IS JAPAN COOL? TOKYO
1. Commanding new broadcasting/sightseeing tower that opened May 22, 2012 in Sumida, Tokyo.
2. Full height is 634 meters, making it one of the world’s tallest freestanding steel towers. The building alone is 470.97 meters high, one of Japan’s tallest structures.
3. The number 634 — which can be pronounced “mu-sa-shi” in Japanese — refers to Musashi, the old name for Tokyo’s suburban area.
4. Basic design concept unites traditional and futuristic beauty. The five-story pagoda at Horyu-ji Temple, a World Heritage site, was studied as an architectural model.
5. This is Japan’s new symbol for the future, combining craftsmanship, cutting-edge technology, and aesthetics.
Five-story pagoda (Horyu-ji Temple)
This amazing 1,400-year-old pagoda has survived all earthquakes with virtually no damage. Its design secret — a central spine called shinbashira — has been utilized in building the new Tokyo Sky Tree.