Tokyo Sky Tree

A new famous Tokyo spot linking information and the soul of Japan to the next generation

With terrestrial digital broadcasting starting in December 2003, the Japanese television broadcasting environment became all-digital when analog broadcasting shuts down in July 2011 after a seven and a half year switch over period. Tokyo Tower fulfills the role of the signal broadcasting tower, but television stations are facing a growing need for a taller broadcasting tower along with the increase of high rise buildings in the downtown area.

Tokyo Sky Tree is a tower that serves as a response to these needs, with plans for construction in the Oshiage area of Sumida Ward in Tokyo.

It is the tallest self-standing broadcasting tower in the world at 634 meters tall. As an architectural object as well, it is the second tallest after Burj Khalifa (at 828 meters) in the United Arab Emirates. (As of May, 2012) The numbers 6, 3, and 4 in the measurement of 634 meters are pronounced "mu, sa, shi" in Japanese, which is an old name for a region that includes modern day Tokyo and the surrounding vicinity. The measurement was determined from the wish to provide a view of the "Musashi" area from the tower and have people think about the land and its history.

The silhouette pays tribute to the "sori" and "mukuri" (inward and outward curves) features seen in traditional Japanese architecture, with the image of a giant tree stretching up to the sky. Nighttime illumination will alternate nightly between two themes, one night presenting the "chic" spirit cultivated in the Shitamachi area of Tokyo and the next capturing the "gracefulness" of Japanese classical aesthetics.

Tokyo Sky Tree is garnering a great deal of attention, and the surrounding area is bustling with visiting sightseers. The area is near Senso-ji Temple, a famous Tokyo sightseeing spot in Asakusa, and Sumida River, an essential element in the beautiful Tokyo landscape, and the tower energize tourism and industry for the entire area.