Early spring in Tokyo. Around Tokyo Skytree , the crowds are as lively as ever. The plaza and nearby riverside paths are filled with visitors, many of them looking up at the 634-meter tower that has become one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. If You Want to See Cherry Blossoms Now: Discovering Kawazu-zakura In a recent column, I wrote about the early-blooming Kawazu cherry blossoms near Tokyo Skytree . When I visited the area on February 27, many people were trying to capture the same photo: pink blossoms in the foreground, with the tall tower rising behind them. Standing there, you could hear not only Japanese but English, Chinese, and several other languages drifting through the air. It was a reminder that this landmark continues to draw visitors from all over the world. As people looked up at the tower that day, however, most of them probably didn’t know that only a few days earlier something unusual had happened inside it. A rescue that lasted until midnight The inc...
Early spring in Tokyo.
Around Tokyo Skytree, the crowds are as lively as ever. The plaza and nearby riverside paths are filled with visitors, many of them looking up at the 634-meter tower that has become one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks.
If You Want to See Cherry Blossoms Now: Discovering Kawazu-zakura
In a recent column, I wrote about the early-blooming Kawazu cherry blossoms near Tokyo Skytree. When I visited the area on February 27, many people were trying to capture the same photo: pink blossoms in the foreground, with the tall tower rising behind them. Standing there, you could hear not only Japanese but English, Chinese, and several other languages drifting through the air. It was a reminder that this landmark continues to draw visitors from all over the world.
As people looked up at the tower that day, however, most of them probably didn’t know that only a few days earlier something unusual had happened inside it.
A rescue that lasted until midnight
The incident began on the evening of February 22, at around 8:15 p.m.
Two of the elevators connecting the fourth floor and the Tembo Deck, about 350 meters above the ground, suddenly stopped during operation. One of them came to a halt roughly 30 meters above ground level, leaving 20 passengers—including two children—stuck inside.
At the same time, an unexpected situation unfolded at the observation deck. With the downward elevators temporarily out of service, about 1,200 visitors on the deck could not immediately return to the ground. People who had been enjoying the night view were asked to wait while the situation was checked.
Eventually the visitors on the observation deck were able to descend after safety inspections confirmed that the other elevators were working properly. But for the passengers inside the stalled elevator, the wait was much longer.
Elevators in high-rise facilities are equipped with emergency supplies, and those in Tokyo Skytree reportedly carry items such as blankets and portable toilets. These are rarely needed, but on this night their presence suddenly made sense.
The rescue operation itself was somewhat unusual.
Another elevator was positioned alongside the stalled one, and a temporary bridge-like passage was used to transfer the passengers from one car to the other. While such procedures are planned for high-rise buildings, they are not often seen in practice.
The operation moved slowly and carefully.
The last passenger was finally rescued shortly after 2 a.m. on February 23—about five and a half hours after the elevator had first stopped. Fortunately, no one was reported to have suffered health problems.
What happened afterward
Following the incident, the tower temporarily closed for several days for safety inspections. Observation deck tickets were refunded, and some visitors reportedly expressed disappointment, saying they had booked their visit months in advance.
Later investigations explained that the cause was damage to a “moving cable” connecting the elevator car and its control system. The cable’s insulation had been damaged, possibly due to twisting combined with the swaying of the tall tower in the wind. The resulting electrical fault triggered a fuse and activated the safety system, which brought the elevator to an emergency stop.
After inspections and repairs, the observation deck reopened on February 26. The operator also announced plans to strengthen protective measures for the cables to prevent similar damage in the future.
It may not be the most comforting detail, but this was not the first time an elevator at Tokyo Skytree had stopped unexpectedly. In 2015 an emergency stop was reported due to a faulty door sensor, and another stoppage occurred in 2017. In each case, however, the incidents did not lead to serious accidents.
Some criticism followed this latest incident, but many observers also noted that the safety systems had worked as intended. In high-rise elevators, stopping when something abnormal occurs is part of the design.
A small story behind the landmark
Under the bright blue sky of early March, Tokyo Skytree has already returned to its usual rhythm. Tourists line up for photos with the tower and the early cherry blossoms, and the elevators glide quietly up and down as they always do.
The incident is unlikely to change anyone’s travel plans. There’s no real reason to avoid the elevators—and certainly no need to line up five hours early just in case.
Still, stories like this have a way of becoming small pieces of travel conversation. Someone planning a visit might hear, “You know, there was once a rescue operation there that lasted until two in the morning.” Or perhaps, while riding the elevator, someone might joke, “What if it stops now—will we miss our flight?”
A late-night incident in Tokyo’s tallest building.
Today, everything looks perfectly normal again. Visitors take photos, and the elevators move quietly up and down the tower.
But somewhere behind that everyday scene, it might not be a bad idea to remember that this tower once witnessed a small rescue that lasted until two in the morning.
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