Day 4 - Tokyo Tower

3rd February, 2003 - Tokyo Tower. It is called the fake-Eiffel tower, and it's easy to see why. It is an almost self-proclaimed tourist trap that sucks people in... it's shiny red and yellow glow a siren call to leave your good sense behind. It is a bit cheesy - yes - but, then again, it's hardly a trip to Tokyo without indulging in a bit of sentimentality.

Waiting at ground level you wonder if this is he end of the day that you really expected. It's been a long tiring day...The ride to the top is smooth and quick - then the doors open out and you find yourself on the observation deck. It feels quiet tonight; a bit like a chic club that celebrates it's not-quite-popular-status. Perhaps it's glory day has passed - or perhaps it's us as visitors that approach the tower with a certain cynicism. Still - for all that we walked around studying the neon and fluorescent skyline. This is Tokyo... and the Tower stands as an ever present reminder of that fact.

For the adventurous, there's the standard thick perspex floor window, allowing you to stand cm's from a cold and silent death drop. Ok - it might not be the Syndey Harbour Bridge climb, but for those of us that have a discomfiture of heights it's enough of a thrill.

Had a nice coffee here, foot-sore and yet feeling romantic... and still the night was young. The moral of the story is - enjoy Tokyo Tower because it is an uneasy (and perhaps slight dated) icon of Tokyo!
Osukaresama deshita!