“The age of the skyscraper is gone. This is the age of the housing project. Which is always a prelude to the age of the cave.” ― Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead
On January 20th, I made a stroll around Tokyo Skytree’s commercial area. Since I wasn’t too excited to go up to the observation deck, which is reputed that it isn’t worth the visit in the slightest, I decided to photograph the supertall from so-called picture-perfect spots. But I personally don’t prefer the supertall, and here is why…
Despite being the tallest tower in the world and the second tallest structure after Burj Khalifa, Tokyo Skytree still remains unknown in the international context except for its home country, Japan. Notwithstanding Tokyo’s expectation to promote it as an iconic supertall, aiming at Tokyo 2020, its relatively weak international recognition is as a direct result of the city’s sharp decrease in its global competitiveness especially against its Asian rivals, such as Shanghai, Singapore, and Hong Kong. When compared to Shanghai’s iconic urban skyline, for example, the commercial area centering around the Skytree is nowhere to be featured in major global magazines.
The great structure function as a broadcasting, restaurant and observation tower. The construction took almost two years, and the tower reached its height of 634 meters (2.080ft) in March 2011. In spite of the fact that the supertall was expected to replace the older Tokyo Tower as a new icon of the city, people still prefer the original tower built in 1964 with its vintage charm.
As is common with other Japanese sightseeing spots, Tokyo Skytree follows the notorious tradition of being too commercial. Aside from its ridiculously expensive tickets to go up, it annoys visitors with anime/manga displays throughout the building. Why don’t the management side just let visitors enjoy the breathtaking views of Tokyo without those commercial distractions?
Okay, so too much negativity about the Skytree is going around here, but the photographing experience was great. Since the building is really tall, it is recognizable from anywhere around the area. Additionally, not only did I photograph the building, but also photographed the areas surrounding the supertall, observing how the country’s tallest structure influence the neighborhood and its skyline.
