We have been up all three: the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and Tokyo Skytree on our first trip to Japan in 2015, and Tokyo Tower in September 2017. Two of those visits turned into stories about weather. Cloud hid Mount Fuji from the free deck, and the day we chose Tokyo Tower was a wet one because a typhoon was heading for Japan.
So this is how I’d choose. If you’re in west Shinjuku with an hour to spare, the Government Building costs nothing, so just go. If you want to pay for a view without paying Skytree prices, I’d spend it on Tokyo Tower’s Main Deck. Skytree is worth the money when height is the point, or when you’re heading to Solamachi anyway. And if Mount Fuji is the real reason you’re looking up, choose your month and your hour before you choose a building. The deck matters less than the weather.
Written by Katharina Mungall
Travel writer, photographer and architect
Prices, hours and booking rules below were checked on 2 October 2026. Our own visits were in 2015 and 2017, so the bits about queues and weather are how it went for us then.
What do you get for the money?
| Government Building | Tokyo Tower | Tokyo Skytree | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Free | Mid: Main Deck ¥1,500, Top Deck Tour ¥3,300 online / ¥3,500 at the counter | Highest: Tembo Deck from ¥1,800, Deck plus Galleria from ¥3,000 (prices vary by date) |
| Height | 202m | 150m Main Deck, 250m Top Deck | 350m Tembo Deck, 450m Galleria |
| Best for | A free city view when you’re already in Shinjuku | Paying for a view at a sensible price, close to Shiba Park | The highest view in Tokyo, or a day built around Solamachi |
| Allow | 30–60 minutes plus the queue | 60–90 minutes for the Main Deck | About 1 hour for the Deck, 1–1.5 hours with the Galleria, plus lift queues |
| Official page | Observatory information | Fees and hours | Tickets |
What matters most to you?
Budget first?
Go to the Government Building. It’s free, there’s nothing to book, and you can fit it into a Shinjuku day without planning around a ticket.
Want the classic Tokyo Tower moment?
Tokyo Tower is the classic, and I’d buy the Main Deck ticket online and use it on a clear day. The Top Deck Tour is for the extra 100m, not for a better ticket.
Photography or sheer height?
Skytree is the highest of the three by a distance, so it’s worth going when it opens. It’s also where we queued, so book ahead.
Only two hours?
I’d pick the Government Building or Tokyo Tower’s Main Deck, because Skytree plus anything else in two hours is a squeeze.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building: the free deck
| Height | 202m, 45th floor of Main Building No.1 |
|---|---|
| Cost | Free, no booking |
| Hours | South room 9.30am–10pm (last entry 9.30pm), closed first and third Tuesday. North room usually 9.30am–5.30pm, closed second and fourth Monday |
| Getting there | Tochomae station, or about 10 minutes from the west side of JR Shinjuku |
We went up at the end of a long first-trip day in 2015 that had already taken in Shibuya, Harajuku and Meiji Jingu. It was free, and cloud blocked Mount Fuji. That’s the reason I’d treat the mountain as a bonus here and not a plan. What you’re really getting is a long look over Shinjuku’s towers and the city beyond, through windows, so reflections can creep into photos.
Free doesn’t mean quick. The operator says waits of 20 to 30 minutes are common, and its live queue indicator shows the current band, so check it before you set off. For an evening visit, aim for the South room. If an older guide tells you the North room is the late one (our own 2015 itinerary did), go by the current calendar. Tripods and monopods aren’t allowed, so for night photos keep the lens close to the glass.
Would I send you? Yes, if you’re nearby with an hour in hand and the queue isn’t long. I wouldn’t cross Tokyo for it on a cloudy day. Our Government Building guide has the hours, closures and entrance rules in full.
Tokyo Tower
| Height | Main Deck 150m, Top Deck 250m |
|---|---|
| Cost | Main Deck ¥1,500. Top Deck Tour ¥3,300 online, ¥3,500 at the counter |
| Hours | Main Deck 9am–11pm (last entry 10.30pm). Top Deck 9am–10.45pm (last tour 10.15pm) |
| Booking | Main Deck web ticket valid for six months, no fixed date. Top Deck needs a timed reservation |
We went up on 17 September 2017. A typhoon was heading for Japan, so Nikko was pushed back a day, and the tower was close to our hotel. It was a rainy day, but we made the most of it, starting in Shiba Park and going up the tower afterwards. On the way to the station we stumbled across a random celebration, which was probably not that random to the people celebrating it.
That day is the reason I’d buy the Main Deck ticket online. It’s open-dated for six months, so you can wait for a clear morning instead of committing to a time. The catch is that it can’t be changed or cancelled once bought. The Top Deck Tour is a separate timed booking, and it’s worth it only if you specifically want the 250m viewpoint. Strong winds or heavy snow can stop it running.
Tokyo Tower sits beside Shiba Park in central Tokyo, and the Main Deck costs ¥1,500 against Skytree’s ¥1,800 and up, so it’s easy to fit into a day. Weekends and public holidays are busier everywhere, so a weekday morning is the safer bet here too. If you only want the tower in your photographs, Shiba Park and Zojoji show it for nothing.
Our Tokyo Tower decision guide covers the decks, booking and accessibility in detail, and the Shiba Park, Zojoji and Atago walk is the route for a longer outing.
Tokyo Skytree
| Height | Tembo Deck 350m, Tembo Galleria 450m (the tower itself is 634m) |
|---|---|
| Cost | Deck from ¥1,800 online, Deck plus Galleria from ¥3,000, Galleria add-on ¥1,400 once you’re up on Floor 350. Prices vary by date. Buying at the 4F counter or machines adds ¥500 a ticket |
| Hours | Weekdays 10am–10pm, weekends and holidays 9am–10pm, last entry an hour before closing |
| Booking | Dated entry slots online, sold two months ahead. Same-day online sales depend on availability |
We went up both levels in 2015, the Tembo Deck and the Galleria, which is a sloping ramp up to the top. I complained about the queue, and it’s the main thing to plan around: the official advice is that opening time is generally quieter and the late-afternoon to evening stretch, roughly 4pm to 7pm, is busier. Buying online avoids the ticket-counter queue, but not the security and lift waits.
We also went to Sumida Aquarium in Solamachi the same day. It’s one of the best aquariums I’ve been to, and the penguin tank is the centrepiece. The aquarium has its own ticket and isn’t included with the deck ticket. Then we carried on to the Edo-Tokyo Museum and the sumo, which was too much for one day, and the museum got a rushed visit. Skytree is easy to build a day around, and just as easy to overfill.
Does the extra height help with Mount Fuji?
Not as much as the price suggests. Taller decks see further across the city, but they’re looking through the same air. A hazy July morning is hazy at 450m too. Skytree’s own advice on its view is that Fuji is generally clearer from November to February and in the morning, and the Government Building says the same about December to February. The season and the hour decide it, and neither deck nor ticket price changes that. I wouldn’t pay Skytree prices for a Fuji view in July.
You can’t re-enter once you’ve gone back down to the ground, and there’s no returning to the Galleria once you’ve left it. Our Tokyo Tower vs Tokyo Skytree comparison looks at the two paid towers head to head, and our Sumida Aquarium review covers the penguins. That visit was in 2015, so check prices and the calendar on the official Skytree page before you plan around it.
When Mount Fuji shows up
Fuji is a winter mountain from Tokyo. December to February is the most reliable stretch, when the air is cold and dry, and the summer months are the worst. June to September is the period to be wary of: the rainy season brings cloud, and the heat and humidity that follow bring haze. Within any month, morning is the better half of the day.
Here’s the catch. The clearest part of the morning tends to be early, and the decks mostly open after it: Tokyo Tower at 9am, the Government Building at 9.30am and Skytree at 9am on weekends or 10am on weekdays. So being there for the first entry is the nearest you’ll get to the best of it. If Fuji is the whole point, go between December and February, be at the door when it opens, and keep the date flexible. A clear day after rain or a cold snap is worth waiting for.
September is typhoon season, and we’ve been on the wrong side of it. The days just after a big storm can be unusually clear, but the storm itself is not the time to go up. Skytree can close in strong winds, and poor visibility while it’s open doesn’t get you a refund. Tokyo Tower’s Top Deck can stop for wind or snow, and the Government Building’s rooms can close in bad weather. Weekends and public holidays, including Golden Week, Obon and New Year, are busy everywhere.
Prices, hours and access side by side
| Admission | Free | ¥1,500 Main Deck. ¥3,300 online / ¥3,500 counter Top Deck Tour | From ¥1,800 Deck, from ¥3,000 with Galleria. ¥500 extra at the 4F counter or machines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hours | South 9.30am–10pm, North usually 9.30am–5.30pm | 9am–11pm Main Deck, 9am–10.45pm Top Deck | 10am–10pm weekdays, 9am–10pm weekends and holidays |
| Getting there | Tochomae station, or about 10 minutes from JR Shinjuku west | Akabanebashi (5 min), Onarimon (6 min), Kamiyacho (7 min) | Tokyo Skytree Station or Oshiage, about 6–7 minutes to the 4F entrance |
| Booking | None | Main Deck or Top Deck online | Official tickets |
| Step-free | Dedicated lift, free wheelchair loans | Main Deck by lift. Top Deck has strict wheelchair limits, so contact the tower first | Lifts throughout, loan wheelchairs can’t be reserved |
On weekends and public holidays the Government Building’s second-floor entrances are shut, so use the first-floor lobby.
What I’d do differently
The tallest deck doesn’t give you the best Fuji view, so don’t pay for height on that basis. Skytree on a weekend or at sunset without a booking is the other easy way to waste time, and the counter adds ¥500 a ticket on top of the queue.
Don’t skip the Government Building because it’s free and less famous. If I were in Shinjuku with an hour spare, it’s the one I’d go to first. And don’t stack Skytree with a second big plan in the same two hours. We tried a whole day of it in 2015 and the museum got rushed.
Which one would I pay for?
If the budget is tight or you’re in west Shinjuku already, go to the Government Building and think of Fuji as a bonus. If you want to pay for a view and keep it simple, buy Tokyo Tower’s Main Deck online and pick a clear day. And if height or the penguins at Solamachi are the draw, book Skytree ahead, arrive near opening and give it a morning, not a slot between two other things.
The weather will still have a say. We got cloud over Fuji from the free deck and rain at the tower, and Skytree meant a queue and a day that ran too long. None of it is a reason to skip them, but it is a reason to keep the date flexible. For a longer Tokyo plan, our 5 day Tokyo itinerary shows where these fit.
Have you been up all three, and did Mount Fuji show itself for you? Let us know in the comments below.
