Heaven or Hell?
Umeda Sky Building, Osaka, Japan
Having spend 20 minutes outside the building taking pictures I never really paid attention as to how you actually get in the building let alone ascend it. We eventually found the entrance and ticket office in the east tower which for some illogical reason redirects you over a raised walkway to the west tower for the lift. And here lies the start of our strained morning.
Mrs R has no problem with flying, she's happily flown around the world, been in helicopters and seaplanes, but high buildings with observation decks, glass floors; cable cars; mountain paths, and the crème de la crème - external elevators are not her forte, not to say I don't have fears of my own... bungee jumping (which she fancies doing), sky-diving (which she fancies doing)... "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" springs to mind!
The queue wasn't very long at the lift so we all comfortably made it inside. Nothing untoward, standard box lift, cables on the rear wall, doors closed and off we went. The first three floors in darkness then all of a sudden daylight! The tall structure running the length of the west tower, which I had mistaken for architectural whimsy was in fact the external lift... Mrs R most unhappy (stage1).
A minute's ride to the top with one of us looking outside at the passing floors and the other staring deeply at her feet and we were back inside the tower - "thank god for that, not sure I can do that again!"
"Arrh" I said "we're not quite at the top yet"
"What do you mean?"
"We have to take the escalator to reach the top and the observation deck"
"What escalator???"
"The one that crosses back to the east tower"
I can't actually write what was said next, but stage 2 had well and truly been reached... but you get the picture.
A second lift full of visitors had ventured up the escalator long before I managed to coax Mrs R onto the first step of the mechanical stairway and so began our journey to heaven or hell, depending on your point of view.
What could possibly go wrong... we were only about 150m up with a few girders, struts and ties holding us up in fresh air not to mention the glass tube encapsulating it all. However, "Galloping Gertie" did cross my mind all the same.
Anyway enough about Mrs R... lets discuss the image, it's a minor miracle that this has turned out relatively sharp due to the gibbering wreck clinging to my backpack and inducing camera shake throughout the whole of the ride (she didn't even have the decency to bring the tripod). Once at the top I knew looking out of the observation deck windows at close quarters would be a bridge too far and the rooftop walkway a non-starter (stages 3 and 4).
Besides, we still had to negotiate the return journey down the other escalator and that looked far worse than the upward ride. I had visions of having to leave her there, marooned on the inner observation deck like Tom Hanks in The Terminal, trapped and unable to leave.
To be continued...
Heaven or Hell?
Umeda Sky Building, Osaka, Japan
Having spend 20 minutes outside the building taking pictures I never really paid attention as to how you actually get in the building let alone ascend it. We eventually found the entrance and ticket office in the east tower which for some illogical reason redirects you over a raised walkway to the west tower for the lift. And here lies the start of our strained morning.
Mrs R has no problem with flying, she's happily flown around the world, been in helicopters and seaplanes, but high buildings with observation decks, glass floors; cable cars; mountain paths, and the crème de la crème - external elevators are not her forte, not to say I don't have fears of my own... bungee jumping (which she fancies doing), sky-diving (which she fancies doing)... "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" springs to mind!
The queue wasn't very long at the lift so we all comfortably made it inside. Nothing untoward, standard box lift, cables on the rear wall, doors closed and off we went. The first three floors in darkness then all of a sudden daylight! The tall structure running the length of the west tower, which I had mistaken for architectural whimsy was in fact the external lift... Mrs R most unhappy (stage1).
A minute's ride to the top with one of us looking outside at the passing floors and the other staring deeply at her feet and we were back inside the tower - "thank god for that, not sure I can do that again!"
"Arrh" I said "we're not quite at the top yet"
"What do you mean?"
"We have to take the escalator to reach the top and the observation deck"
"What escalator???"
"The one that crosses back to the east tower"
I can't actually write what was said next, but stage 2 had well and truly been reached... but you get the picture.
A second lift full of visitors had ventured up the escalator long before I managed to coax Mrs R onto the first step of the mechanical stairway and so began our journey to heaven or hell, depending on your point of view.
What could possibly go wrong... we were only about 150m up with a few girders, struts and ties holding us up in fresh air not to mention the glass tube encapsulating it all. However, "Galloping Gertie" did cross my mind all the same.
Anyway enough about Mrs R... lets discuss the image, it's a minor miracle that this has turned out relatively sharp due to the gibbering wreck clinging to my backpack and inducing camera shake throughout the whole of the ride (she didn't even have the decency to bring the tripod). Once at the top I knew looking out of the observation deck windows at close quarters would be a bridge too far and the rooftop walkway a non-starter (stages 3 and 4).
Besides, we still had to negotiate the return journey down the other escalator and that looked far worse than the upward ride. I had visions of having to leave her there, marooned on the inner observation deck like Tom Hanks in The Terminal, trapped and unable to leave.
To be continued...