Sweeping but hazy views of Tokyo's skyline greeted journalists taken up the world's tallest freestanding broadcast structure before its opening to the public next month.

The 634-meter (2,080-foot) Tokyo Skytree is the world's second-tallest structure behind the 828-meter (2,717-foot) Burj Khalifa in Dubai, according to owner Tobu Tower Skytree Co AP reported.

It took about 50 seconds in a high-speed elevator Tuesday to zip up to the lower observation deck at 350 meters (1,148 feet), and another 30 seconds to reach the higher deck at 450 meters (1,476 feet).

The needle-like radio and television tower was built with steel tubes surrounding a central concrete column that in the event of an earthquake are designed to offset each other to reduce motion.