Tokyo / Shinjuku / Viewpoint

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observatories

東京都庁展望室 とうきょうとちょうてんぼうしつ

Tange's twin-towered city hall, with two free observatories at 202 metres and Fuji on a clear morning.

EssentialView · Free · Architecture · Rainy day · Modern

Kenzo Tange's 1991 city hall was built to look like a Gothic cathedral and to be the tallest building in Tokyo; it lost the second title quickly but the first still holds, and its 45th-floor observatories are free, with a café and a piano that anyone may play. West is Fuji, on perhaps a third of winter mornings; east is the whole city to the Skytree. The north tower stays open into the night. Around it is the skyscraper district and, below, the Shinjuku Central Park with its waterfall and its homeless encampments, both of which are Tokyo.

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A hand-drawn sketch for orientation — each place links to an exact map.
Tip
Check which tower is open on the day; they alternate for maintenance.
Best time
Winter morning at opening; any evening for the lights.
Allow
45 min
Station
Tochomae (Oedo line), direct; Shinjuku (west exit), 10 minutes
Official site — hours, prices, closures
www.yokoso.metro.tokyo.lg.jp · Map

Appears in

In this area: Shinjuku

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