Tokyo Attractions

Venue: Tokyo Tower    When: Daily

Higher than Paris' Eiffel Tower by just 13 metres, Tokyo Tower's 333 metres makes it the tallest self-supporting steel tower in the world, a record it has held since opening in 1958. There are two observation platforms - the Main Observatory at 150 metres and the Special Observatory at 250 metres - where visitors can see the whole of Tokyo beneath them in a fantastic 360° panorama.

The other comparison with the Eiffel Tower shows the advance in technology in the 79 years between their construction, as Tokyo Tower, although taller, weighs 3000 tons lighter (4000 as opposed to Eiffel Tower's 7000). The Tokyo Tower is alternately painted red and white, adhering to aviation safety regulations, while no fewer than 176 floodlights bathe it in orange light during the winter and white in the summer.

As well as the two observation platforms (the Special Observatory, from where Mounts Fuji and Tsukuba can be seen, may be closed in bad weather), the Tower includes an aquarium, a wax museum, a mystery walking zone and a trick art gallery, so you can spend most of a day keeping the kids entertained. At night the views of the neon-lit city are spectacular.