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Tokyo Tower

Florian Buechting Places & Sights No Comments

Tokyo Tower

1,200 JPY / 3,000 JPY (without/with Top Deck)
Tokyo Tower
4.3

Rating

 4.3/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Great view from main deck already
  • Top Deck is a nice, but not necessary add-on
  • Great value for money

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Shopping mall not too attractive
  • Longer walks from metro station

Greater Tokyo is a huge area. Commuting in the Japanese capital may easily take more than an hour or two from one spot to another. Thus, it is not too surprising that the city offers numerous observation towers, observation decks and similar places, which all offer a very different view. I would say that the most famous and somehow most traditional place to watch Tokyo from a high viewpoint is Tokyo Tower, which somehow reminds of a red version of the Paris Eiffel Tower. The French icon has indeed inspired the design. During my 2023 trip to Japan, my wife and I had a visit there – here are my thoughts.

 

Tokyo Tower – Location & Admission

Tokyo Tower is located rather centrally in the borough of Minato City. It is just a few steps away from the famous Zojo-ji Temple, which we visited right before the observation tower. The Oedo Line is likely giving you the best travel option by metro. We exited at Daimon station, but Akabanebashi might also be a good option. The Tokyo Tower bus station is served by bus line 98. There is a parking lot and a taxi rank right next to the iconic construction.

Tokyo Tower is opening daily. Typical opening times are 9:00 to 22:30. Nonetheless, also due to the comfort of having a reduced price, I would rather buy tickets online. The standard admission only leads you to the main deck. Adults pay 1,200 JPY, less than eight Euro, to be brought up to 150m meters. If you additionally want to visit the Top Deck, which is 100m higher, you pay a total of 2,800 JPY (online) / 3,000 JPY at the cashier. This is indeed a bargain compared to similar attractions in other major cities of the world.

 

Tokyo Tower – The Visit

Tokyo Tower has been build as a TV and radio tower. It has been opened in 1958 and has a total height of 332.6 meters. The main deck consists of two levels. In addition, there is also a mezzanine level between the ground and the main observation level. During our morning visit in late September 2023, it has not been too crowded, so that you did not have any lines on the lift taking you up. The large glass fronts give you a really nice view of Tokyo. As I said in the introduction, Tokyo is huge, so  that you don’t necessarily see key attractions of the city, which are far North of the tower, for example.

Our visit was during Halloween, so that there has been according decoration on the observation deck. The main deck also features a shrine, which is definitely worth a look. You also can do a virtual reality experience, which makes you feel you are falling down the tower. Once you finished your visit, you take the elevator down from the lower deck of the main observation area. It takes you to the upper floor of the mall of Tokyo Tower (see below).

 

Tokyo Tower – Top Deck Tour

My wife and I also explored the Top Deck in the so-called Top Deck Tour. You always have an additional time slot for that visit. The Top Deck is significantly smaller in capacity. Even getting up to the in-fact deck takes quite some time, despite the time slot. You do get a nice welcome drink in the waiting queue, though. Part of this experience is also a complimentary audiovisual guide with a lot of information.

Nonetheless, we personally felt that the Top Deck Tour does not add sufficient value to your visit. This is not too much about the additional price, but the time you invest on top. The view is better, but not that outstanding that we felt you should take it on a rather narrow schedule through Tokyo. The more relaxed your plans are the more I would recommend it, though. In addition, it just feels rather narrow up there.

 

Tokyo Tower – Services

The staff was very friendly and helpful. Getting around in English was absolutely no problem. Of course, there are stores, also on the main observation deck. You may also buy some drinks at a cafe. There is no full service restaurant on the 150 meter high deck, though.

The platform below the tower holds several souvenir stores, restaurants and attractions. This also includes a virtual reality gaming park, for example. The mall is definitely not the most attractive place in the Japanese capital, but offers some nice services. During our visit on a rather sunny and warm day, it was also very popular to sit in front of the entrance, using one of the food trucks offered there.

 

 

 

Tokyo Tower – My View

Visiting the Tokyo Tower should definitely be on your bucket list. Even though the attraction does not feel overwhelmingly modern (not only due to the mall), you already have a lovely view of the surrounding area of the from the main deck. The Top Deck is a nice add-on, but not a must visit. The only thing which is really a bit of bothering about the place is the rather average connection to public transport.

 

Japan on Flyctory.com

Here are all my postings related to Japan:

 

Views from Above – Top Pick!

Here are all my observation deck and similar place reviews leading to a Top Pick! rating.

 

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