Tokyo Sky Tree safe from quakes: operator

yes there is a big difference between this and the Burg, the Burg is a skyscraper, Sky Tree is a tower, and towers are much easier to build tall than buildings.

If for some reason it does fail, will a bow and a 'sumimasen' be adequate?

Last year, even though Tokyo experienced a major quake, there were no collapsed buildings

Zichi, apart from Costco in Tamasakai, where 2 people were killed, and some hall where the ceiling collapsed during a graduation ceremony, again causing fatalities; or arent you counting partial collapses

“The Tokyo Sky Tree was constructed with state-of-the-art Japanese technology. It will not fall,” said Yoshihito Imamura, deputy manager of Tokyo Sky Tree Town.

What else would the PR spokesman for the Tobu Railway say?

You will see the curvature of the Earth

So you're comparing this with the barren nothing-ness of the Nullarbor Plain where this is one of the few places on Earth not near the sea where this is possible? Says a lot about the suburbs of Tokyo then doesn't it!

You can just begin to see the curvature of the Earth from the window of a jet at 9,000 meters...

You have to doubt the mental state of Mr Imamura for saying such a nonsensical comment as that.

The fact that he also said that the Skytree "will not fall" (the very same thing that was said about a certain famous passenger liner, beginning with the letter "T", that sank exactly 100 years ago) does not bode well for the safety aspect of this new construction.

No doubt the moderator will now say that "the mental state of Mr Imamura is not relevant to this discussion".

"You will see the curvature of the Earth"

You can just begin to see the curvature of the Earth from the window of a jet at 9,000 meters...

"Tourist bosses in the country hope the Tokyo Sky Tree will prove a draw for foreign visitors..." Except for that French guy, what's his name...? Spiderman? and a few Austrian BASE jumpers, why would any foreigners make this their primary destination when in Japan? Better go to Osaka and touch Billiken.

it is a much bigger achievement to have an international team work together as one, like on the Burg, to achieve something great.

The Tokyo Sky Tree is just another digital radio tower but much taller than the Tokyo Tower. I wonder why they need international team for such a local tower? Of course, some bigger and more important international projects may need international team but some local projects don't need it at all. It seems that Japan wanted to make the taller tower by their own way and by Japanese only. It seems OK to me.

Designers are often wrong about their suppositions of safety. I wonder what the designers would have said about the Twin Towers in New York and their capacity to withstand fire damage. Their collapse was attributed to fire damage in the core more so than impact.

Designers like those of Sky Tree frequently claim to have created absolute safety, but that is more than often simply not the case when nature or mankind presents a challenge beyond expectations. I refer you to the design specifications for Fukushima for yet another example.

"A tree is only as strong as its roots." -some dude

I read those words and had a sudden sensation of deja vu...

Let's hope the Sky Tree record of safety will go on and on...

Wouldnt wanna be on it when any quake hits....even my 30 story office building keeps swaying for a while every time... Not that I think it is not safe..but I kinda like solid ground under my feet quite a bit more lately.

So i guess if the ground opened up below it.....it woundn't fall because its earthquake proof!!!! I sure hope this guy doesn't have to eat his words one day.

I believe them when they say it is safe, until a 9 quaker hits, then ouch.

What I would like to know is this. Will there be a special line for visitors coming from overseas? My brother is visiting this coming summer and wants to go up there.

@kwatt,

It doesn't matter. The Tokyo Sky tree was made by only Japanese such as engineers, technicians, designers and many small subcontractors. It means it was made by all Japan. But as for Burj Khalifa, made by all foreigners. That is a big difference.

Yes you are right, it is a much bigger achievement to have an international team work together as one, like on the Burg, to achieve something great.

kwatt: "But as for Burj Khalifa, made by all foreigners. That is a big difference."

Only in the mind of someone suffering an inferiority complex, perhaps. Wasn't the Fukushima plant also planned and built by Japanese? Aneha was a Japanese company, too, right? Point is, the ethnicity of the people who planned and put it together doesn't matter when you're talking about height, which is what you touched on.

Now, if you want to talk about quake resistance THERE is something where nationality MIGHT matter (as Japanese engineers would be more knowledgable, perhaps, since Japan suffers so many quakes), but again not with height. So cut the sour grapes, eh?

Anyway, I have no doubt the engineering is sound and the construction excellent, and fully believe it would withstand even a quake of last year's size, but if it were a quake with an epicenter not far from the tower, very high magnitude and frequency, and was an 'up-down' quake, the ability to sway greatly wouldn't help one wit. Plus, there's the issue of liquefaction.

Did he say this through an interpreter, I wonder? I have searched the Japanese news high and low and can find no reference to Tuesday's statement about the tower being safe from quakes, and 'it will not fall'.

They said the same thing about Fukushima dai-ichi and nuclear power. We believe them because...........????

It was the tsunami that did it in.

Lets hope and pray that we don't have to live through an event that tests its failure point.

It will not fall,” said Yoshihito Imamura, deputy manager of Tokyo Sky Tree Town.

Famous last words quoted from the past I believe are relevant. After all this guy may be repeating the past by uttering such a statement

I remember after the first big 3/11 quake racing to check how it was. It was mostly complete by then. I was thinking how glad I was that I wasn't one of the crane operators at the time.

The operator has to say the thing is safe. Not to say so would be irresponsible.

Surely the possibility of a quake striking while you are up there is going to be one of the thrills of this thing. Do you have the balls to go up there?

"I went up Tokyo Sky Tree and lived!"

Now all we need is a monster size earthquake to test it.

I can't see how anything is safe from anything. There is always something stronger or better then anything in the fist place.

@essebaybay

so the highest point i can go to is 450m up, which is the second observation deck. Whats the point of building it over 600m tall then? who gets to go up that high? I feel like im missing out on something here.

It's a telecom tower, the observation decks are a bonus.

Tokyo Sky Tree safe from quakes

They said the same thing about Fukushima dai-ichi and nuclear power. We believe them because...........????

Always intrigues me when they say something like "It's designed to withstand a level ....quake". How about two of equal magnitude as either precursors or aftershocks- as is common with the biggies?

According to a quick bit of googling, they did simulations showing that it can withstand a magnitude 8.0 earthquake. Larger earthquakes than that are impossible, right?

kwatt and your point been?

“The Tokyo Sky Tree was constructed with state-of-the-art Japanese technology. It will not fall,”

That's a very very overconfidence statement, It seems Japanese tend to forget that Mother Nature is far stronger than any human on planet earth! Even Superman can do nothing if the big one comes.

It is the world’s second-tallest man-made structure, beaten only by the 828-meter Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

It doesn't matter. The Tokyo Sky tree was made by only Japanese such as engineers, technicians, designers and many small subcontractors. It means it was made by all Japan. But as for Burj Khalifa, made by all foreigners. That is a big difference.

I'm sure the engineering is good and it will stand up to big earthquakes

I will go and visit but don't know about you but I would for sure - poop my pants - if a big one struck and I was looking down that vertigo-inducing glass floor!! I'll take fresh underware just in case. Then of course when the lift shuts down, that is a hell of a lot of stairs to go down, even for someone my age!

Yeah right, just like the fukushima power plants...

They could have painted it in a livid yellow hue. Why Japanese like gray so much?

Grandiose claims tend to proven incorrect sooner or later, often sooner. Get your photos now. Just curious but, did Yokohama Landmark Tower suffer any effects from 3/11?

I'm sure operators of a certain NPP also guaranteed the same thing, only to say, "How could we have known?" later. My point is that you can NEVER guarantee the thing is 'earthquake proof', because if a quake of unparalleled strength hits the city, especially if it's an up-down 直下型 earthquake, there's no way of knowing what will happen. I realize that it wouldn't be as effective, in terms of advertising, to say, "It is 100% safe against earthquakes up to ____ magnitude", but at least it would be a more responsible statement.

JTs ruby/php whatever scripts ate my line feeds, so I'll try again

Whats the point of building it over 600m tall then?

Well for one, it is used as a broadcast tower so the additional height is beneficial

Also according to the Wikipedia article.

The height of 634 m (2,080 ft) was selected to be easily remembered. The figures 6 (mu), 3 (sa), 4 (shi) stand for "Musashi" an old name of the region where the Tokyo Sky Tree stands.

Whats the point of building it over 600m tall then? Well for one, it is used as a broadcast tower so the additional height is beneficial

Also according to the Wikipedia article.

The height of 634 m (2,080 ft) was selected to be easily remembered. The figures 6 (mu), 3 (sa), 4 (shi) stand for "Musashi" an old name of the region where the Tokyo Sky Tree stands.

You can NEVER ever guarantee something is 100% safe.

“The Tokyo Sky Tree was constructed with state-of-the-art Japanese technology. It will not fall,” That's a mighty bold statement. Mother Nature is pretty strong too.

Counter balancing is smart engineering...up to a point. There is no mention here of the Sky Tree's earthquake maginitude threshhold.

so the highest point i can go to is 450m up, which is the second observation deck. Whats the point of building it over 600m tall then? who gets to go up that high? I feel like im missing out on something here.

"It is tested, it is safe. It is tested, it is safe...". Now, why does that sound so familiar? The nuclear plants were operated with this "state-of-the-art" Japanese tech, that attitude didn't do much good there.

But yeah, despite the attitude, buildings tend to stay standing in Japan, I grant that. I'll climb without worries the next opportunity I get.

While the moderator is correct with the direct comparison to the Titanic, I'm pretty sure minello7 was just pointing out that grandiose statements of safety by owners and operators have historically had to eat their words when mother nature decided to throw in highly improbable factors to prove them wrong.

Didn't they say the same about nuclear power plants and earthquakes - safe, cheap, clean power?

In reality, can't see people coming to Japan just to go up the world's second highest building, they need something more substantiative to come here...

Nice pic! Just imagine the nightview! I hope it opens 8am-10pm!

"“The Tokyo Sky Tree was constructed with state-of-the-art Japanese technology. It will not fall,” said Yoshihito Imamura" Weren't these similar to the words said about the "Titanic". She is unsinkable , then nature took control. History has a way of repeating itself, so they say.

Dangerous undertaning, interfering with Mother Nature OR let's say (for the sake of argument) agreed to what this operator says Sky Tree will stand tall and firm but what about Tokyo?

Okay, I'll bite ... let's all say that the tower itself has been made earthquake-proof ... but what of the land it was built on? Is it safe from liquefication?