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High Winds Force Tokyo Skytree to Stop Elevators
By wchung | 09 Jun, 2025
Strong winds forced Tokyo Skytree to suspend operations of both elevators to its two observation decks on the evening of May 22, opening day of the 634-meter (2,080-foot) tower which has become the world’s tallest (the Burj Dubai remains the world’s tallest building at 2,733 feet.)
By 7:36 p.m. gusts of over 15 meters per second (about 35 mph) caused suspension of the elevators to both observation platforms. The stoppage caused about 200 visitors to be stuck on the upper platform 450 meters (1,476 feet) above street level. The tower’s operating procedures don’t require suspension of service unless winds reach 30 meters per second (about 70 mph), but less strong winds can cause the elevators to sway, triggering an automatic mechanism to slow or stop them altogether. The operator decided to suspend service as a precautionary measure.
As the winds continued throughout the evening, at 7:36 p.m. the operator decided to stop service to the upper Tembo Galleria observation deck. Service is normally scheduled from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tobu Tower Skytree Co. issued refunds to ticketholders, some of whom had been waiting many days to be among the first to visit the top deck.
By 11 p.m. on May 22 about 219,000 people had visited the Tokyo Skytree Town complex, reported Tobu. Until July 10 entry into Tokyo Skytree is limited to those who had purchased tickets in advance.
Advance-purchase tickets to the 350-meter-high lower observation deck were sold for ¥2,500 ($31.47) for adults, and ¥2,000 yen ($25.17) for students of junior-high and high school age. Visits to the upper observation deck cost an extra ¥1,000 ($12.59) for adults and ¥800 ($10.07) for junior-high and high school students.
Advance-purchase tickets had been sold out for some time. Normal ticket sales will resume on July 11.
Tokyo Skytree was forced to suspend elevator service to its observation decks during part of its opening day on May 22, 2012.
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