SAPPORO TV TOWER
Sapporo TV Tower is a major landmark in Sapporo and
provides and excellent observation deck for Sapporo. Sapporo TV Tower
pictures.
The Sapporo TV Tower (さっぽろテレビ塔, Sapporo Terebi-tō), built
in 1957, is a 147.2 metre high TV Tower with an observation deck at a height
of 90.38 metres. Located on the ground of Odori Park, in the northern city
of
Sapporo,
Hokkaido, Japan.
Sapporo TV Tower is open to tourists. Tourists can take panoramic pictures
of Sapporo and Odori Park.
Sapporo TV Tower, Japan -- by
jpatokal
The ground floor
of the Sapporo TV Tower houses an information center and a store
which sells ticket of the observation floor. The multipurpose hall
and administration office of the Tower are placed on the second
floor, and a suvenir shop and restaurant are located on the third
floor. The basement connects to the Aurora Town, an underground
shopping arcade, and a number of restaurants called the "Tele-chika
Gourmet Court" are located.
The official mascot of the Tower is "Tawakkie", and the unofficial
character "Terebi-Tōsan" (Television Daddy) is also known.
The lift to the observation deck at 90 metres high locates on the
third floor, and visitors are required to buy tickets at the shop on
the ground floor. From the observation deck, the entire view of the
Odori Park, Mount Ōkura, and Maruyama are seen. Having the height of
147.2 metres, the Sapporo TV Tower was used to be the most prominent
figure in Sapporo, but recently many high-rise buildings have been
constructed around the Odori Park, making the Tower less prominent.
Sapporo TV Tower
History
The Sapporo TV Tower
was built in 1957 by Tachū Naitō, a Japanese architect who is famous for
planning the Tokyo Tower, with the
total construction costs of 170 million yen. Since the transmission facility
was established on the Mount Teine, Sapporo TV Tower has worked as a
repeater of AIR-G' and FM North Wave, a radio station based in
Sapporo.
In 1961, digital clocks were installed at the height of 65 metres from the
ground, which was donated by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., a Japanese
electronics manufacturer. This installation was suggested by the founder of
the company Konosuke Matsushita, who thought these digital clocks would draw
a great attention to the Tower. These digital clocks, installed at four
sides of the Tower, have been repaired two times: in 1998 and 2006. Interior
and exterior of the Sapporo TV Tower were renovated in 2002, and the color
of walls at the second and third floor was turned from pale green to dark
green. In the second repair of the digital clocks in 2006, the
light-emitting diode was adopted, and the advertisement right below the
clocks was changed from the "National" to "Panasonic".
The Sapporo TV Tower commemorated its 50th anniversary in 2007, and some
events and discount campaign were held.[2] Recently, a plan of
reconstructing a new TV Tower of 650 metres high has come up. In the plan,
the area of the supposed Tower would be 7800 mē, and the height of the
observation deck is supposed to be at 500 metres.[3] The height of the new
Tower will exceed New Tokyo Tower (planned to be 610 metre) if it is
realized. The new Tower building is also planned to house hotel rooms,
offices, and sports facilities in addition to the function as the TV tower.
(Article based on
Wikipedia article and used under the
GNU Free Documentation License)
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