattan and then copying and pasting it in 360 degrees and 4 to 5 times deep. It’s incredible. Buildings on top of buildings. This is what a city of 38 million people looks like from above: