The NTT Docomo Roppongi building is commonly referred to as the Docomo Tower. The tip of the building stretches to 240 meters, almost the same height as the Tokyo Metropolitan Building. Like a pencil it is sharper towards the tip. When you look closely you can see the slimming of the building is only gradual.
Actually a parabolic antenna is on top the building. It is an antenna to send and receive communications, and it needs to be placed in a high location. For that reason a pagoda-like building is needed to support it. By the way, the red and white rod that you can see at the top is not the antenna. This is actually used when the parabolic antenna is being adjusted.
Also, there is a secret in the lighting of the tower. The color changes based on the weather! If it lights orange it means rain, and you better grab your umbrella,. If it is white it means sunshine, and you can leave your umbrella at home.
For you what does this tower represent? For a long time the tower reminded one of the characters in “The Garden of Words” that the garden is still in the city. Wherever you go, the view of the tower goes as well. He wants to run away from the city but he cannot. Protected by the country, taken care of by a company, many only know this lifestyle.
The tower may be a symbol of this feeling of entrapment. Maybe that’s the reason to run away on a trip, To be a person who lives freely and marches to the beat of your own drum. But no matter how much you travel, you’ll never find a utopia.
Still, in the end, no matter where you go to there is good to be found. You can find meaning in the act of continuing on your way, or of simply being on a journey. You may hear boring, everyday conversations along the way. But, that is the meaning of travel, to learn through personal experiences and find joy in the little things. When you recognize this as your journey you can forget the existence of the tower.