Tokyo:
Sweeping but hazy views of Tokyo's skyline greeted journalists taken up the world's tallest freestanding broadcast structure before its opening to the public next month.
The 634-meter Tokyo Skytree is the world's second-tallest structure behind the 828-meter Burj Khalifa in Dubai, according to owner Tobu Tower Skytree Co.
It took about 50 seconds in a high-speed elevator on Tuesday to zip up to the lower observation deck at 350 meters, and another 30 seconds to reach the higher deck at 450 meters.
The needle-like radio and television tower was built with steel tubes surrounding a central concrete column that in the event of an earthquake are designed to offset each other to reduce motion.