is a tall

tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifi ...

located in the Momochihama area of

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center ...

, Japan. It is the tallest seaside tower in Japan. The highest observation deck at 123m has a 360degree view of the surrounding area, the most popular time to visit is at sunset. Fukuoka Tower was finished in 1989, taking a total of 14 months to build at a cost of ¥6,000,000,000 (roughly US$50,000,000 in 2015 terms). It was designed by Nikken Sekkei. It was built on reclaimed land out of

Hakata Bay is a bay in the northwestern part of Fukuoka city, on the Japanese island of Kyūshū. It faces the Tsushima Strait, and features beaches and a port, though parts of the bay have been reclaimed in the expansion of the city of Fukuoka. The ...

Architecture

Fukuoka Tower has a triangular cross-section which is covered with 8000 half-mirrors, giving it the appearance of a skyscraper. Because of this, it has been given the nickname "Mirror Sail". The half-mirrors reflect the sky when viewed from outside the structure but allow visitors to see outside while riding elevators to the top. The space between the base and the observation decks is hollow and thus unoccupied. There are three

observation deck An observation deck, observation platform, or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure, such as a skyscraper or observation tower. Observation decks are sometimes enclose ...

s: one at 116 metres, a café/lounge deck at 120 metres, and the highest at 123 metres above the ground. Above this level rises a 111-metre television mast. The underground weight of Fukuoka Tower is 25,000 tons. Its weight above ground, by contrast, is only 3,500 tons. The tower is designed to withstand magnitude 7 earthquakes and wind speeds up to 65 m/s (). The strongest recorded earthquake in the area has been magnitude 6 and the strongest winds 49 m/s (). The tower is located at 2-3-26 Momochihama, Sawara-ku,

Culture

The tower appears in the Japanese film ''

Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla is a 1994 Japanese Kaiju, ''kaiju'' film directed by Kensho Yamashita, written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara, and produced by Shōgo Tomiyama. Produced and distributed by Toho, Toho Studios, it is the 21st film in the Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' ...

'' (

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson Ma ...

). In a battle between the titular monsters, SpaceGodzilla uses the tower to absorb energy before Godzilla destroys the tower after the foundation is weakened by the mech MOGUERA.

Gallery

Image:Fukuoka Tower Before Sunset.jpg, Front of Fukuoka Tower Image:Fukuoka winter.jpg, Winter view of Fukuoka from the Tower Image:Fukuokabeachtowr.jpg, Fukuoka Tower Image:Fukuoka Tower.JPG, A bird soars around Fukuoka Tower Image:View_from_Fukuoka_Tower_at_Blue_Hour.jpg, View from Fukuoka Tower at Blue Hour looking eastwards

References

External links

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Fukuoka Tower HP
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Kyushu.com Profile
{{coord, 33, 35, 35.7, N, 130, 21, 5.3, E, region:JP-26_scale:3000, display=title Buildings and structures in Fukuoka Communication towers in Japan Towers completed in 1989 Tourist attractions in Fukuoka Observation towers in Japan Restaurant towers 1989 establishments in Japan

Architecture

Culture

Gallery

See also

References

External links