How do you make use of the photographic images?

There are four Tokyo Space-Time Navigation display banks on TEMBO DECK.

Morito: Photographic images are used by the Tokyo Space-Time Navigation display banks, which are situated at four locations on TEMBO DECK. The Tokyo Space-Time Navigation system consists of four banks of three 52-inch monitors displaying unique content, such as explanatory information on the view from TOKYO SKYTREE, 24 hours' worth of images shown in fast-forward, or frame-by-frame images from the Sumida River Fireworks Festival. In particular, navigation content that conveys location information in connection with famous buildings, arterial roads and subway lines is extremely well received by first-time visitors to Tokyo.

There are four Tokyo Space-Time Navigation display banks on TEMBO DECK.

I've heard that there are special images that are shown only on days when the visibility is poor.

The Panorama Screen is available on days when visibility is poor.

Morito: On days when the visibility is poor, a giant screen known as the Panorama Screen is lowered from the ceiling. On days when it is impossible to see outside due to bad weather, we do not want visitors who have come so far (such as students on school trips or visitors from overseas) to be disappointed. The Panorama Screen is a special feature of TOKYO SKYTREE that is only utilized when the view outside is poor. Visitors can enjoy the view photographed by the Multi-Camera Control System on a clear day, the story of the TOKYO SKYTREE construction process, and a video entitled "EDO HITOMEZU BYOBU," which presents depictions of street scenes from the Edo Period.

The 360° view displayed on the 2-meter-high, 10-meter-wide giant screen is hardly any less impressive to the naked eye than the real thing. Visitors who do get to see it are lucky!

Could you tell us something about the Soramado website^*?

Events such as the Sumida River Fireworks Festival can also be viewed (photo: NOMURA Co., Ltd.)

Kobayashi: We have set up an official website for TOKYO SKYTREE known as Soramado ("window on the sky") that allows the user to see the views from the observation level online. In this way, we have made this experience available to even greater numbers of people. Using our unique technology to stitch together 12 images taken with the Multi-Camera Control System, we provide a single realistic and evocative image. Soramado is reloaded with new panorama images as often as every 10 minutes, and we provide high-quality 70-megapixel images to paying Soramado members. As well as being able to see photographs of the view in almost real time, members can look through past views as they appeared at any desired time on any desired day.

As this is a straightforward, no-frills system for saving images and providing them to the public, there are various ways in which members can enjoy them. For example, some people who visit TOKYO SKYTREE join Soramado so that they can see the places they saw during the day as they appear at night. There are others who join Soramado so they can send images of Tokyo to friends who live in the provinces or overseas. Others who work in windowless offices use the images for relaxation during their break times.

Another popular feature is that members can look back at the view on specific days to see natural phenomena, such as rainbows, and fireworks displays. Many people have accessed the site to see images of the Sumida River Fireworks Festival from above—a viewpoint that is available to very few.

• *Regrettably the Soramado website was closed down on May 31, 2013.

• Sample video for Soramado (in Japanese language only)