During my time in Japan, I've been to some of the tallest places a tourist to Japan can be without flying through the air or climbing a mountain. As amazing as it sounds, it's actually not something that comes naturally to me. I'm afraid of heights. I get the terrible feeling of being pulled over the edge when confronted with a height and so going up all these tall things makes me somewhat queasy. Still, I've conquered my fear enough to be able to share these experiences with you and so I'd like to present my list of ways of seeing Japan from a height!
The first experience may not be the tallest height on my list but it is certainly one of the most terrifying! Fujiyama at the Fuji Q Highland amusement park was world's tallest rollercoaster at 79m when it opened in the mid-1990s and had world's longest drop at 70m. Riding this was pretty much at the limit of what I'm willing to do - climbing up to the height of 79m, exposed to the elements and on a track looks too thin before descending nearly the same distance in a couple of seconds... it makes my palms sweaty just thinking about it!
Thankfully the Kobe Tower is a much more civilised experience and with a chance to actually enjoy the view. Kobe is a pleasant port city that's a short journey from Osaka and that is well worth seeing from a height. Kobe occupies a narrow strip of land between the mountains and the sea, so you can see the width of the city. The Kobe Tower is 108 metres tall and the observation floor is at a height of 90m. Kobe Tower's unique selling point is that it has a revolving cafe - it's a little on the pricey side but a good way to relax and enjoy the view.
The Osaka Tower offers a fractionally higher view but only by about one metre. The tower itself is, at 103 metres, actually smaller than the Kobe Tower. However the observation floor is at 91 metres and so you can go just that tiny bit further up it. The Osaka Tower is pretty retro and with a view that doesn't excite, is only really worth doing if you want to say that you've been up it - which of course I did!
A short journey from Osaka is the city of Kyoto which naturally has it's own tower to it's name, the Kyoto Tower. What makes the Kyoto Tower a little more unique is that it sits on top of a building rather than being a freestanding tower. At a height of 131 metres and with an observation floor at 100 metres, it's the tallest structure in Kyoto - which isn't a hard achievement considering the lack of skyscrapers which dominate other Japanese cities. The advantage of this is a better view from the tower across most of Kyoto.
Returning to a more adventurous way of experiencing Japan from a height is a ride on the Ferris wheel Daikanransha in Palette Town, Odaiba, which will take you nearly 115 metres into the air. This is no London Eye though - the small capsules and the rocking when you stand up makes it a difficult ride to stomach if you're keen on good old terra firma. That said, on a clear day you get a great view of Tokyo bay and the Rainbow Bridge.
In third place is the observation floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. The building is 242.9 metres tall and the observation floor is on floor 45, 202 metres up from the ground. Located in the administrative heart of Shinjuku, there are some great views to be had across west Tokyo. This was the first of my experiences of height in Japan and certainly one of the less terrifying!
Like Paris has the Eiffel Tower, so Tokyo has it’s own - the Tokyo Tower, one of Japan's most striking photo opportunity for tourists. This is for good reason too - until recently, it was the tallest artificial structure in Japan at 332.5 metres tall and the special observatory is at 250 metres above ground height. The view is spectacular and on a clear day you can even see Mt Fuji in the distance. Unfortunately for my nerves, the elevator that takes you from the normal observatory to the special observatory is... a glass elevator. Yes, think of Willy Wonka - this is one experience that will have your heart skipping a beat if, like me, you are not expecting it!
Finally is my highest experience in Japan, the Yokohama Landmark Tower in Yokohama. It is Japan's tallest skyscraper at 296.3 metres. It has the world's second fastest elevators and the observation floor on is all the way up on the 69th floor, 273 metres high. It's a nice view looking out to Yokohama bay but there isn't quite as much to see as from the Tokyo Tower. That said, the feeling of looking down on other tall buildings and a Ferris wheel as if they were models really gives you a buzz - even if the fear of heights doesn't!
I'd like to be able to say that I have been up the tallest building and the tallest artificial structure that members of the public can enter in Japan - and for the moment, I can! However, it won't stay that way for long. Under construction is the Tokyo Sky Tree which is already at the incredible height of 634m, making it the tallest man-made structure in Japan. As you would expect, it will also have the highest observation deck in Japan; at a height of 450 metres it will dwarf even the full heights of the Tokyo Tower and the Yokohama Landmark Tower.
