Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building will temporarily be closed until further notice due to the coronavirus. For updates on the COVID-19 situation in Japan check GaijinPot Blog: https://blog.gaijinpot.com/is-it-safe-to-visit-japan-as-the-coronavirus-cases-increase/

Everyone gets excited about the Skytree and the Tokyo Tower, but there’s a cheaper place – cheaper because it’s free – to catch a view of the beautiful Tokyo skyline.

At 202 meters, the two observatories at the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building are actually higher than the one in Tokyo Tower. Yes, the Skytree wins with a viewpoint at 451 meters but you’ll pay for it, with entrance costing upwards of 2000 yen.

Though the name Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building sounds stuffy, the observatory floor is anything but.

Enter downstairs into a fairly nondescript office building, passing the odd government employee going about their official business, before heading up either of the elevators to the 45th floor. It’s here that you’ll find a rather breathtaking panoramic viewpoint over famous sites like our more expensive-to-enter Skytree and Tokyo Tower, as well as the Tokyo Dome. On a clear day, you can glimpse Mount Fuji through the expansive glass windows.

The best part: you’ll have the place practically all to yourself.

It’s a stellar spot for a date at night with the night view of Tokyo as your backdrop. The South Observatory usually closes earlier so there’s only a café, but the North Observatory’s café turns into a bar at night. If you’re lucky, you might even catch some firework festivals in the distance.