Tokyo Skytree

Next, I will write about the Tokyo Skytree
I actually talked about the Skytree for an English presentation
Here's the slide that I used

Top left; Location of Skytree
Top right; Height of the Skytree in comparison to other buildings
Bottom Left; The stages of building the Skytree
Bottom right; Skytree at day and night

• The Skytree is the tallest tower in the world and it stands at 634m tall
• It is in the Sumida ward
• You may think that the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest in the world but it is considered a skyscraper and not a tower
• It has three main purposes, it is a communications tower, a shopping center and an observation tower
• They started building the Skytree on 14 July 2008
• It was completed on 29 February 2012
• It was finally opened to the public on 22 May 2012
• The bottom of the Skytree is triangular to make it stable during earthquakes as Japan gets earthquakes often.
• The colour of the Skytree is an original colour called SKYTREE which is based on the lightest shade of Japanese indigo blue called aijiro
• The colour symbolises harmony with its surroundings as is seems to blend in with the sky
• The height of the Skytree is a reference to an old region of Tokyo called Musashi. The letters sound similar to the name, Mu (6) sa (3) shi (4).
• There are two types of illuminations like the Tokyo Tower, they are called Iki which is blue and Miyabi which is purple
• Iki is a Japanese expression of simplicity sophistication, spontaneity and originality
• Miyabi means chic
• Occasionally, the largest lights will be illuminated in different colours for special occasions

Sumidagawa fireworks festival!
By てんどん (http://photozou.jp/photo/show/141110/145311514) [CC BY 2.1 jp (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.1/jp/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons

I went there on my birthday, it was amazing! You could almost spend a whole day at the Skytree, there is just so much to see, so many shops and the view of Tokyo was amazing. Unfortunately, we were unable to climb to the very top but the view from the middle of the tower was amazing. I remember after lunch, my family and a good friend and I had a green tea icecream and we received a skytree spoon, I thought that was a nice touch to the icecream. 

How to get there

The easiest way is by train, you need to get to Oshiage metro station as the Skytree is right next to it. Tokyo Skytree Town is a 20 minute walk from Asakusa, and covers the area that’s between Tokyo Skytree. You can also reach Tokyo Skytree Town with a direct bus from the following stops:

Haneda Airport

Tokyo Disney Resort 

Tokyo Station 

Ueno Station