Tokyo's Sky Tree Built With Anti-Earthquake Technology

Above, the Sky Tree under construction in December 2010.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When it was announced that the new Sky Tree tower would be built in Tokyo, some people I know expressed apprehension about going up in it fearing that an earthquake may hit while they were inside.

An article by BusinessWeek.com should put to rest those fears as new anti-earthquake technology was used in  the tower's construction.

They wrote:

A Tokyo developer took visitors up the world's tallest freestanding broadcast structure on Tuesday, a 634-meter (2,080-foot) tower with special technology meant to withstand earthquakes that often strike Japan. 

The Tokyo Skytree is the world's second-tallest structure behind the 828-meter (2,717-foot) Burj Khalifa in Dubai, according to owner Tobu Tower Skytree Co. 

The tower was constructed with extremely strong steel tubes surrounding a central concrete column that are structurally separate from each other in the tower's mid-section. In the event of an earthquake, the concrete core and steel frame are designed to offset each other to reduce the building's overall motion. 

The Skytree has been built to stand firm even if a magnitude 7 quake were to strike beneath the building, said Sho Toyoshima, a spokesman for Tobu Tower. He said the tower sustained no structural damage from the magnitude 9.0 quake that struck off Japan's northeastern coast last March, even as it was being built.

The March 11, 2011 earthquake did cause the tip of Tokyo Tower to bend a bit.

If Toho Studios should resume production of Godzilla epics, it would be interesting to see if the Sky Tree could withstand a kaiju onslaught.  (Probably not.)

The Sky Tree is set to officially open on May 22.

To read the full article, go here.

Alternate Japanese Capital Idea: "Life Imitating Art"?

Above, Tokyo's National Diet Building. It was located in Osaka in "Godzilla x Megaguirus" (2000). Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This news article from Bloomberg BusinessWeek caught my attention:

Japan Lawmakers Propose Alternate Capital Site In Case of Quake

Oct. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Japan's government should turn Osaka's old airport into a site to handle administrative functions and economic activities in the event an earthquake or other disaster knocks out Tokyo, a group of lawmakers said.

Why did this catch my attention?

Eleven years ago, Toho Co., Ltd. released Godzilla x Megaguirus in which (in the story scenario) Godzilla, in 1954, totally destroys Tokyo. This forces the government to relocate to...get this, Osaka!

Above, yours truly with a Godzilla filming suit used in "Godzilla x Megaguirus." Photo by Richard Pusateri.

There's a shot of the National Diet Building with Osaka Castle in the movie. This, I heard, amused Japanese audiences.

It appears that the lawmakers' plan could very well be a case of "life imitating art." Perhaps these lawmakers screened Godzilla x Megaguirus and that's where they got their idea?

To read the full article, go here.