Tokyo Skytree

Tokyo Skytree (東京スカイツリー Tōkyō Sukaitsurī) is a broadcasting and observation tower in Sumida, Tokyo. It became the tallest structure in Japan in 2010 and reached its full height of 634.0 metres (2,080 ft) 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 Leap Day, 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 the Tobu Railway (which owns the complex) 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 7 km (4.3 mi) north-east of Tokyo Station.

The highlight of the Tokyo Skytree is its two observation decks which offer spectacular views out over Tokyo. The two enclosed decks are located at heights of 350 and 450 meters respectively, making them the highest observation decks in Japan and some of the highest in the world.

Tembo Deck, the lower of the two decks is 350 meters high and spans three levels with great views from all of its floors. The top floor features tall, broad windows that offer some of the best 360 degree panoramic views of the city. The middle floor has a souvenir shop and the Musashi Sky Restaurant, which serves French-Japanese fusion cuisine, while the lowest floor features a cafe and some glass panels on the ground from where you can look all the way down to the base of the tower.

A visit to the Tokyo Skytree starts on the 4th floor where the tickets for the first observation deck (but not for the second deck) are sold. A fast and smooth elevator ride takes visitors to the top floor of the first observation deck where tickets for the second observation deck can be purchased. Visitors then access the second deck before descending back to the lower floors of the first observatory where they board the elevator down to the tower's exit on the 5th floor.

Tokyo Skytree

• Located in: Tokyo Solamachi
• Address: 1 Chome-1-2 Oshiage, Sumida City, Tokyo 131-0045, Japan
• Height: 634 m
• Floors: 29
• Top floor: 451.2 m (1,480 ft)