This is a lovely vantage point to watch the trains come and go to Tokyo Station. I found this rooftop terrace after wandering around aimlessly (and happily I might add). I could see the traditional station (the guard on duty told me in his very limited English that the station is beautifully lit at night!). I bet that is a wonderful sight to see! My photo before this one has a view from within the station (lovely domed ceilings of yellow and brown).
The terrace where I took some photographs was absolutely lovely and peaceful. I thought that if I worked in that building, it would be a wonderful place to take a 5-minute break to eat lunch or just watch the city scenes below. There were some beautiful green terraces too (I'll post one of those).
This is a side view of Tokyo Station. The front entrance is to the left and up , but this was a nice vantage point (and elevated!).
Interesting facts about TS:
Off the beaten track: 10 fascinating facts
1. The station was only named Tokyo Station two weeks before its official opening. Until then, it was simply called the “central terminal.”
2. Two assassination attempts on prime ministers have been carried out at Tokyo Station. Takashi Hara was stabbed to death in front of the south exit in 1921, while Osachi Hamaguchi was gunned down on the platform of the express train to Tsubame in 1930, dying from his wounds the following year.
3. The original architectural plan was created by Franz Baltzer of Germany but his idea was rejected for being “too Japanese.”
4. About 740,000 people helped build Tokyo Station in 1914. The recent renovation involved about 780,000 people.
5. The whole floor space of Tokyo Station is 182,000 sq. meters, or 3.6 times the size of Tokyo Dome.
6. Only two stations are currently operating that are designated as Important Cultural Assets: Tokyo Station and Mojiko Station in Fukuoka Prefecture.
7. Before its renovation, Tokyo Station was protected from damage during earthquakes by 11,050 larch poles of 21 cm in diameter that were between 3.6 to 7.2 meters in length.
8. Only eight of the 12 zodiac animals are displayed in Tokyo Station’s domes. The rest of the animals can be found on the second floor of a gate in Saga Prefecture at Takeo Onsen hot spring, which was also created by Kingo Tatsuno.
9. In 2013, Tokyo Station overtook Shibuya Station to handle the third-highest number of passengers after Shinjuku and Ikebukuro, according to JR East.
10. About 8 million bricks were used to build Tokyo Station.
