The Insane Engineering of the Tokyo Skytree

[@TheB1M]

Try everything Brilliant has to offer for free for a full 30 days 👉 brilliant.org/TheB1M/

[@MultiSciGeek]

I can't help but feel that recently this channel quality has gone down. Don't get me wrong, the production is great, but similar to the other recent Japanese episode, these videos feel slow, stretched on. Like you keep hearing the same facts repeated over and over again over with the same graphic showed over and over again. Basically very little interesting information given the duration of the video.

[@zwesithu901]

the first picture of pagoda is not from India .

[@yellads]

Should rename the Tower to "The Tower That Tempts Fate" T4F lol

[@kalfunai]

what is this thing bhagoda?

[@Zezetheb]

I don’t know why I’ve never considered how those ancient pagodas have withstood earthquakes after all this time. Such a fascinating design and super cool to see that homage in the sky tree!

[@rych7852]

Sadly a lot of them were destroyed during WW2, not natural disasters. If you go to the Sensoji Temple (not too far from Skytree) Its basically a replica nowadays

[@cashewnuttel9054]

Do you think the Chinese will be super upset with this video?

[@やる気熱々]

@@cashewnuttel9054 If this makes them angry, I think Chinese people are pretty short-tempered.

[@jd_99]

The duty to maintenance and general taking care as a society through the ages is also a key part of the longevity. It's also why old stuff of the modern era doesn't look as old as it would in other countries - it's about the people as much as the structure itself.

[@DouglasJWalker]

50 m into the earth is massive. That's why I love construction where people think, and do, stuff like that.

[@danirey425]

The sliding joints of the temple was pretty impressive, Japan has really been ahead of the pack in earthquake resistance

[@dirkblaudschun8040]

On my opinion this is the most intersting and also the most beautiful TV tower in the world both in terms of construction and appearance. What the Japanese have built here is amazing. LOVE THIS 😁😁

[@mori211]

Yeeah. The skytree is so nostalgic for me 🥺transferring alone for the first time from narita to haneda and seeing the tokyo skytree as a landmark

[@xrq3223]

Definitely one of the best videos of the year

[@alexander3925]

It really is remarkable how such a tall structure can stand in one of the most vulnerable earthquake zones in the world, while still having this aesthetically pleasing design! Great video with really good explanations how this is possible!

[@Train_Shrine_in_Japan]

In Mar 2011, M9.1 earthquake hit Tokyo SkyTree. The tower was still under construction, but the height was already reached 620m. After the earthquake, a chief engineer said "It is no issue and no damages, the team continues to build on schedule".

[@Stone_624]

Awesome stuff about Japan from you lately. As someone who's been in Japan since 2013 (Lived here since 2016), I love being a part of this city and this culture. The scale at which Japanese do things, and the organization and craftsmanship of their work, is something I've aspired to for over a decade now. It's tough living and working here (For a magnitude of reasons), But it's 1000% worth it in my opinion.

[@BrickReporter]

I read about this in grade school and still fascinated by the way the Japanese architecture works

[@dvampofo]

Phenomenal episode. Keep up the great work Fred and team 👍🏾

[@TheB1M]

Thanks so much 🙌

[@Justyburger]

I was up there about 8 years ago. Amazing place. Tokyo and Japan in general is a great place to visit.

[@aoki_ch]

I visited the Skytree tower about 6 years ago. It was amazing.

[@Patiboke]

I saw the Skytree in person. The 'lattice' of steel tubes is super impressive. Looks way bigger in real life than on video. How the tubes fit together, the amount of welding, truly awesome.

[@calvinl2149]

Definitely agree that the Sky Tree looks bigger and stronger in real life than on video. I grew up in Toronto so saw the CN tower all the time but it looks so slim compared to the Sky Tree which has so much more girth than I think people expect because of its see through outer lattice.

[@mrami2614]

スカイツリーのパイプの溶接は一カ所に付き１２０回もの溶接が行われています。そしてその溶接には厳しい検査も実施されています。

[@honolulutei1753]

Amazing access and footage of the parts we don't normally see! Thank you for the behind the scenes look, it's a truly beautiful structure in person.

[@danmcleod17]

I got to go up both the Skytree and Taipei 101 this year, both phenomenal feats of engineering. The view of Tokyo from Skytree is amazing and you get to somewhat grasp the true size of the city. On a side note, the soft serve ice cream there is delicious!

[@ExpanderDJ]

Thank you for the educative content.

[@clinto72]

I've been up in the sky tree tower and the view is amazing. But what's more amazing is how big Tokyo really is. It's so spread out, with lots of city skyscrapers everywhere. Definitely worth a look if you go there.

[@zam023]

Did you try to look for Tokyo Tower when you were up there? I did but it took some time for me because visibility was bad on that day due to rain >_

[@clinto72]

@@zam023 I saw the Tokyo Tower in person and that was cool but wasn't really looking for it while I was up there as there was just so much to look at.

[@Rickardsson99]

Fantastic video about a wonderous structure.

[@kusemunn]

Can you make an video about maintaining these systems? I mean anything with a bushing or a damper wears out sometime.

[@StevenBara]

Given it's height of 634m it can be seen for up to ~90km. This covers all of the greater Tokyo plain. It can be seen up to the most eastern point in Chiba, Chochi and also it's most southern point Minamiboso. And that's just from sea level. (Given a plain line of sight of course) As Japan is rather elevated in many areas, you are able to see it from many mountains surrounding Tokyo, especially in winter when the air is much more clear. And even more so at night with it's bright light on top. Yet every time I'm going hiking here, I'm reminded that I just ascended 1000m+, much more than this enormous tower.

[@fldon2306]

Visited Japan including Skytree in 2019. Never felt any wind sway even at top observation deck, but spectacular views! Must visit the Pokémon store in the mall at Skytree’s base! When it opened one could walk down exterior staircases from the top; crazy! Even the highways are designed to “yield”; they have massive steel ropes from the highway deck to the support pillars. Thanks!

[@Breathtaker5000]

Amazing video as always!

[@successfullguy]

Was not expecting a 25ton damper at the very top ! Cool stuff

[@l0I0I0I0]

Love it! ❤ TY!

[@HelloHi-g2u]

Clicked this so fast it broke the sound barrier! 😂 love the Japan content. 🇯🇵 ❤️ 🇺🇸 ❤️ 🇬🇧

[@TheB1M]

Haha, thanks! 🤩

[@habitantedelatierra]

This!! This are the videos I love to watch. Thank you so much Fredd

[@user-lw9iw7dg5r]

I always enjoy your work. Keep up the good work team B1M

[@TheB1M]

Thank you so much!!

[@fionngodwin9625]

The production quality on these videos are insane

[@commando_spz5943]

When I was living in Japan, I spoke to a guy who was working on one of the top floors of a skyscraper during the 2011 earthquake. He said that all the skyscrapers flexed to such an extent that you could "see around" the surrounding buildings as they swayed, and see other buildings you normally wouldn't be able to see.

[@rafaelperalta1676]

Goosebumps.

[@redcirclesilverx4586]

Awesome video. Hope you enjoyed your time in Tokyo. 😉

[@ducsue751]

I've moved to jp 5 months after Tokyo Skytree started it's construction.They had a 24 hrs camera pointing at the site straight on. It was fascinating watching it comes to live. Fact. I have yet to stand at the observation decks.

[@nightowldickson]

I've been lucky enough to be up there a few years ago and it is a LONG way up. If there were ever an earthquake, I don't think I'd like to be up there, but glad to know it's supposedly safe!

[@aoe4_kachow]

I don't think it's a long way up, but being surrounded by short buildings for miles makes it feel that way

[@germanfisch]

I was actually there during the noto earthquake and they only shut down the elevators for like 10 minutes and told people to beware of aftershocks

[@michaelmains6785]

Double tuned mass dampers, viscous dampers, double seismically isolated cores, AND base isolation. These guys are not messing around haha !!

[@urbanstrencan]

Just amazing engineering solutions for building such a high skyscrapers. Great video

[@bill9540]

Very informative and detailed analysis of this structure…an excellent summary! I would certainly be eager to get out of that subterranean rubber-room too☺️

[@georgesos]

incredible stuff!thank you and happy new year.

[@randoir1863]

FASCINATING!!!!!

[@revinhatol]

MARVELOUS!

[@eduardogobbi3843]

Great video!

[@Elmer02204]

So, it's basically the largest structure ever built on one of the most hazardous place on earth(Typhoons, Earthquakes, Floods, and Volcano threatened the place)

[@irispaiva]

You're brave for sitting underneath that much weight above your head, that is terrifying

[@GalootWrangler]

That’s one part of the tour I’d very politely decline.

[@marion817]

I’ve been up the Skytree - twice! - and it’s amazing to understand now how it’s such a marvel of engineering and structural design. Wow!

[@TheRealMarkyPizzle]

Glad I visited Tokyo

[@christopherpetersen342]

I love the "Fred was sitting here" on the diagram! Happy New Year a little early!

[@saakar7]

Best channel on KZbin

[@tristantournaud4103]

I was just there 4 days ago! It’s INCREDIBLE!

[@Matityahu755]

Fred, you have the best job in the world. Thank you for this video.

[@jkecollns]

I visted the Skytree a few years back - was awesome!

[@johnclements6852]

Is it possible to explain how such huge tuned mass dampers were hoisted to their lofty heights? What an incredible structure. Happy New Year from Christchurch New Zealand.

[@EduardoEscarez]

Is just assembled on site, because most of it is only weights. There's one in Santiago de Chile that looks like Taipei 101's one, and is just a series of discs joint together and hang out with steel cables. That's the true beauty of the system, is simple and runs mostly on physics. Happy New Year from Valparaíso, Chile, on the other side of the Ocean.

[@johnclements6852]

Gracias, feliz ano nurvo. ​@EduardoEscarez Spanish courtesy of Google.

[@JimTheFly]

@@EduardoEscarez What got me was that I think was the first *inverted* TMD I'd ever seen. I only thought of them as pendulums previously. But I love the idea of a complex system like that being pretty much just simple at its heart. It just feels oddly elegant. And Happy New Year from about 5000 miles due north from the New York City metro area.

[@johnclements6852]

​Thanks for the information. Feliz ano nuevo.

[@antoniobalentawak2599]

Thanks to engineers, the population are safe under such structures

[@top4you9]

Awesome. And truly amazing. As a civil engineer.❤❤

[@storhovdingen]

Caught this one early!

[@CBLounge2112]

Fred is intergalactic and planetary in his hi-viz construction gear!!

[@CharlesTheClumsy]

I think "Japan has the world's strongest tower" would be an even greater title for this video. 😊

[@J3scribe]

4:28 @TheB1M Tectonically speaking, and depending on your perspective, Tokyo is the easternmost, or westernmost, city in North America. And an incredibly amazing city at that. I'm loving this series on Japan the B1M has been presenting. Mind blowing engineering at every turn. Can't wait to see what comes next.

[@neilawad2741]

Fascinating and insightful.

[@jellygoo]

The shot at 10:53 is marvelous.

[@Jonathon1031]

I want to go to Tokyo so badly

[@WilliamBurnett]

Suspiciously silent on the matter of Godzilla resistance.

[@JPatel1995]

😂

[@Tgspartnership]

Truly nice episode fred

[@pappahar7024]

Awesome video! Good information and great views 👍

[@TheB1M]

Thank you! 👍

[@JoeyPishkin]

Thank you! This was an outstanding video.

[@lalitasaren2632]

Nice information video ❤❤

[@markbrown2296]

You commented on a video that was 3 minutes old. You certainly didn’t watch the whole thing.

[@AndyH2k4]

Always loved the view from the SkyTree - every time I'm in Japan I always go there! Thanks for the video!

[@KaliforniaLA]

There is a video on KZbin of SkyTree in an earthquake while under construction. The big Sendai quake I believe. I’ve been to the upper deck Very cool

[@BeepasGarage]

The view from the top of the Skytree is truly breathtaking. Cars look like ants below you.

[@Pete7554htp]

When you visit Skytree go at sunset. I spent about 30 mins watching the sun go down and seeing some spectacular colours.

[@TheB1M]

Thanks for watching our last video of 2024! Remember that the Tokyo Skytree is a "tower" and not a "building" or a "skyscraper" so it isn't included in the ranking of the world's tallest buildings. Details on what qualifies here 👉 www.theb1m.com/article/what-makes-a-building-a-skyscraper-2020

[@thomasfholland]

Your videos never disappoint and never fail to amaze me. Bless you and your loved ones and may 2025 bring you your hearts desires. Looking forward to what you make for us in 2025! ❤ 🤜🤛

[@mrl9337]

Happy New Year 🎉

[@ShootFirstNS]

I've got to visit Japan one day, not knowing the language or much about the culture holds me back, I also wouldn't know what to do other than stand around staring at everything

[@Official-OpenAI]

Japan's engineering and construction is the best in the world by far.

[@Songbirdstress]

Japan is endlessly fascinating. They live on a part of the planet which is both sublime and incredibly dangerous on a daily basis. Great video, thank you .

[@jimatulkerriganus4316]

Good video as always, but I wonder: How do they maintain that inner cylinder and those rubber bases?

[@minhtet_32]

nice work

[@SergieRachmaninoff]

That tuned mass damper is beautiful

[@drewyt3109]

0:35 I always find it funny that according to plate tectonics Tokyo is in North America but Los Angeles is not.

[@DB5652-v3r]

this building has too many tricks up his sleeve

[@skyscraperfan]

There actually is a balcony at the top of the tip of the Sky Tree. You probably saw that video on your way to the observation deck. I wish the tip was open for public for a higher entrance fee like $200 or so. That would limit the number of visitors, while still giving enthusiasts like us the chance to experience the amazing view.

[@ChocoLater1]

Necessity is the mother of invention.

[@davidbagley1783]

Aloha from Osaka

[@ShallBePurified]

I've been to the Skytree last year. The tower is so tall you cannot see the top when standing at the base of it. There's a lot of cool cafes and shops at the base of the tower. Including a Studio Ghibli store and a Kirby Cafe.

[@minhtet_32]

thank for info

[@harukih2772]

i live in japan and i love the engineering marble of japanese buildings but the terifing thing is the Aftershocks of the 東日本大震災 aka Great East Japan Earthquake in english and its said to be more powerful than to Great East Japan Earthquake.

[@Sm1ret]

It's simply amazing. I'm always impressed by Japanese ingenuity. Hopefully, Godzilla won't be by anytime soon. 😂😂😂

[@pineapple8992]

I wonder how many and where located are the mechanical connection points between the concrete core and the structure framework. There probably would be different degrees and locations of flex depending upon height and load (wind vs. earthquake--e.g., impulse from wind at top vs. middle vs. earthquake acting upon the base) so effective damping would require accommodating those. Its also amazing that the incredible mass of the core rests on a set of rubber isolators.

[@ONLYusemyDG2]

They used to also say that the Titanic was unsinkable…

[@cobberpete1]

Belt and Braces does not come close to explaining the protection this tower has. Fascinating .

[@CentauriSphere]

Finally a better sponsor 👍

[@Taireyn]

Even though I know that everything works out mathematically, it still feels so surreal to me how something like that can be this stable when you stand in front of it looking up, I get a similar feeling when looking at an airplane lifting off the ground while weighing hundreds of tons

[@SiddharthSingh-zd7ny]

I can see skytree from my window❤

[@Corredor1230]

Oh hey I live a couple kms away from there. Its nice to see it light up every night

[@wyllieperson]

ive been to the tempo galleria, beautiful

[@dah4527]

Who downvotes these interesting informative videos...?

[@jimsvideos7201]

Aside, Overstroke is a _magnificent_ idea for a band name.

[@nagaokayoko8840]

動画をありがとうございます。明けましておめでとうございます😊スカイツリーと富士山見えました。また登ります❤

[@XxXenosxX]

And people don’t want us to partner with Japanese steel 🤦🏼‍♂️ they are master engineers

[@mattc1304]

never been this early. 😎 comment of the rising sun 🗼🌅

[@kgc0609]

When it comes to earthquake-proof structures you can't really surpass japanese.

[@reoman27]

reminds me of the bellsprout tower in pokemon. never thought ill learn its use now, 20 years later.