Private broadcasting companies began operating in the months following the construction of NHK's own transmission tower.

This communications boom led the Japanese government to believe that transmission towers would soon be built all over Tokyo, eventually overrunning the city.

[5] Looking to the Western world for inspiration, Naitō based his design on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

[8] Planned as an antenna for telecommunications and brightly colored in accordance with the time's Aviation Law, the tower's two panoramic observatories are mostly frequented by tourists today.

The tower constitutes a clear reference point in the center's skyline, forming a strong landmark, both night and day.

It functions as a radio and television broadcasting antenna support structure and is a tourist destination that houses several different attractions.

[7] While analog and digital television broadcasts are no longer conducted from the site, two FM radio stations remain on Tokyo Tower.

[7] In an attempt to make Tokyo Tower more appealing to NHK and the five other commercial broadcasters who planned to move their transmitting stations to the new tower, Nihon Denpatō officials drafted a plan to extend its digital broadcasting antenna by 80 to 100 meters at a cost of approximately ¥4 billion (US$50 million).

[24] On 19 July 2012, Tokyo Tower's height shrank to 315 meters while the top antenna was repaired for damage from the earthquake.

The first floor includes the Aquarium Gallery, a reception hall, the 400-person-capacity "Tower Restaurant", a FamilyMart convenience store and a souvenir shop.

[32] Tokyo Tower's Trick Art Gallery is located on the building's fourth and final floor.

At approximately 660 steps, the stairwell is an alternative to the tower's elevators and leads directly to the Main Observatory.

The amusement park offered a range of attractions, shops, and restaurants, all based on the characters from Eiichiro Oda's manga.

In the spring of 1987, Nihon Denpatō invited lighting designer Motoko Ishii to visit the tower.

From 7 July to 1 October, the lights are changed to metal halide lamps to illuminate the tower with a white color.

Ishii reasoned that orange is a warmer color and helps to offset the cold winter months.

Since 2000, the entire tower has been illuminated in a pink light on 1 October to highlight the beginning of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

In 2002, alternating sections of the tower were lit blue to help celebrate the opening of the FIFA World Cup in Japan.

Alternating sections of the tower were lit green on Saint Patrick's Day in 2007 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Japanese–Irish relations.

[40] In December 2008, Nihon Denpatō spent $6.5 million to create a new night-time illumination scheme—titled the "Diamond Veil"—to celebrate the tower's 50th anniversary.

The two floors of windows that make up the exterior of the Main Observatory are utilized to display words or numbers.

When the tower employed lighting to commemorate terrestrial digital broadcasting first being available in the Kantō region on 1 December 2005, each side of the Main Observatory displayed the characters 地デジ (chi deji, an abbreviation for 地上デジタル放送 chijō dejitaru hōsō terrestrial digital broadcasting).

It is used in anime and manga such as Doraemon, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, Magic Knight Rayearth, Please Save My Earth, Cardcaptor Sakura, Digimon, Detective Conan, Sailor Moon, Tenchi Muyo!

[45] For example, the 2005 film Always Sanchōme no Yūhi, based on the popular manga series by Ryōhei Saigan, was a nostalgic view of life in the neighborhoods beneath the construction of Tokyo Tower.