Tokyo Skytree, The World’s Tallest Tower, Opens

The Tokyo Skytree has just opened to the public after nearly four years of construction. The Skytree, which stands at 2,080 feet tall, is the tallest freestanding tower in the world.

The Telegraph reports that thousands of visitors flocked to the tower today to take in the 360 degrees views from the towers observation decks. Tickets to the opening event were handed out through an online lottery. Daily tickets are expected to start in July.

The Canton Tower in China, which stands at 1,968 1/2 feet tall, was the previous record holder for the world’s tallest tower.

The NY Daily News notes that the Tokyo Skytree is not the world’s tallest structure. The Skytree will serve as a broadcast tower for television and radio stations so it is considered a tower and not a skyscraper. The world’s tallest building is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai which stands at 2,717 feet tall.

The world’s tallest tower has only been open for a few hours but it has already seen some celebrity guests. Lady Gaga got a sneak peak at the tower last week when she visited Japan during her world tour.

Here’s a timelapse video of the Tokyo Skytree.