Beautiful night view of Tokyo from 202m high for free

There are many places to enjoy night views of the city of Tokyo whether it’s from Roppongi hills, Tokyo tower, or Sky tree tower.

The thing is that they all cost money!

While you are traveling, I’m sure you want to save as much money as possible but still don’t won’t to miss out on any great experiences.

For those people, we recommend Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku!

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Photo by IQRemix

Free admission for everyone, Convenient Location

It is only 10minutes walk from Shinjuku station and you can take underground path most of the way so no problem even on a rainy day.

In Tokyo Metropolitan Government building, the observatory room is located 202m high and is open to everyone for free.There are two observatory rooms, one in North and one in South.  

It is open from 9:30am. During the day, both are open.

From the observatory, you can see landmarks such as Shinjuku park tower, Tokyo opera city, Sky tree tower, and Tokyo tower to name a few. On a sunny day, you can even view Mt. Fuji as well.

Panoramic View of the City of Tokyo

Photo by Yoshikazu TAKADA

Sunset @ North Observatory @ Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building @ Nishi Shinjuku

Photo by Guilhem Vellut

Open till late, perfect date after dinner

At night, only North observatory will be available.

When North is closed on 2nd and 4th Monday of the month, South will be open instead.

It is open till 23:00 so plenty of time to enjoy the spectacular night view. (Registration closes at 22:30.)

It is recommended to visit during the weekday so there’s plenty of lights from the office buildings. 

top viewing from Tokyo metropolitan government building.

Photo by kobakou

Night view from the top of the Metropolitan Government Building, Tokyo, Japan.

Photo by marguerite

Things to note before you go: 

– Registration

Because of heightened security, you need to register at the gate. No complicated procedure but just some extra time needed to get in. 

Security gate is located by the 1st and 2nd floor elevators. There’s also another one by 2nd floor South-East lobby. 

– No use of tripod 

To capture the night view with your camera, you may want to use tripod. However, due to safety reason, tripod is not allowed in the observatory. So that you don’t feel disappointed when you get there.

 

How to get there: 

Address:Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No.1, 2-8-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 

South Observation Deck: 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (until 10:30 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month)
North Observation Deck: 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Interested in having a photoshoot before going to the observatory?