Tokyo Tower turns 50 with big party

As is ever, Japan has no initiative of it's own and relies on plagiarising other nations great achievements. TT is a truly horrid looking thing, and even though I see it on a daily basis I sure as hell would not squalor the fee of umpteen yen to scale it's heights. I can only imagine the view of 'concrete city' would be far worse up there than it is at street level.

What an over-hyped piece of malarky. It is a monstrosity - orange color for safety? Yes, so many small aircraft buzzing in the skies over Tokyo. The biggest joke is that they have a sign there comparing it to the Eiffel Tower (which is 119 yrs old and yet more sophisticated looking somehow) saying how much better the steel is and blah, blah, blah. Inferiority complex, much? For perspective, the Empire State Bldg in NYC was finished in 1931 (at the height of the Depression) and is 102 stories, 381 meters...now that is an accomplishment.

i for one love tokyo tower. sure, it's a ripoff. but i live in osaka, and at least we have osaka castle here. tokyo would be without any defining architectural landmarks without it.....