Tokyo Tower

**Tokyo Tower** is a famous landmark in Japan, known the world over for its historic status and cultural symbolism. It serves as both a communications and observation tower and is based off of the Eiffel Tower in what remains of France. The building is painted international orange and white to comply with air safety regulations.

## Specifications

The tower stands at a staggering 1092 feet in height, looming over all other skyscrapers in the city. It is home to two observation decks, both of which have proven to be very useful in the detection of Kaiju Grimm. The first observation deck is located at the middle of the tower, at around 490 feet high. This observation deck is primarily used for tourism, but it is also used to pick out a Kaiju down lower. The second observation deck is located above the first, positioned at a height of 819 feet. This observation deck is used to determine how far out a Kaiju Grimm is. If it can be seen, then the tower Kaiju detection unit sends out an alarm to the entire city.

## History

The tower was proposed as a broadcasting and observation tower in the late 1940s to early 1950s. Initially it was meant to be a huge number of smaller towers, but due to the government's concern of those smaller towers overrunning the city, it was proposed to build one large tower capable of broadcasting to the entire region.

The tower's height was eventually determined by the distance the TV stations needed to transmit throughout the Kantō region, a distance of about 150 kilometers (93 mi). Tachū Naitō, renowned designer of tall buildings in Japan, was chosen to design the newly proposed tower. Looking to the Western world for inspiration, Naitō based his design on the Eiffel Tower in the Kingdom of France. With the help of engineering company Nikken Sekkei Ltd., Naitō claimed his design could withstand earthquakes with twice the intensity of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake or typhoons with wind speeds of up to 220 kilometers per hour (140 mph).

The new construction project attracted hundreds of *tobi* (鳶), traditional Japanese construction workers who specialized in the construction of high-rise structures. The Takenaka Corporation broke ground in June 1957 and each day at least 400 laborers worked on the tower. It was constructed of steel, a third of which was scrap metal taken from US tanks damaged in the Korean War. When the 90-meter-long antenna was bolted into place on 14 October 1958, Tokyo Tower was the tallest freestanding tower in the world, taking the title from the Eiffel Tower by nine meters. Despite being taller than the Eiffel Tower, Tokyo Tower only weighs about 4,000 tons, 3,300 tons less than the Eiffel Tower. While other towers have since surpassed Tokyo Tower's height, the structure is still the tallest artificial structure in Japan. It was opened to the public on 23 December 1958 at a final cost of ¥2.8 billion ($8.4 million in 1958). Tokyo Tower was mortgaged for ¥10 billion in 2000.

Planned as an antenna for telecommunications and brightly colored in accordance with the time's Aviation Law, the tower's two panoramic observatories are mostly frequented by tourists today; the tower constitutes a clear reference point in the center's chaotic skyline, forming a strong landmark, both night and day.

When the Kaiju Grimm started to surface in 2005, the tower was briefly commandeered by the JSDF to act as an observation point for detecting Kaiju Grimm. However, this did not sit well with the public, or the Japanese government. So a compromise was hashed out by the owners of the building and the military: the tower would continue to function as an observation post under the command of trained Hunters and Huntresses. The government agreed to the proposal and the Tokyo Tower Observation Brigade was established. These Hunters and Huntresses man one observation deck on specific days, while other days both decks are open to tourists.

This brigade would become the first line of defense against the First Wave of Kaiju Grimm.

## Broadcasting

Tokyo Tower is used by many organizations for broadcasting purposes. The structure was intended for broadcasting television, but radio antennas were installed in 1961 because it could accommodate them. The tower now broadcasts analog television, digital television, radio, and digital radio. Stations that use the tower's antenna include:

* NHK General TV Tokyo (JOAK-TV): VHF Channel 1 (Analog)
* NHK Educational TV Tokyo (JOAB-TV): VHF Channel 3 (Analog)
* NHK Radio FM Tokyo (JOAK-FM): 82.5 MHz
	+ NHK Radio 1 AM Tokyo (JOAK-AM): 594 kHz
	+ NHK Radio 2 AM Tokyo (JOAB-AM): 693 kHz
* TV Asahi Tokyo (JOEX-TV): TV Asahi Analog Television/VHF Channel 10 (Analog)
* Fuji Television Tokyo (JOCX-TV): Fuji Television Analog/VHF Channel 8 (Analog)
* Tokyo Broadcasting System Television (JORX-TV): TBS Television/VHF Channel 6 (Analog)
* Nippon Television Tokyo (JOAX-TV): VHF Channel 4 (Analog)
* TV Tokyo (JOTX-TV): VHF Channel 12 (Analog)
* J-WAVE (JOAV-FM): 81.3 MHz
* Tokyo FM (JOAU-FM): 80.0 MHz
* FM Interwave (JODW-FM): 76.1 MHz
* The University of the Air TV (JOUD-TV): UHF Channel 16 (Analog)
* The University of the Air-FM (JOUD-FM): 77.1 MHz
* Tokyo Metropolitan Television (JOMX-TV): UHF Channel 14 (Analog)
* Nikkei Radio Broadcasting Relay Antenna (JOZ-SW): 3.925 MHz

The tower has since converted to a more powerful transmitter capable of delivering digital TV across the region, despite its shorter height.

## Incidents

Due to the possibility of Kaiju Grimm attacks, a proposed second tower was scrapped after Tokyo Tower suffered damage to one of its legs. The tower had to be stabilized using trusses and a temporary leg was rigged to allow it to stand while the damaged leg was repaired.

After the leg was repaired, the external structure down below was heavily reinforced to prevent any future collapses. The building's lattice structure has also been reinforced using gravity Dust-laced paint.

During the attack by the Faunus Ultra in late 201X, the tower was partially fused with the capture field of the SDI. This allowed Esebu and Dani to free the hostages.

## Trivia

Tokyo Tower is a real place in the real world, and has appeared in numerous media featuring Japan.