Fukuoka Tower

Image:Fukuoka Tower Before Sunset.jpg

{{nihongo|Fukuoka Tower|福岡タワー|Fukuoka Tawā}} is a {{convert|234|m|adj=on}} tall tower located in the Momochihama area of Fukuoka, Japan. It is the tallest seaside tower in Japan. The highest observation deck at 123 metres has a 360° view of the surrounding area, being most visited at sunset.{{Cite web|url=https://planetyze.com/en/japan/fukuoka/fukuoka-tower/information|title=About Fukuoka Tower - Fukuoka Travel Guide {{!}} Planetyze|website=Planetyze|language=en|access-date=2017-11-10|archive-date=2017-11-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110114623/https://planetyze.com/en/japan/fukuoka/fukuoka-tower/information|url-status=live}} Fukuoka Tower was finished in 1989, taking a total of 14 months to build at a cost of ¥6 billion (roughly equivalent US$45 million in 1989). It was designed by Nikken Sekkei and constructed on a reclaimed land out of Hakata Bay.{{cite web|url=https://www.japantowers.jp/en/fukuoka_tower/|title=Fukuoka Tower|website=All-Japan Tower Association|access-date=9 April 2023|archive-date=21 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221095135/https://www.japantowers.jp/en/fukuoka_tower/|url-status=live}}

Architecture

Fukuoka Tower has a triangular cross-section which is covered with 8000 half-mirrors, giving it the appearance of a skyscraper.{{cite web|title=Fukuoka Tower|url=https://en-1056.site-translation.com|website=Fukuoka Tower official website|access-date=7 April 2017}} Because of this, it has been given the nickname "Mirror Sail". The half-mirrors reflect the sky when viewed from outside the structure, while also allowing visitors to see outside when riding elevators to the top. The space between the base and the observation decks is hollow and thus unoccupied. There are three observation decks: 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 ({{convert|145|mph|km/h}}). The strongest recorded earthquake in the area has been magnitude 6 and the strongest winds 49 m/s ({{convert|110|mph|km/h}}). The tower is located at 2-3-26 Momochihama, Sawara-ku, Fukuoka.

In popular culture

The tower appears in the Japanese film Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994). 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.{{Cite book|title=Godzilla: A Comprehensive Guide|last=Brykczynski|first=Ben|publisher=Blurb|year=2019|isbn=9780368911767|pages=76}}