Editing Tokyo Tower (section)

== Appearance ==
[[File:Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Sky Tree 2011 January.jpg|thumb|right|Tokyo Tower in January 2011 with the [[Tokyo Skytree]] under construction in the background]]
Tokyo Tower requires {{convert|28000|L|gal|sp=us}} of paint to completely paint the structure white and [[international orange]], complying with [[air safety]] regulations.<ref name="official data"/> Before the tower's 30th anniversary in 1987, the only lighting on the tower were light bulbs located on the corner contours that extended from the base to the antenna. In the spring of 1987, Nihon Denpatō invited [[lighting designer]] [[Motoko Ishii]] to visit the tower. Since its opening 30&nbsp;years earlier, the tower's annual ticket sales had dropped significantly, and in a bid to revitalize the tower and again establish it as an important tourist attraction and symbol of Tokyo, Ishii was hired to redesign Tokyo Tower's lighting arrangement.<ref name="ishii"/>

Unveiled in 1989, the new lighting arrangement required the removal of the contour-outlining light bulbs and the installation of 176&nbsp;floodlights in and around the tower's frame.<ref name="ishii">{{cite web |url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/e-japan/tokyo23/feature/tokyo231199378046481_02/news/20080108-OYT8T00441.htm |title=⑤起死回生のライトアップ |date=6 January 2008 |access-date=19 September 2008 |work=[[Yomiuri Shimbun]] |language=ja |archive-date=11 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100311195236/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/e-japan/tokyo23/feature/tokyo231199378046481_02/news/20080108-OYT8T00441.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> From dusk to midnight, the floodlights illuminate the entire tower.<ref name="official data">{{cite web |url=http://www.tokyotower.co.jp/english/index.html |title=Tokyo Tower Data |access-date=29 March 2008 |publisher=Nippon Television City Corporation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430131425/http://www.tokyotower.co.jp/english/index.html |archive-date=30 April 2008  }}</ref> [[Sodium vapor lamp]]s are used from 2 October to 6 July to cover the tower in an orange color. From 7 July to 1 October, the lights are changed to [[metal halide lamp]]s to illuminate the tower with a white color. The reasoning behind the change is a seasonal one. Ishii reasoned that orange is a warmer color and helps to offset the cold winter months. Conversely, white is thought a cool color that helps during the hot summer months.<ref name="japan lights">{{cite web |url=http://www.tokyotower.co.jp/333/07_secret/index_05.html |script-title=ja:特別ライトアップ |access-date=29 March 2008 |publisher=日本電波塔 |language=ja |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080426181002/http://www.tokyotower.co.jp/333/07_secret/index_05.html |archive-date=26 April 2008  }}</ref>

{{Multiple image
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| caption1 = "Christmas Light Down Story", 2010
| image2 = Tokyo Tower at night 9.JPG
| caption2 = "Diamond Veil" lighting
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Occasionally, Tokyo Tower's lighting is changed to specific arrangements for special events. The tower is specially lit for some annual events.
Since 2000, the entire tower has been illuminated in a pink light on 1 October to highlight the beginning of [[National Breast Cancer Awareness Month]]. The tower has also had a variety of special lighting arrangements for [[Christmas]] since 1994. During [[New Year's Eve]], the tower lights up at midnight with a year number displayed on one side of the observatory to mark the arrival of the new year.<ref name="japan lights"/>

Special Japanese events have been cause to light the tower in several non-traditional ways. In 2002, alternating sections of the tower were lit blue to help celebrate the opening of the [[2002 FIFA World Cup|FIFA World Cup]] in Japan. Alternating sections of the tower were lit green on [[Saint Patrick's Day]] in 2007 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Japanese–Irish relations. On a few occasions, Tokyo Tower has even been specially lit to correspond with corporate events. For example, the top half of the tower was lit green to correspond with the Japanese premiere of ''[[The Matrix Reloaded]]'' and different sections of the tower were lit red, white and black to commemorate the first day of sales of [[Coca-Cola C2]].<ref name="japan lights"/> In the summer of 2021, the tower was lit up in Olympic colours to celebrate the [[2020 Summer Olympics]] and [[2020 Summer Paralympics]] in Tokyo, both of which had been delayed a year due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/tokyo-tower-will-be-lit-up-in-special-colours-for-the-paralympics-tonight-082421|title=Tokyo Tower will be lit up in special colours for the Paralympics tonight}}</ref> On November 18, 2021, the tower was lit up at 17:17 in the red of [[Major League Baseball]]'s [[Los Angeles Angels]] following the awarding of the American League MVP to two-way player [[Shohei Ohtani]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-tokyo-tower-to-light-the-sky-in-angels-colors-to-celebrate-ohtani|title=Tokyo Tower to light the sky in Angels' colors to celebrate Shohei Ohtani's MVP season|website=MLB.com}}</ref>

The tower was lit for the new millennium in 2000 with Motoko Ishii again reprising her role as the designer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.motoko-ishii.co.jp/MAIN-E.html |title=Works |publisher=[[Motoko Ishii]] |access-date=19 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926002637/http://motoko-ishii.co.jp/MAIN-E.html |archive-date=26 September 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In December 2008, Nihon Denpatō spent $6.5&nbsp;million to create a new night-time illumination scheme—titled the "Diamond Veil"—to celebrate the tower's 50th anniversary. The arrangement featured 276&nbsp;lights in seven colors equally distributed across the towers four faces.<ref name="herald"/>

When employing specialty lighting on the tower, the Main Observatory often plays an important role. During the second international "[[White Band]] Day" on 10 September 2005, the tower was completely unlit except for the Main Observatory, which was lit with a bright white light. The resulting white ring represented the White Band referenced in the day's name. The two floors of windows that make up the exterior of the Main Observatory are utilized to display words or numbers. When the tower employed lighting to commemorate [[Digital terrestrial television|terrestrial digital broadcasting]] first being available in the [[Kantō region]] on 1 December 2005, each side of the Main Observatory displayed the characters {{nihongo2|地デジ}} (''chi deji'', an abbreviation for {{nihongo2|地上デジタル放送}} ''chijō dejitaru hōsō''  terrestrial digital broadcasting).<ref name="japan lights"/> More recently, the observatory displayed both "TOKYO" and "2016" to stress Tokyo's [[Tokyo 2016 Olympic bid|2016 Olympic bid]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tokyo2016.or.jp/en/press/2007/11/tokyo_2016_lights_up_the_tokyo.html |title=TOKYO 2016 Lights Up the Tokyo Night |publisher=[[Japanese Olympic Committee]] |date=29 November 2007 |access-date=20 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080412173455/http://www.tokyo2016.or.jp/en/press/2007/11/tokyo_2016_lights_up_the_tokyo.html |archive-date=12 April 2008  }}</ref> Primitive images, such as hearts, have also been displayed using the observatory's windows.<ref name="japan lights"/>

[[File:View from 33rd floor of Azabudai Hills JP Tower 9.jpg|thumb|Tokyo Tower seen from the 33rd floor of [[Azabudai Hills|Azabudai Hills JP Tower]]]]
<gallery>
File:Tokyo Tower M4854.jpg|Tokyo Tower, with [[Shiodome]] in the background
File:全体ライトアップ以前の東京タワー.jpg|The tower's original lighting arrangement, used until 1989
</gallery>