Tokyo Skytree is many things: At 2,080 feet high, it is the world’s tallest tower, completed in 2011 as a base for television broadcasting. (The world’s tallest building is in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which rises 2,716 feet.) Skytree is also the newest must-see destination for domestic and international visitors to Tokyo. This steel-and-concrete spire features a paid-admission observation deck, a café, a souvenir shop and a restaurant, all perched some 350 meters (about 1,150 feet) above the city. For an additional fee, visitors can ascend to 450 meters, where a second observation deck offers spectacular 360-degree views. On holidays, visitors can look down on the local aerial fireworks displays — something most fireworks gazers would never think to do.
On the retail front, Skytree is the crowning attraction of a unique shopping center development that steers sightseers through an enclosed mall of 300 shops, stores and restaurants. The four-level retail project, called Solamachi (which translates as “sky city”), is part of the Tokyo Skytree Town mixed-use development. Retailers range from local souvenir purveyors to national and global fashion brands — including Jill by JillStuart, MAC Cosmetics and Zara. General contractor Obayashi built the project for a development coalition of Tobu Railway Co. and a half-dozen broadcasters. The overall project also includes an adjacent office building, the Sumida Aquarium and the Konika Minolta Planetarium.
Solamachi is 100 percent occupied, according to Shota Mitsui, a spokesman for Tobu Tower Sky Tree Co., which manages the project. Asked which part of the development is the chief draw for shoppers, Mitsui says the Skytree, shops, aquarium and planetarium are all part of the equation. Tokyo real estate experts observe that Solamachi is dependent on tourists for its customer base. “Retailers that are drawn to Tokyo Solamachi are looking to capitalize on its heavy foot traffic, primarily made up of out-of-town Japanese visitors and foreign tourists,” said Zina Zhang, senior manager of retail leasing at JLL Japan.
The complex is a 20-minute walk across the Sumida River from Asakusa, a neighborhood that is home to the historic Senso Temple and its centuries-old market street.
Whether or not Skytree and Solamachi will resuscitate retail for the surrounding area, the project drew some 5.4 million visitors its first year alone and appears to be thriving. In that sense, it may offer useful lessons for other developers. “The Skytree project is a good learning opportunity as a tourist retail facility,” said Akihisa Sato, senior director of retail services for CBRE Japan. “The landlord is trying a number of approaches to keep Skytree visitors within the retail floors. Generally speaking, Japanese developers place a lot of effort on establishing tenant mix. Beyond this, they also tend to more actively bring new concepts to market and introduce [more] new product mixes than foreign developers.”
