Tokyo
Saturday…
It’s clear today although we had a shower all day yesterday. I decided to take some breath outside.
I don’t enter this park nearly for 1 year, I think, although I go pass it every week. It’s a place I usu came to take some breath…. when I was upset. I walked on the same path, sat on the same seat, and watched children playing near behind. I just remember those moments. Next year, I gonna move to Tokyo,…where I can’t see such a green, relaxing landscape near my dorm anymore. I gonna miss here, I guess.
I don’t need to sit here again today cos I’m not kind of distress. 🙂
Tokyo Sky Tree construction ends
Hard to miss — Tokyo Sky Tree opens for visitors in May 2012 after a mere two-month delay.
Two months late and 634 meters high, Tokyo’s Sky Tree, officially the world’s tallest tower, was completed yesterday, February 29, 2012.
Construction was delayed after the March 2011 earthquake affected supplies to the site, according to a spokesperson talking to theage.com.au.
The new building, construction of which began in July 2008, supersedes China’s Canton Tower (600 meters high) as the world’s tallest tower, but is still nearly 200 meters shy of Dubai’s 830-meter Burj Khalifa, the tallest manmade structure ever built.
The Tokyo Sky Tree, which cost approximately ¥65 billion (US$806 million), will provide services for digital radio and TV transmission as well as an aquarium, a theater, academic institutes and regional heating and cooling facilities.
It will also give visitors a chance to gaze across the city.
Two observatories are open to the public, at 350 meters and 450 meters. The latter also features an “air corridor” — a glass outer walkway.
The lower observation platform houses a restaurant, a cafe and a shop.
Developments around the foot of the structure will create a “town with a tower … to form a rich community caring for the people surrounded by clean air and lush green trees,” according to Tokyo Sky Tree press materials.
The somewhat gushy text goes on to add: “When Tokyo Sky Tree stands tall in the eastern sky from where the sun rises, a future community will be formed at its foot and it will be one of a kind that is filled with tenderness.”
Simulations have shown the tower is able to withstand an 8.0-magnitude earthquake, according to Hirotake Takanishi, PR manager for holding company, Tobu Tower Sky Tree.
Getting there
Opening May 22, 2012, the Tokyo Sky Tree can be accessed from Narihirabashi Station on the Tobu Isesaki Line (the station name will change to Tokyo Sky Tree Station) or Oshiage Station on the Hanzomon and Asakusa subway lines.
The best times to visit will be winter days in January and February, whenTokyo’s usual haze is minimal, or at night when the skyline, as well as the tower itself, lights up. Admission to the topmost observation deck costs ¥3,000 (US$37) for adults; children pay ¥900-2,300 depending on age.
Snow in Spring
When I got up, opened my window’s curtains, snow was already my handbreadth high. Severe snow falling such a time is strange, but I love it. You might have the same feeling as I do; the feeling you can touch when seeing the falling snow from your window with all the houses’ roof piled in snow. Everywhere is in white. I like seeing snow on tree. Snow becomes its leaves, its flowers, its branches… That’s so beautiful.
Today is my last day in school. My last day I had to get up early in the morning. From tomorrow my spring holiday comes… (Thank god, I can survive one more year!).
It’s maybe also my last day I saw snow this year. See you again next year in winter. Thank you for giving me a gift today.
Photo from my window…
You also love seeing it, don’t you? Snow on tree!!! I see it as flowers, leaves,….
Stay alone in snow… Look so lonely, but don’t give up. Don’t lose the coldness, you will see the sun tomorrow(I already saw the weather forcast). Yeah, it’s a good news from you,…but not me.
Wow, you are not alone… Everyone looks the same.
Our drivers,…good luck!
Odaiba
Rainbow Bridge from Odaiba Odaiba (お台場) is a popular shopping and entertainment district on a man made island in Tokyo Bay. It originated as a set of small man made fort islands (daiba literally means “fort”), which were built towards the end of the Edo Period (1603-1868) to protect Tokyo against possible attacks from the sea and specifically in response to the gunboat diplomacy of Commodore Perry.More than a century later, the small islands were joined into larger islands by massive landfills, and Tokyo began a spectacular development project aimed to turn the islands into a futuristic residential and business district during the extravagant 1980s. But development was critically slowed after the burst of the “bubble economy” in the early 1990s, leaving Odaiba nearly vacant.
Aquacity and the Fuji TV Building It was not until the second half of the 1990s, when several hotels, shopping malls and the Yurikamome elevated train line were opened, that Odaiba developed into one of Tokyo’s most popular tourist attractions and date spots with a wide selection of shopping, dining and leisure options. Despite the initial setbacks, several lavish development projects did materialize, including some of Tokyo’s boldest architectural creations, such as the Fuji TV Building, Telecom Center and Tokyo Big Sight. Modern city planning furthermore provides Odaiba with plenty of green space and a pleasant division of motorized and pedestrian traffic using elevated walkways and the like.
Fuji TV Area
Palette Town is a large shopping and entertainment complex consisting of the Venus Fort shopping mall, Toyota Mega Web, a Ferris Wheel, the Zepp Tokyo music venue and Tokyo Leisureland.
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| How to get there |
| Access to Odaiba can be an attraction in itself, as the views of the Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo’s harbor and waterfront area from the Yurikamome elevated train and boats are quite spectacular. Furthermore, it is also possible to walk across the Rainbow Bridge.
The Yurikamome crosses the Rainbow Bridge to get to Odaiba and offers spectacular views of the harbor and the Tokyo waterfront. Sit or stand at the very front of the train for the most impressive views. By Rinkai Line The Rinkai Line connects Osaki Station on the JR Yamonote Line with Shin-Kiba Station on the JR Keiyo Line, stopping at the Tokyo Teleport and Kokusai Tenjijo underground stations on Odaiba along the way. Some trains on the JR Saikyo Line continue to run on the Rinkai Line and provide direct connections between Shinjuku, Sibuyaand Odaiba. The ride from Shinjuku to Tokyo Teleport Station on Odaiba takes 25 minutes and costs 480 yen. Note that the Japan Rail Pass, Seishun 18 Kippu and similar JR tickets are not valid on the Rinkai Line between Osaki and Shin-Kiba, even though the line is served by JR trains. By Boat Tokyo Water Bus operates boats between Odaiba Seaside Park and Hinode Pier (20 minutes, 460 yen, 1-2 boats per hour), where there are connections to Asakusa. Direct boats connect Asakusa and Odaiba less frequently (50 minutes, 1520 yen). Furthermore, there are boats from Hinode Pier to Palette Town and Tokyo Big Sight (25-35 minutes, 400 yen, one boat per hour except Mondays and Tuesdays). On Foot It is possible to cross the Rainbow Bridge on foot. The walk across takes about 30-45 minutes and offers nice views of the waterfront area. The pedestrian path begins a short walk from Shibaura-futo Station along the Yurikamome on the “Tokyo side” of the bridge, while Odaiba Kaihinkoen Station is the nearest station on the “Odaiba side”. Bicycles are not allowed. Note that the pedestrian walkways gets closed during the night (21:00 to 9:00 from April to October, 18:00 to 10:00 from November to March), on the third Monday of every month, from December 29 to 31, during the Tokyo Bay Fireworks Display and during bad weather. Orientation in Tokyo
Crossing Rainbow Bridge on foot |
By YurikamomeThe Yurikamome is an automated, elevated train with rubber tires, which connects Shimbashi Station on the JR Yamonote Line with all of Odaiba’s attractions and Toyosu Station on the Yurakucho Subway Line. Trains depart every few minutes, and a ride between Shimbashi and Daiba Station takes 15 minutes and costs 310 yen. If you ride the Yurikamome more than twice, a one day pass for 800 yen is likely to cost less than regular fares.
My Visitors
PREBLOGGER! 