Thousands of visitors flocked to the Tokyo Skytree today, hoping to be among the first people on the planet to catch a glimpse of the Japanese capital from the world’s tallest tower.
The Tokyo Skytree climbs 2,080 feet above Tokyo. It was certified as the world’s tallest tower by Guinness World Records on November 17, according to the Skytree’s official website.
Guinness also lists the Burj Khalifa in Dubai – at 2,716 feet 6 inches – as the world’s tallest building.
The difference lies in the fact that the Burj Khalifa is an occupied building. The Tokyo Skytree is a broadcast structure, beaming transmissions for Tokyo media from it. Its height doubles the coverage that was available previously, as it allows broadcast signals to get past the other skyscrapers in the Japanese capital.
The Tokyo Skytree has two observation decks, at 1,148 feet and at 1,476 feet.
The upper deck can hold 900 people at a time and the lower deck can hold up to 2,000 people. Only 6,000 tickets to the decks will be sold on a daily basis and they are sold online via a lottery system.
The Skytree complex, which also includes a shopping area, was expected to draw about 200,000 visitors today.
More in the video below.
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- Tokyo Skytree, The World’s Tallest Tower, Opens (inquisitr.com)
- World’s tallest tower, the Tokyo Skytree, opens (newsday.com)
- World’s Tallest Tower, the Tokyo Skytree, Opens (abcnews.go.com)
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