Kojima Toru is a medical school student, but he is bored with his life that always seems the same. One day, he meets an architect, Asano Shifumi, and he is invited to her office. He enjoys a pleasant time with her. They drink coffee and listen to music. At that time, he sees a black and white photo of the Tokyo Tower on her office wall. He asks her if she likes the Tokyo Tower and she replies that she does not because it looks lonely to her. Kojima Toru loves the time he spends with her. A couple of days later, he visits her office again and tells her that he wants to know more about her. (Source: AsianWiki) ~~ Adapted from the novel "Tokyo Tower" (東京タワー) by Ekuni Kaori (江國香織). Edit Translation
- English
- Русский
- Français
- Português (Brasil)
- Native Title: 東京タワー
- Also Known As: A Torre de Tóquio , Toukyou Tawaa , Токийская башня
- Director: Kuma Shinji
- Screenwriter: Okita Haruka
- Genres: Romance, Drama
Where to Watch Tokyo Tower
Cast & Credits
- Nagase RenKojima ToruMain Role
- Itaya YukaAsano ShifumiMain Role
- Matsuda GentaOhara KojiSupport Role
- MEGUMIKawano KimikoSupport Role
- Nagase RikoShiraishi KaedeSupport Role
- NaenanoMoriyama YuriSupport Role
Reviews

the life cycle of an affair
Tokyo Tower is based on the novel by Kaori Ekuni. This screen adaptation is not the first but I haven't seen the other productions to compare. And if there was an English translation of this work, I would definitely be interested in giving it a read. This drama is a very short series, 9 eps of 23 mins, which is suitable as it concentrates purely on emotions.The story is an exploration of age gap relationships. It follows 2 college friends, Toru & Koji, who embark on 2 different affairs with older, married women. Toru is a medical student who falls in love with a well known architect after a random encounter. He then discovers the degree of separation is far too small for comfort, & things get worse when she invites him to events that include people close to them both, such as his mother, as well as her husband.
Koji, who is more experienced, is fascinated by Toru's infatuation, & decides to conduct his own experiment by pursuing the mother of a high school student he's tutoring. Koji's story is an interesting contrast to Toru's. Koji is the one who initiates & thinks he is in control of the whole relationship & can end it anytime. However, he's shocked when he realizes the one on the leash is actually himself.
The story telling is mostly quiet & reflective, which brings into sharp focus the range of emotions that explode when both Toru's & Koji's affairs destroy all the other relationships around them. And in the aftermath, both men decide it's still worth pursuing what they started, after crushing the walls that surrounded and supported the women they came to love.
Ultimately, it comes down to maturity. Toru & Koji end up overestimating their own importance in an older married woman's life, and older married women come to understand that the only thing they can build their future on is themselves. But will the experience leave each of them with regret, or peace? That, too, also depends on maturity.
All in all, this show was an interesting exploration of the life cycle of an age gap extramarital affair, with nice pacing in the story telling & acting from all of the cast. The short episodes made it an easy, but thoughtful, watch.

Tokyo Tower won't suit every taste...
When I first read about Tokyo Tower story I wanted to watch the drama because I love this kind of noona romance.I liked all characters and their developments and I couldn't wait for the next episode. Each character learned from pain and it was worth to watch their changes for better.
Ren Nagase was perfect for his role and the pain in his eyes for Shifumi was so intense I could feel it. I loved his character development! Watching Genta Matsuda and Megumi's performances was amazing!
Though I think last episode was a bit inconclusive and couples deserved a better ending, I still like much about this drama, including the beautiful song played in the last minutes of each episode sung by Ren Nagase and Kaito Takahashi (Halfmoon - King & Prince).
I know this drama is controversial and messy and it is sad in many ways but I like it.