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A Free View of Tokyo from Tokyo City Hall

The classic destination for a big view of Tokyo is Tokyo Tower, which looks like a cross between a communication mast and the Eiffel Tower. What stopped me from visiting it was the cost: ¥1200 (€8 or $9) to go to its main deck at 150 meters (492 ft) and ¥2800 (€19 or $21) fee to reach its upper observatory at 250 meters (820 ft).

(Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through an affiliate link, I will get a small commission. It will not affect your price.)

Tokyo Tower visible behind Zojoji temple in Shiba Park
Tokyo Tower visible behind Zojoji temple in Shiba Park

Alternatively, the newer Tokyo Skytree is taller, and just as expensive: ¥1,800 (€12 or $13) for the observatory at 350 meters (1148 ft) and ¥2,700 (€19 or $20) for 450 meters (1476 ft). These prices are for pre-booked tickets; same-day tickets are even more.

I was on a very tight budget, so, instead, I headed for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, generally referred to as Tokyo City Hall, simply because its view of Tokyo (202 meters / 663 feet) is free of charge.

Getting to Tokyo City Hall

It took a while to get there. Take my word for it, if you get off at the wrong end of a metro station in Tokyo, it can add literally kilometers to your travel! Much of that walk can be underground if you want, and the tunnels are well sign-posted, but I stayed above ground as much as possible, passing some interesting modern architecture and street art. It makes a pleasant walk.

I would advise, however, against going at rush hour; I never experienced the full force of a Tokyo rush hour, but many of those packed into the metro with you would be heading for Tokyo City Hall or other office buildings nearby. The sidewalks must be mobbed at rush hour!

Tokyo City Hall Observatories

Tokyo City Hall has two observatories: in the north tower and in the south tower. I chose the south one because a random stranger claimed it was the better of the two. There’s nothing to stop you from visiting both though.

A view of some nearby office buildings as seen from Tokyo City Hall
A view of some nearby office buildings

You might also enjoy these other articles about Tokyo:

Also, if you need help in planning your visit, take a look at this 7-day Tokyo itinerary.

First I had to wait in line with a few other tourists, but it didn’t take longer than about five or ten minutes. Friendly but non-English-speaking guards searched our bags, and we were soon ushered into the next elevator.

Emerging 202 meters above the ground, I entered a large, high-ceilinged room that encompasses almost the entire 45th floor. With a café in the center, most of the space, except where the café’s kitchen and the stairwell are, is lined with huge floor-to-ceiling plate-glass windows, revealing enormous views of the city.

general urban sprawl as seen from Tokyo City Hall
general urban sprawl

Visitors can wander around at will, and no one pressured me to move through quickly. As a matter of fact, it turned out to be hard to get out. Whenever I stopped to study a view, a woman, who seemed to be assigned to follow me around, started reciting a string of detailed facts and figures about the building and about what was visible outside. She wasn’t going to stop talking till she was finished, and it seemed impolite to interrupt or walk away. While her English was excellent—a rarity in Japan, I found—I could have used less of the detail and just had my questions answered as needed. There were several of these over-eager docents wandering the observatory and accosting tourists with too much information, but I guess that’s the price you pay for the free view.

looking down from Tokyo City Hall
Looking down

And it’s a wonderful view. 202 meters is plenty high to see a wide swath of a huge metropolis, but it’s also close enough to the ground to make out quite a bit of detail when you look down. I enjoyed trying to identify the places I’d already been. Unfortunately it was a rather grey, humid day; on a clear day (December to February is when that’s most likely.), Mt. Fuji is visible on the horizon.

Without having been to the other two towers, I can’t say how this one compares, but I can say that the views are breathtaking … and free!

Getting to your free view of Tokyo

The building’s street address is 2-8-1 Nishishinjuku. From the west exit of the Shinjuku station it takes about ten minutes to walk to this massive building filled with city government bureaucrats. Be ready for lots of walking, even if you end up at the west exit end of the station. Shinjuku is huge! Just follow the signs if you stay underground, and above ground you can see the building.

If you still want to see the view from higher up, you can buy your skip-the-line tickets for Skytree here

Read my other posts about Japan too!

Text: A free view of Tokyo: Toky city hall. Image: looking down at some buildings

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My travel recommendations

Planning travel

  • Skyscanner is where I always start my flight searches.
  • Booking.com is the company I use most for finding accommodations. If you prefer, Expedia offers more or less the same.
  • Discover Cars offers an easy way to compare prices from all of the major car-rental companies in one place.
  • Use Viator or GetYourGuide to find walking tours, day tours, airport pickups, city cards, tickets and whatever else you need at your destination.
  • Bookmundi is great when you’re looking for a longer tour of a few days to a few weeks, private or with a group, pretty much anywhere in the world. Lots of different tour companies list their tours here, so you can comparison shop.
  • GetTransfer is the place to book your airport-to-hotel transfers (and vice-versa). It’s so reassuring to have this all set up and paid for ahead of time, rather than having to make decisions after a long, tiring flight!
  • Buy a GoCity Pass when you’re planning to do a lot of sightseeing on a city trip. It can save you a lot on admissions to museums and other attractions in big cities like New York and Amsterdam.
  • It’s really awkward to have to rely on WIFI when you travel overseas. I’ve tried several e-sim cards, and GigSky’s e-sim was the one that was easiest to activate and use. You buy it through their app and activate it when you need it. Use the code RACHEL10 to get a 10% discount!
  • I’m a fan of SCOTTeVEST’s jackets and vests because when I wear one, I don’t have to carry a handbag. I feel like all my stuff is safer when I travel because it’s in inside pockets close to my body.
  • I use ExpressVPN on my phone and laptop when I travel. It keeps me safe from hackers when I use public or hotel wifi.

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That looks like a Lego toy town you were looking down on!
Tokyo’s never really appealed if I’m honest – it just seemed so busy and smoggy – but this has helped me see a different side.

This sounds like a great way to get a view of Tokyo for free. Did the eager docents expect tips?

I loved Tokyo! Especially the shopping which was perfect for my munchkin sized body! We went up into the Toto Toilet museum and got a great view from there..

Not something I would have thought about doing in Tokyo so thank you for the insider info.

It’s always nice to hear about places where one can get a view without a steep (sorry for the pun) price attached. Your pictures show that you can get a great view. I kept staring at one of your pictures (“Looking down:) because it looked so unreal..,,,you used depth of field really well. The crowds would make me claustraphobic, but I hear Tokyo is great to visit.

I was amazed that a free tour comes with docents!