This is the Safest Place to Be in an Earthquake

The inside story of Tokyo's most incredible structure.

This video contains paid promotion for Brilliant.

Additional footage and images courtesy of Tokyo Skytree

Research sources:

00:00 Intro
01:44 The Wind
03:12 Flexibility
05:37 Skytree Foundations
06:27 Outer Structure
07:18 Concrete core
08:04 Earthquake Proofing
09:10 Critical Infrastructure
09:55 Tuned Mass Dampers
10:55 Tokyo

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[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!

[DouglasJWalker]

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

[dirkblaudschun]

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 😁😁

[Incriveles]

After 12 years being a Tokyo resident I decided to leave Tokyo and came to the countryside, Nagano prefecture and no regrets, clean air, water quality, space and lots of activities linked to the nature! But I must admit that I’m missing the nightlife of Tokyo.
Tokyo have its own unique way of a metropolitan life….

[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.

[clinto]

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.

[BrickReporter]

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

[Alepfi]

Tokyo is such an amazing place. Can't wait to go back!

[danirey]

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

[danmcleod]

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!

[alexander]

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!

[Stone_]

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.

[Petehtp]

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

[duckydude]

thanks for these, tells me there's so much more to Japan than just animes... the culture, the bullet train, the infrastructure...

[dvampofo]

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

[kusemunn]

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

[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.

[xrq]

Definitely one of the best videos of the year

[christopherpetersen]

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

[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".