We were able to reach the observatory in about 15 minutes. When you finish your climb, the "Tokyo Tower" girl at the top even presents you with a certificate to prove that you climbed it.
Maybe it's because I gradually climbed to the top, but my fear of heights wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
OK, now it was time to start shooting!
The Look Down Challenge
I have to admit, even if climbing the stairs wasn't scary, being on top of the see-through glass pane on the floor was terrifying.
It felt like I was going to get sucked through! Toshi told me "It's not that scary if you just look and shoot through the monitor," but I tried and...nope. Couldn't do it.
Since there is a large look-down pane as well as the smaller one, I strongly recommend the smaller one for anyone who has a fear of heights. Believe me, I really tried!
As I thought I did the very best I could, it was time for a short rest. We were off to the cafe at the top of Tokyo Tower.
It's located in the middle of the observatory, so you can relax as you take in the fantastic view. Highly recommended. Some sweets? Why not? Must energize!
The photos are the cafe's specialties: strawberry and special mango frappes. When it comes to desserts, I absolutely love strawberries. Naturally, I finished the whole thing. And I had about half of the mango as well :)
Observatory Zoom Shot
There are signs in the observatory that show the locations from which you can see Mt. Fuji and other sights of interest. Using these signs, I conducted a zoom test. Unfortunately, with the cloudy weather I wasn't able to see any of Mt. Fuji. Too bad.
But I was somehow able to catch a glimpse of the National Diet, Tokyo's Rainbow Bridge and some other locations.
I was even able to see the details of the cars moving across the Rainbow Bridge. Pretty amazing!
But the screen was pretty shaky, and I ultimately lost control when trying to find a subject for the shot. "Since we don't have a monopod today, just place it onto something steady for now," Toshi said. I tried putting it on the hand rail, but I couldn't really move from that position, so I kept losing the subject when I zoomed in...
Trust me, I won't forget to bring a light monopod next time!
