Nidec Kyoto Tower

This guide to Nidec Kyoto Tower follows the 1964 construction of Kyoto's tallest structure, raised on the site of the city's old central post office right across from the station, despite fury from scholars and preservationists guarding a skyline of low tiled roofs and centuries-old pagodas. It traces architect Mamoru Yamada's defense of the design as a giant candle, engineer Makoto Tanahashi's work to make it withstand earthquakes and typhoons, and writer Alex Kerr's later, blunter verdict on what the tower did to the city. Ride the elevator up before you decide who was right.