The amazing Tokyo Sky Tree is worth a stopover

In May 2012, the Guinness World Records book ranked the 634-metre high Tokyo Sky Tree as the tallest tower in the world.

Tokyo Sky Tree is a fairly new addition to Tokyo’s skyline, having opened to the public in May 2012.

The Guinness World Records (GWR) book ranks it as the tallest tower in the world with a height of 634 metres, which makes it about twice as high as the Eiffel Tower but it is still dwarfed by Dubai’s Burj Khalifa at 828 metres, the world’s tallest building.

If you are wondering what the difference is between a tower and a building, GWR defines a tower as a building in which usable floor space occupies less than 50% of its height.

When Tokyo Sky Tree first opened, tickets to the observation decks were sold out months in advance.

As you might be able to make out from the photo, there is a lower observation deck level around 350 metres up and a higher deck at 450 metres. You pay more for the higher level.

They have some clever touch-panel displays which can zoom in on particular districts, switch from night view to daytime view, provide information on points of interest and show sped-up time-lapse shots of a 24-hour cycle.

There is also a glass floor section for thrill seekers.

While adults will enjoy the Sky Tree, kids may prefer the Studio Ghibli shop which is located in the Solamachi shopping complex at the foot of the tower.