Congratulations to Tokyo (and Japan) on beating off tough competition from Istanbul and Madrid and being awarded the 2020 Olympic Games. Personally I think it is superb news as I am a big fan of the place and will encourage as many as possible to travel to Tokyo in the run up to the games.
I was lucky enough to have a week there last autumn and if I had to choose just one highlight of the of my time fantastic city it would probably have been a visit up the newly opened Skytree. It’s partly because it is the world’s tallest something or other (the records keep changing) at 634m but also it’s because I get vertigo.
Faced with the prospect of heading up into the clouds by lift I can’t say I was thrilled however I thought I would put it out of my mind until the fateful moment came. The trouble with a 634m tall tower is that it just kept popping up when I was least expecting it, appearing in the background of photos or jumping out as you came round a corner – it was difficult to get it out of my mind.
When the time duly arrived I said my farewells and headed into the lift. The accompanying countdown and sound & light show would not have been out of place with the launch of a space shuttle so I was not at my most relaxed. In less than a minute you reach the main Tembo deck at 350m. Amazingly it felt pretty secure underfoot (unlike the treetop walkway in Kew Gardens with the kids bouncing up and down) and spread out in front was a vista of Tokyo in the early evening light that could only be described as awesome. WOW, what a city and what a view.
Next thing I knew I had voluntarily headed into another elevator that shot up a further 100m to the Galleria. Perhaps this was a stage too far – I am not sure if it was the glass sided lift, the sloping walkway at 450m or even the glass floor but something did not feel right to I was pretty much straight into the express lift back to the safety or terra firma.
I like to conveniently forget my wobble at 450m up and would highly recommend a trip to the Skytree for anyone visiting Tokyo. Most importantly it opens up magnificent views of this amazing city, helping you understand its layout and, in the right light, offering a far off glimpse of Mt Fuji. In another way it might help you get over your vertigo – and if that’s not a problem then you can enjoy looking through a glass floor at a drop of 451m straight down.
Contact us at Putney Travel if you want to talk about travel to Tokyo, or indeed any form of holiday in Japan.
Check out the Skytree website here – I particularly like the graphic as you move up and down the tower.
by TMS