Tokyo Sky Tree officially opened today! Actually, "Tokyo Sky Tree Town," the huge complex that accompanies the famous 634.0 meter (2,080 foot) tower in Tokyo's Sumida ward.
Tokyo Sky Tree stood tall and proud this evening, bathed in the full glory of its lighting scheme that had only been occasionally witnessed over recent weeks in the lead up to the opening. The rings encircling the Sky Tree in the above photo were actually shining lighthouse-style, rotating.
Unfortunately it rained very hard on the parade, today being unseasonably cold and very, very wet, with a hard, constant rain falling all day long, and quite strong winds. This had the unexpected result of causing the closure of the higher observation deck, the Tembo Galleria, early this evening, well before the official 10pm closing time.
Nevertheless, thousands of people had booked flights and tours to be at the opening of the Tokyo Sky Tree from months before. Interest was reportedly especially high in West Japan (the Kansai area).
5.4 million people are expected to visit Tokyo Sky Tree City in Tokyo's Oshiage area over the next year, turning what was one of Tokyo's drabbest and most forgettable areas into a positive tourist mecca. The competition for retail space and tour conductor rights has therefore been fierce.
A conspicuous effort is being made by many businesses to cash in on foreign tourist interest in Tokyo Sky Tree as well, with English information aplenty.
Over the past two or three years, JapanVisitor has been following the progress of the Tokyo Sky Tree construction, for example our post Tokyo Sky Tree Nearing Completion from late last year, and the following YouTube video from two years ago.
Look forward to more coverage of Tokyo Sky Tree City in the weeks ahead.
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