You don't have to spend top dollars to see Tokyo from above. There are so many skyscrapers in the city, some of them offer free of entry. I have been to the top of the famous Tokyo Skytree and Solamachi in Sumida District. Was it worth it? Is there any alternatives? Here's how to see Tokyo both pay and for free. But first, let me explain what and where Tokyo Skytree is.
Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting tower with observation decks in the Sumida District and a train station and a metro station nearby. It is only 20-min away from Senso-Ji by walking or a super short Uber ride, if that's what you prefer. It is connected to Tokyo Skytree town, Solamachi (literally means Sky Street), with a total of 300+ shops, stores, cafes, restaurants, a museum, and an aquarium. The sky tower's unique color was named SKYTREE white, it is a combination of white with a hint of the lightest shade of Japanese indigo blue. The tower sits at a height of 634 meters, which granted it the tallest tower in 2011 till someone else took over the title. (fun fact: the Empire State Building is 373.1 meters tall) Check out video below to see how tall it is!
There is an observation deck on top , which costs around $20 to $30 dollars per adult per visit. Price varies depend on how high you want to go. There are 2 decks, Tembo Deck and Tembo Galleria. Tembo Deck locates on the 340th floor to 350th floor; while Tembo Galleria goes higher to 450th floor. Tembo Deck has 2 cafes, a restaurant, a souvenir shop (because why not), and an outgoing mail box, in case you need to send mom a postcard. Tembo Galleria is simply an observation deck but on higher floors. Both offer excellent views of Tokyo. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket counter on the 4th floor or online to save you the hassle to look for the ticket counter because trust me, you will get lost in there.
The other good place to see the view is from Solamachi next door. Sure, Solamachi has tons TONS affordable food options on lower floors, but if you want lunch/dinner with a view, check out restaurants on the 30th and 31st floor. My family had lunch at JoJoEn, a yakiniku place, with a table by the window. After lunch, we walked around for photos.
Another cool place that I visited was free and it is really nice the City of Tokyo offers this for everyone. I am talking about Tocho, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Located in Shinjuku District, Tocho has 2 observation decks on 45th floor: North side and South side. Famous visible landmarks include: Mount Fuji, Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower, Meiji Shrine, and Tokyo Dome. I remembered it was quite empty on the observation deck at night with empty chairs facing the windows and a small cafe to the side. Both observation decks are free. No reservation needed, however, it does close if the weather is not ideal.
Other places also offer similar purpose can be found here. There are some hotel bars with really nice city view, such as The Prince Park Tower Tokyo.
Let me know if you have other great locations for Tokyo day/night light viewing.
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