Chiba Port Tower

Chiba Port Tower is an observation tower in Chiba Port Park in Chiba City, built as the symbol of Chiba Port. It opened on 15 June 1986 to mark the population of Chiba Prefecture passing five million.

The tower

The tower body is 125.15 meters tall and stands on a rhombus-shaped plan. Its walls are covered in 5,571 panes of half-mirror glass, a heat-reflecting glass with a mirror-like surface, so the tower takes on the colors of the sky and clouds around it. Near the roof, a 15-tonne dynamic damper moves against the sway to protect the building in earthquakes and strong winds.

Floors

Two elevators run from the ground floor to the top. The fourth floor, at 113 meters, is the main observation floor, facing the JFE Steel East Japan Works across the water. The third floor, at 109 meters, holds a cafe, and the second floor, at 105 meters, is an observation floor that doubles as an art space, Tenku no Bijutsukan (天空の美術館). On clear days the view reaches Mount Fuji and Tokyo Skytree across Tokyo Bay. The ground floor has fast food, a souvenir shop and a convenience store.

Christmas illumination

Each year from late November to Christmas the tower is lit as a giant Christmas tree, 100 meters high and 30 meters wide. It was first lit on 5 December 1987, the year after the tower opened, and was listed in the Japanese records of the 1989 Guinness Book as the largest illuminated tree in Japan.