フリーページ　English Article　3

Tokyo Sky Tree and Tower of Babel

Tokyo Sky Tree was completed at Oshiage, Sumida Ward, Tokyo on February 29, 2012 in three years and seven months since July 14, 2008. And it will be opened to the general public from May 22 in the same year. Tokyo Sky Tree is made of iron, it has 29 floors and its height is 634 meters which is currently the highest broadcasting tower in the world. Furthermore, among buildings constructed by human beings in the world, it is the second highest one next to Burj Khalifa whose height is 828 meters and which is located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Burj Khalifa needed six years for construction from January 2004 and it was opened as multi commercial facilities on January 2010. In the meantime, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in the Middle East have plans to construct buildings more than 1,000 meters. In a special way, it is said that United Arab Emirates has a plan to construct another high building more than 2,000 meters. Now, Tokyo Sky Tree is very popular not only as a broadcasting tower but also as a sight-seeing spot. Visitors can climb till the 450 meters height from ground by high speed elevators, can see great Tokyo in angle of 360 degrees, and can even see Mr. Fuji in the long distance if the weather is fine. As its gorgeous view is widely advertised by sightseeing companies, reservation tickets are always sold out quickly at each time for the group tours. By the way, why do people want to climb high place? Additionally, why do they construct high buildings with competition? In Genesis 11: 4 of the Bible, we can find the following words. “And they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’” (NKJV) Here are their motivations to build a high tower. There are three reasons to construct the building. Those are to reach heaven, to become fame, and to prevent for scattering. These are just same reasons to construct high buildings or towers in the current world, aren’t they? Namely, they are proud of human knowledge, they want honor of country, and they want economical development by population growth. On the other hand, God has a different idea. Genesis 11:8, 9 say as follows: “So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.”