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Tokyo Tower

Tokyo Tower has it's home in the Minato-ku area of Tokyo and is close to popular places such as Roppongi Hills and Azabu Juban.

The Tower was built in 1958 as part of the recovery efforts after WWII. It's primary purpose was to provide a communications hub to serve Tokyo - a role it still fulfils today.

More recently, however, reception difficulties due to the construction of taller skycrapers have called into question its' future effectiveness, especially as analogue is gradually phased out.

How High Is It Exactly?

Standing at 333m tall - with the spike on top ; ) - the tower is painted orange and white to comply with Civil Aviation Laws.

I always prefer to think of it as being an orangey red and that the colours were chosen to reflect the Japanese flag - yes I'm showing my sentimental side!

You can pay to go up the tower and take in the views from 2 viewing platforms. The first is at 150 metres and is known as the main observatory. The second is at 250 metres - the special observatory.

It costs approximately ¥1,500 to get to the higher of the 2 platforms. At the base of the tower there's an aquarium and a wax museum to tempt a little more of the yen from your tourist purse!

Is it worth a trip? Some say no as there are other places that you can take in the view for free. Still, for me, if you have a chance and don't mind spending the entrance fee, it's worth it. It's Tokyo Tower after all.

Shiba Park

Decided to visit? Make the most of this trip by taking in a couple of attractions nearby - Shiba Park and Zojo-ji Shrine.

Both are about 10 - 15 minutes walking distance from the base of Tokyo Tower. Zojo-ji Shrine is easy to recognize with its huge red entrance gate. This was, and still is, the main temple of Jodo shu and an important school for Buddhist priests and novices.

During WWII, many of the original structures including a cathedral burned down, however, most have now been restored. Inside the grounds you will find a mausoleum to the shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa as this was his family temple after he moved to Edo (present day Tokyo) in the late 1500s.

Shiba Park - (you may see signs for Shiba Koen as koen is the Japanese word for park) - is one of the oldest public parks in Tokyo. It opened in 1873 and is a tranquil getaway from the city.

Inside there is a small waterfall and several paths to take a leisurely stroll down. As a point of interest, the famous Scotsman, Thomas Glover, had a residence in the park along with his family home in Nagasaki.