The Sunday Gleaner

Arts&Educationwww.jamaica-gleaner.com

OCTOBER 30, 2016

POSTCA R D F R O M J A PANTokyo Sky Tree:

Tradition inharmony withtechnology
TOKYO, Japan:
OKYO SKY Tree literally kisses
the stratosphere, rising 634 metresabove
the ground,and theview of thevast expanseof one of theworld’s
CONTRIBUTOR
most vibrantcities from
Tembo Galleria, the observation deckthat culminates at 451.2 metres, is aweinspiring.
This towering marvel of engineering isT

the transmission hub for
major television and radio
channels in Tokyo, and, ofcourse, a touristhotspot.
“The need toconstruct thistower arose tofacilitatesmooth anduninterrupted
radiotransmission as aAmitabh
Sharma

PLEASE SEE
HARMONY, E4

PHOTO BY AMITABH SHARMA

Towering glory: Tokyo Sky Tree rises above thecity’s skyline. At 634 metres, it is the tallest tower
in the world

SECTION E

Today, we present
a selection fromPoet Laureate
Professor
Mervyn Morris.

E4THE SUNDAY GLEANER, OCTOBER 30, 2016

| ARTS & EDUCATION

Ami from Secretariat
Guinness WorldHARMONY Hiroyuki
of Public Relations, Tobu Tower Records
Skytree Co Ltd.
Sky Tree, rising above theexpanse of a city inhabited bymore than 13 million people,
has been recognised by the

CONTINUED FROM E1
lot of buildings in Tokyo were200 metres high,” informed

Spanish Town High School
spanishtownhigh@yahoo.com
Cnr Young & Ellis Street Spanish Town, St Catherine

Special Congratulations to:
PASSESNAMESPASSES NAMES
5Patrick Burke
8 Annalee Whittaker5
Raheem Pinnock
7 Natasha Whittle
5
Sherry-Kay Gilbert
7 Latoya Williams
Mahalia Evans
7
Sabrina Ashley Johnson 7
Dimitrian Bennett
6
Carlene Brown
6
Taiyana Clarke
6
Denesiha Crosdale
6
Danielle Fearon
6Akelah Gordon
6Kadesha Grant
6
Mickhalia Green6
Daniel Harris
6Joel Hall
6
Indra Jones
6Chadray Kenyon
6
Kimarly Malcolm
6Olephia Walters
Kimberly Williams
Geogian Wright
Kimberly Aiken
Ajomoie Anglin
Atiba Bailey
Andre Cole
Corie Eastwood
Christian Ellis
Mickey Ann Fagan
Tasana Gordon
Abi-Gay Grant
Drucilla Hall
Ashly Heslop
Jevon Hibbert
Jody-Ann Hylton
Romario Lawrence
Rashaad Miller
Sharifa Nelson
Sidony Parkes
Britany Reid
Curtis Robinson
Leeann Rowe
Favene Scottman
Diana Surgeon
Ranaldo Valentine

66655555555555555555555555

Tevin Wilson
Amanda Wisdom
Jellisa Allen
Ann-Ashawna Baker
Havinash Brown
Randal Brown
Cristal Cameron
Jhenelle Crawford
Jevaughn Dean
Shamona Fearon
Shanate Forbes
Kedisha Fortella
Toni-Ann Gayle
Roxann Gordon
Shavel Grant
Simone HenryTasan Hall
Shania Johnson
Johnell Kerr
Britaneia Maxwell
Gabrielle McNuff
Ackeem Mitchell
Amoy Morgan
Remona Morgan
Rose-Marie Nelson
Rushawn Nembhard
Natan Prince
Kemar Pryce
Monique Robinson
Samantha Salmon
Natassia Simms
Shackera Simms
Yanique Spreddie
Tamara Stephenson
Tavaughn Walters
Tyreke WaltersKavon Williams
Nyoka Willimas
Shackeil Woodburn
Abigail Wright5544444444444444444444444444444444444444

Company as thetallest tower inthe world.
The pristine
white steel
structure
incorporates
elements oftraditional
Japaneseminimalism indesign. The
decision to paintthe tower inwhite is a
confluence of harmony with
its surroundings. “Thecreation of city scenerytranscending time,” said theofficial communiqué of Sky
Tree. “A fusion of traditional
Japanese beauty and neofuturistic design.”

reduce the swaying.
Four elevators, zipping at
the speed of 600 metres per
minute, represent four
seasons, transport visitors tothe Tembo deck where they
get a panoramic view ofTokyo city and its environs.
On a clear day, one can see
Mount Fuji.

VISITORS AWED

Massive steel tubes in Tokyo Sky Tree’s core – anestimated 37,000 steel girders give strength to this tower.

INDIGO LEGACY
The colour of Sky Tree isderived from ‘aijiro’, thelightest shade of Japanesetraditional indigo blue,
which replicates thetechnique of indigo dyers,which represent the legacyof Japanese traditional
craftsmanship as conservedin the downtown area
housing the tower.
The tower is 634m high,and there is a reason behind
this height.
“Theheight was610m in theoriginalproject,” said
Ami. “After
research on
high-risebuildings
that arebeing built
around theworld, theheight wasfinallydecided on634m.
The sound of the number‘634’ when read in old
Japanese numbers is ‘mu-sashi’, which reminds Japanesepeople of Musashi Provincethat used to cover Tokyo,
Saitama and part ofKanagawa Prefecture.
From the Observation
Decks, the landscape of theold Musashi Province spreadsout.
Tokyo Sky Tree, supportedby myriad steel tubes in its
core – an estimated 37,000
steel girders give it strength, afoundation of reinforced
concrete embedded 35 to 50
metres into the ground and 96
vibration dampers to absorb
the earthquake shocks andPHOTO BY AMITABH SHARMA

Visitors enjoy the views from Tembo Deck on the 350th
floor of Tokyo Sky Tree.

Visitors at Tembo Galleria – 450th floor of Tokyo Sky Tree.
BELOW: Art in the tree, representations of Tokyo Sky Treein 3D installations.

On the 450th floor, on theTembo Deck, Sorakara Pointat 451.2 meres is the highest
elevation of the observation
deck. Visitors standtransfixed, awed and struckby the sheer magnitude ofelevation,
gazing,photographing,and panning
the Lego-likecity aroundthem in theglitzy
observation
decks.
The smoothrunning of thisgigantic
structure is in
the hands ofTomoyuki
Hidaka and his
team of 12.
Two levels
below ground level, theywork round the clock,harnessing geothermal energy
to keep residents, businesses
and visitors to Tokyo Sky
Tree Town cool andcomfortable.
“We work day and night tomonitor the process of using
geothermal energy to produce
hot or cold water, which isstored in 7,000-ton capacity
storage tanks,” said Hidaka,manager of Energy Centre ofTobu Energy Management CoLtd.
This technology, Hidaka
explained, is helping toreduce carbon dioxide
emissions as the main sourceof powering the airconditioning systems iswater, which he said, is also
used to water the plants inthe mini city
surrounding
the Sky Tree,and can beused forfirefighting
and its
230,000
residents if
natural disasterstrikes.
Tokyo Sky
Tree, a marvelof engineeringand craft –rising to touch
the skies, yetgrounded in

34 Students Passed 3 Subjects

PHOTO BY AMITABH SHARMA

Highest point at Tembo
Galleria on the 450th floorof Tokyo Sky Tree.
earth – a confluence of theendearing human spirit, spiritual
realism and humility ofcharacter.
n The visit to Japan is part of‘Pacific Islands andCaribbean Journalists’Programme’ organised by theTokyo based Association for
Promotion of International
Cooperation (APIC) withsupport from Foreign Press
Centre, Japan.
amitabh.sharma@hotmail.com