I’m Bill Tsutsui with another Postcard from Asia from the Center for East Asian Studies.

Scanning the skyline of the Japanese capital today, it’s hard to catch sight of Tokyo Tower. Modeled on the Eiffel Tower and 333 meters in height, the orange-and-white landmark is the world’s tallest self-supporting steel structure, but it’s now obscured by skyscrapers. Back in 1958, however, Tokyo Tower loomed over the city, a monument to Japan’s postwar revitalization. Originally intended to relay TV signals, Tokyo Tower is now obsolete, but remains a tourist attraction with a certain pop celebrity caché: Godzilla destroyed it in one film, Mothra used it as a nest in another, and the psychic Uri Geller once bounced telekinetic rays off it to bend spoons and fix broken clocks all over Tokyo. Who knows what else the Tower might be good for?

With thanks to William Ashworth for this text, from the Center for East Asian Studies, I’m Bill Tsutsui. Wish you were here.