Tokyo Skytree

Tokyo Skytree rises 634 meters above the Oshiage district and, since opening in 2012, has served as both the primary broadcasting tower for the Kanto region and the city's tallest observation platform. Visitors ride high-speed elevators to the Tembo Deck at 350 meters, a three-level platform with floor-to-ceiling windows encircling the tower and several glass floor panels that allow a direct view straight down. A second elevator climbs to the Tembo Galleria at 450 meters, a spiraling glass-walled corridor that winds gradually upward to the tower's highest publicly accessible point, the Sorakara Point. On clear days, particularly in winter when the air is driest, Mount Fuji is visible to the southwest alongside the full sweep of the Tokyo Bay area, the Sumida River, and on the clearest days the mountains bordering Saitama and Chiba. A typical visit, including both decks, the queues for elevators, and time at the viewing windows, takes about two hours; allowing extra time is wise on weekends and holidays when lines lengthen substantially. Sunset is a particularly popular window, as the city lights begin to switch on while the sky is still lit, though this is also when crowds and elevator waits peak. Weekday mornings shortly after the 10:00 opening tend to be the calmest, with the clearest air for photography typically found on cold, dry winter days rather than the hazier summer months. The best photo angles are from the corners of the Tembo Deck looking toward Mount Fuji and the bay, and from the glass floor panels for a dramatic straight-down shot of Oshiage below. Below the tower, the Tokyo Skytree Town Solamachi complex houses shops, restaurants, and the Sumida Aquarium, making it easy to combine the tower visit with a longer stop in the area.