Chapter 80: Visiting Tokyo Tower
Tokyo Tower.
As the most developed city in Japan, Tokyo is situated in the center of the Kanto Plain. It's one of the three largest metropolitan areas in the country and serves as the heart of the Tokyo Metropolitan Region.
Tokyo is also one of the most famous cities in the world.
In a narrow sense, "Tokyo" refers to Tokyo Prefecture or the special wards. In a broader sense, it encompasses the entire Greater Tokyo Area.
It was once the seat of the Edo Shogunate. Edo was renamed Tokyo in September 1868 (the 4th year of the Keio era).
The famous tourist spots in Tokyo are numerous: Tokyo Tower, Senso-ji Temple, Akihabara, Tokyo Disneyland, Yoyogi Park...
The place the trio was visiting was Tokyo Tower. In online popularity rankings for Tokyo attractions, this place sat at number one, followed by Senso-ji Temple at number two.
As a side note, Akihabara—the holy land of anime—ranked fourth.
The main industry there wasn't actually anime, but electronics and computers; anime was just one facet of it.
"Alright then, let's move! Our target: Tokyo Tower!"
At Chidorigafuchi Station, not far from the Budokan, Shizuka pointed to the Tokyo Tower stop on the map. She made a declaration like a shonen manga protagonist; instead of just going to play, she looked like she was about to conquer the tower itself.
The surrounding passengers shot them some very strange looks.
Hachiman turned his face away: I don't know her.
"Alright, alright, let's not waste time. Let's get going. I heard there are restaurants in the tower, so we can just grab lunch there."
Akishin bought the subway tickets, and the three of them entered the station. Because Tokyo's subway system is so complex it borders on chaotic, those who aren't used to it have to transfer lines several times. It took them over thirty minutes to arrive.
The midday sun was intense. As soon as they stepped out of the station, the bright red Tokyo Tower loomed into view. They reflexively craned their necks to look up.
Other passengers visiting for the first time were doing the exact same thing.
The official name of Tokyo Tower is the Nippon Denpato (Japan Radio Tower). Located in Shiba Park, Minato District, it stands 332.6 meters tall and covers over fifteen thousand square meters of land.
It was modeled after the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It's taller than the Eiffel Tower, but only half the weight. Completed on October 14, 1958, it remains the tallest tower in Japan for now (as the Skytree is still under construction).
The tower's colors are a combination of red and white, fitted with multi-colored lights. The illumination starts at sunset and lasts until midnight. The lighting colors change with the seasons: white in summer, and orange in spring, autumn, and winter.
The night view is incredibly beautiful and world-famous.
During the massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake in March 2011—exactly two months ago—the tip of Tokyo Tower had actually bent due to the shaking.
Speaking of which, Akishin had transmigrated at the end of March. By the time he arrived, the earthquake was long over, so it had nothing to do with him.
Although order had been restored to normal—you have to trust the speed of disaster response in Japan—some places still bore the marks of the quake. However, the tilted tip of the tower had been repaired quickly, and no traces of the damage were visible anymore.
Shizuka stared up at the tower piercing the clouds and praised, "No matter how many times I see it, it's still impressive."
Hachiman, who was taking photos with his phone, turned and asked, "Hiratsuka-sensei, you've been here before?"
Shizuka nodded. "Ah, a few times. Once during university, once last year for a friend's wedding, and once more by myself."
The way her voice trailed off at the end sounded a bit lonely... was it just my imagination?
"Alright, alright, this is a first for me. Let's get inside!"
Akishin pushed the two of them toward the ticket booth. He bought three tickets: 2,900 yen for adults, 2,500 yen for high school students. The three of them walked into the base of the tower.
Today was a Wednesday, which should have been a workday and a school day. Yet, the place was still swarming with visitors; some key areas were packed. It was hard to imagine what it would be like during a national holiday.
From up close, the tower looked even more imposing, like a massive red mountain looming over their heads.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, how do we get up there?"
Hachiman tilted his head back, massaging his aching neck.
"You can take the lift to the observatory, or you can take the stairs."
Hachiman looked at the long queue in front of the elevator and asked, "How did Sensei go up during your previous visits?"
"The three times before, I always took the lift."
"Then this time, let's take the stairs."
Akishin interjected, nudging Shizuka and Hachiman toward the outdoor staircase area.
The stairs were red, winding their way up around Tokyo Tower level by level. This path served as both a hiking route and an emergency evacuation route.
The three of them began the climb. The view gradually rose, and the wind grew stronger, whipping through Shizuka's long black hair.
Shizuka pulled out a hair tie and tied her hair back near the ends.
The people, shops, and cars below the tower began to shrink. Standing at such a height cultivated a sense of pride in one's heart; when you stretched out your arms, it felt as if the whole world was within your grasp.
Hachiman leaned his hands on the railing, letting the strong wind blow through his hair.
He stared at the distant scenery and involuntarily recalled various unpleasantries from his past—rejections, being ostracized... at this moment, none of it seemed to matter anymore.
Compared to this world, those grievances felt so small!
As long as you stand high enough...
He turned to look at Chishima Akishin—the person who had suddenly appeared in his life and brought him to this point.
The outdoor stairs were quite long, consisting of over six hundred steps. By the time they reached the observatory at one hundred and fifty meters, twenty minutes had passed, including a few brief stops.
An average person making the climb would have been exhausted. Fortunately, the three of them were martial arts practitioners. Even Hachiman, who had the lowest physical stats, only had slightly labored breathing.
Even the staff member handing out "Tokyo Tower Conqueror" cards—usually for kids—at the top of the stairs gave them a few surprised looks. In this heat, very few people chose to climb the tower by foot.
The three of them entered the observatory. The area consisted of five floors, filled with various shops that made it feel more like a high-end mall. The outer walls were made of transparent tempered glass, allowing visitors to see the Tokyo skyline.
Golden sunlight bathed the skyscrapers. You could see the urban sprawl of Tokyo, Mount Fuji, and a small sliver of Tokyo Bay.
At this time, the aquarium and the One Piece-themed park hadn't been built yet, so there was no need for extra ticket fees.
They each took some photos, then walked slowly around the perimeter toward the upper floors. Along the way, they saw a massive section of transparent glass floor; standing on it, you could see the structure of Tokyo Tower and the people below looking like tiny ants.
Moving up to the second floor, they found a mailbox shaped like a miniature Tokyo Tower. Beside it was a small shop selling postcards. Akishin felt interested; he sent postcards to both Kondo Yuika and Sakurai Kaiko.
After a moment's thought, he patted Hachiman's shoulder and said, "I'll leave the ones for Yukinoshita-kun and Yuigahama-san to you."
Hikigaya: "???"
In the end, Hachiman sent exclusive Tokyo Tower postcards to his parents and Komachi, as well as to Yui Yuigahama and Yukino Yukinoshita.
Shizuka hesitated for quite a while, then with a weary expression, she sent a postcard to Haruno Yukinoshita. She felt her other friends hadn't reached the level of closeness where she would send them a postcard.
While they were there, Akishin also handed a postcard to Shizuka, claiming he didn't want the stamp fee to go to waste.
With a blushing face, Shizuka also gave a postcard to Akishin, using the exact same excuse.
At this moment, Hachiman Hikigaya felt like a total third wheel.
Why did he even come to Tokyo Tower?
After finishing the postcards, they continued their tour. In another corner of the second floor, they saw a shrine—or rather, a large-scale Buddhist altar; just a stage with a miniature worship hall on top, and two electric lights made to look like oil lamps.
Beside it was a sign: Tokyo Tower Great Shrine (Tokyo Tower Daijingu).
Hachiman and Shizuka clasped their hands to pray for a blessing. Akishin pulled out two five-yen coins and handed them to the other two to drop into the offering box.
Shizuka was puzzled. "Chishima-kun, why aren't you praying for a blessing here? I heard this place is quite effective."
Hachiman stared at Akishin intently.
Akishin shook his head. He looked at the golden worship hall on the stage and said, "I don't believe in that kind of thing. Besides, if there really are gods, I don't think they'd agree to my prayers anyway."
"Why?" the two asked in unison.
Akishin shifted his gaze, looking at Shizuka softly, while the corner of his mouth curved into a faint smile.
"Because what I practice is Kendo."
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