Tokyo Skytree
last update: February 02, 2023
On May 22, 2012 the last amazing building in Tokyo was finally inaugurated: the
Tokyo Skytree, a new telecommunications tower, the world's tallest (634 meters) one, and also the second tallest building ever after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The tower was built to house various radio and television antennas on the top, previously located on the famous
Tokyo Tower. It is built with sophisticated anti-seismic systems which, according to the engineers, are able to absorb up to 50% of the energy triggered by an earthquake, and the tower can theoretically resist up to a magnitude 7 earthquake with its epicenter under the tower.
Things to do and things to see in the Tokyo Skytree area
The
Tokyo Skytree is not just a telecommunications tower with a panoramic observatory at the top open to the public. First of all, there are two panoramic observatories, at different heights. Furthermore, the immense redevelopment works in the area have built, in addition to the tower, also a huge shopping complex at its foot, known as
Tokyo Solamachi and full of other interesting attractions. Taken as a whole, this new area of entertainment in Tokyo is sometimes referred to as
Skytree Town. You can come for a walk around Skytree Town even if you don't want to go up to the observatory (the ticket is the most expensive in all of Tokyo). Here you will be spoiled for choice of shops and restaurants, several viewing points, outdoor terraces, an aquarium, a planetarium, and a museum.
A final aspect to keep in mind is that this immense project is located in the middle of a neighborhood that until before the construction of Skytown was just a very ordinary suburb of Tokyo. For this reason, outside of the ultra-modern Skytown, you will not find anything touristically relevant, only quiet residential streets.
Tokyo Skytree panoramic observatories
The Tokyo Skytree has two panoramic observatories open to the public, called
Tembo Deck and
Tembo Galleria (Tembo Gallery). The ticket office for the Tembo Deck is located on the 4th floor of the
Tokyo Solamachi shopping complex (see below). To get to the highest observatory, you'll need to go up to the Tembo Deck first. Tickets can be purchased on site on the same day, at a higher price, or in advance online, with a small discount.
Buy online: Tokyo Skytree skip-the-line tickets - save 400¥
Tokyo Skytree Tembo Deck (350 meters)
(admission 2100¥, opening hours 8-21, skip-the-line tickets here)
The first observation deck is divided into 3 floors at a height between 340 and 350 meters, you can get there in about 60 seconds by taking the fastest elevator of Japan. There is also a cafe, a gift shop and a restaurant (Musashi Sky Restaurant).
Tokyo Skytree Tembo Galleria (450 meters)
(admission 1000¥, opening hours 8-21, skip-the-line tickets here)
The admission ticket for the highest observation deck in the tower can be purchased directly from Tembo Deck and costs an additional 1000¥ (so 3100¥ in total, or 2700¥ if you buy tickets online in advance. From the Tembo Deck, through another lift, you reach the height of 445 meters. Here begins the skywalk, a circular path that goes around the tower, climbing up to the highest point accessible to the public, at a height of 451.2 meters. The whole path is surrounded by large panoramic windows, for a view that will make you feel almost like when you look out the window of an airplane.
View from the Tembo Deck
the Tokyo Tower in the distance as seen from the Tokyo Skytree
Buy online: Tokyo Skytree skip-the-line tickets - save 400¥
Tokyo Solamachi
Tokyo Solamachi is a huge shopping mall located at the foot of the Tokyo Skytree, which houses about 300 shops and restaurants. Shops are generally open from 10am to 9pm, restaurants from 11am to 11pm. The roofs of the building host large terraces with very close views from the foot of the Tokyo Skytree. The complex consists of a low and very large building, and a skyscraper, the
Skytree East Building. Two major attractions are located inside Solamachi, the
Sumida Acquarium and the
Tenku Planetarium. The ticket office and elevators to go up the Tokyo Skytree are located on the 4th floor of this complex.
Tokyo Solamachi
Skytree East Building
On the 9th floor of this small skyscraper there is the Postal Museum (300¥, 10-17), a museum on the history of the postal service in Japan and with a collection of postage stamps from around the world. On the 30th and 31st floors there are several panoramic restaurants. On the 30th floor you will also find some panoramic windows accessible for free.
view from the 30th floor of the East Tower (credits)
Sumida Acquarium
(admission 2300¥, opening hours 9-21)
A very modern and well done (but not very large) aquarium, whose entrance is located on the 5th floor of Tokyo Solamachi. Inside, it houses the largest indoor tank in all of Japan, where seals and penguins swim.
Konica Minolta Tenku Planetarium
(standard admission 1500¥, opening hours 11-21)
A very modern planetarium whose entrance is located on the 7th floor of Tokyo Solamachi. Please refer to the official website for more information.
Skytree Dome Garden
On the 8th floor of Tokyo Solamachi, near the planetarium, there is a small roof garden that is little known to most people, where you can relax and admire the tower from a very particular angle that also includes the dome of the planetarium.
Chiba Institute of Technology Tokyo Skytree Town Campus
(free admission, opening hours 10:30-18:00)
An area located on the 8th floor of Tokyo Solamachi, which exhibits the latest technologies involved in the research activities of the Chiba Institute of Technology, an important private university based in Chiba. The exhibitions are very varied, and in particular regard the fields of robotics and space exploration.
close-up view of the Tokyo Skytree from the roof terraces of Tokyo Solamachi
Hotels near the Tokyo Skytree
If you are looking for a
room overlooking the Tokyo Skytree, given the impressive size of the tower you can find this type of hotel in many areas of Tokyo.
If you are looking for a hotel in the immediate vicinity of the Tokyo Skytree, there isn't much. The best hotel is without a doubt the
Richmond Hotel Premier Tokyo Oshiage, a modern, elegant hotel located right next to the tower, and above the Oshiage metro station. The nearby
Asakusa area is packed with hotels.
Eating on top of Tokyo Skytree
Musashi Sky Restaurant 634
A luxurious restaurant of Japanese-French fusion cuisine on top of the Tokyo Skytree, with most of the tables placed next to the windows, to enjoy a sensational view. To have lunch or dinner at this restaurant you need an advance booking, which can be made at a dedicated corner near the ticket office of the Skytree (4F), by phone, or online through
this website (also in English), where you can also take a look at the prices and the restaurant menu (6-9000¥ for lunch, 15-20000¥ for dinner).
How to get to the Tokyo Skytree
The Tokyo Skytree is located in the special ward of
Sumida, on the east side of the city.
The nearest "touristically famous" area is
Asakusa, approximately 1.5 kilometers away, on the other side of the Sumida River.
From
Asakusa station you can take the
Tobu Skytree line (formerly known as Isesaki line) until the next stop, that is
Tokyo Skytree station (formerly called Narihirabashi station).
Another very close station is
Oshiage station, terminus of the
Hanzomon line of Tokyo Metro (without changes from Shibuya, Omotesando, etc) and of the
Asakusa line of Toei Metro (without changes from Shimbashi, Higashi-Ginza, Asakusa, etc) and also served by the Tobu Isesaki line and the Keisei Oshiage Line.
Map of Tokyo Skytree area, Tokyo
Buy online: Tokyo Skytree skip-the-line tickets
Guided tours, activities and other things to do
If you are planning a trip to Japan and you want to do something more than just visiting famous places and monuments, we suggest you to use
Rakuten Travel Experiences.
How to use Rakuten Travel Experiences
Rakuten Travel is a very useful website to
enrich your travel experience, especially if you are going solo or it's your first time in Japan.
Because of the language barrier (and more), in Japan it is very difficult to interact with the locals and to get off the tourist track.
Thanks to Rakuten Travel you can find a lot of interesting and sometimes unique
guided tours and activities all over Japan (and not only in Japan), that you would otherwise never be able to enjoy.
But there's more: on Rakuten Travel you can also
buy tickets for several famous attractions, events, transportation and other useful services for tourists. Last but not least, you can
reserve a table in hundreds of restaurants.
Some examples
Take a look at Rakuten Travel Experiences
You may also be interested in
View from the Tembo Deck
the Tokyo Tower in the distance as seen from the Tokyo Skytree
Tokyo Solamachi
view from the 30th floor of the East Tower (credits)
close-up view of the Tokyo Skytree from the roof terraces of Tokyo Solamachi
