Tokyo Tower II

One of the first photographs I ever posted on my blog was Tokyo Tower at night. This weekend I went to the top of Roppongi Hills to see the new UBS Corporate Art Collection exhibit was "Art is for the Spirit". As part of the entrance ticket, you may also enter the 53rd floor observatory.

Unlike New York City, Tokyo is mostly a low rise city. Unbounded by water on three sides, it has endlessly expanded for the last fifty years. Only the very center in Otemachi and Marunouchi has a collection of high rise buildings like American cities. Most tall buildings are built as separate complexes with many adjacent smaller buildings, shops, restaurants, residences, parks, and museums. Each is virtually a small scale city at completion. This style of construction began to dominate Tokyo in the 1990s and has continued since. The peak of this style was Roppongi Hills. Stretched over a vast area, it encompasses many, many activities in a single interconnected complex.

I took this photograph shortly after the sun set, so my long exposure captured the sky as royal blue. The observatory has a ledge next to the windows so it is easy to steady cameras for long exposures required at night. Some of the more enthusiastic photographers brought their own elaborate equipment including external (digital) screens and large tripods. It was a typical Japanese touring affair.