Photographers can find many great spots from which they can take photos of the Tokyo skyline. The unique architecture, sprawling parks and bays, and neon lights of our fair city can turn any shot into a great memento of your trip.
With so many to choose from, it’s easy to make a list of great Tokyo skyline spots. But where’s the fun in that? Instead, take our speed challenge and visit several great viewpoints in one day! Within 24 hours, you can see (and take pictures of) the Tokyo skyline from many angles.
1. Tokyo Skytree
Tokyo Skytree is the tallest and best-known spot to see the Tokyo skyline. So why go there first? Well, because it’s the tallest landmark in Japan and offers the best views in Tokyo. The lines here are going to get long throughout the day, and you want to avoid that if you’re going to complete your one-day tour.
How to get to Tokyo Skytree
Start at 7:15 a.m. at Shibuya Station. You’re going get on the Tokyo Metro Hanzōmon Line, platform 2 and get off at Oshiage Station (32 minutes).
From Oshiage Station, it is a five-minute walk to the Skytree from exit B3. You will arrive just as the observation decks open at 8:00 a.m.
TOKYO SKYTREE®
Oshiage 1-1-2, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
Tokyo Skytree
0570-55-0634
2. Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observatory
This building serves as the headquarters of the Tokyo city government. To get to the Observation Decks, use the Observatory Elevator on the 1st Floor of Main Building No. 1. From here you'll see some of the best views in Tokyo from the 45th floor (202 meters up). And the best part is that it's all free!
Views
Mt. Fuji in the southwest, no high-rise buildings to the west. Skyscrapers in the east and a great view of Shinjuku.
Access from Tokyo Skytree
Once you’re finished at the Skytree, make the five-minute walk back to Oshiage Station and take the Toei Asakusa Line to Daimon Station (15 minutes). There, you will change trains to the Toei Ōedo Line bound for Tochomae and get off at Tochomae Station (18 minutes). From here, it is a three-minute walk to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government
2-8-1, Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Tochomae
03-3277-2815
3. Tokyo City View and Sky Deck at Mori Tower
The Mori Tower Sky Deck is one of the few observation decks open to the sky from a height of 238 meters. Besides the observatory, Mori Tower houses an art museum, stores, restaurants and more.
Views
Aoyama Cemetery to the northwest, Aoyama Park to the west, and Tokyo Tower to the east.
Access from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observatory
Head back to Tochomae Station and take the Toei Ōedo Line for Daimon/Roppongi from platform 2 to Roppongi Station. Roppongi Hills and Mori Tower are a four-minute walk f…
