Tokyo Sky Tree is a 634-metre high broadcasting tower with two public observation decks, restaurants, shops and other facilities in Sumida, Tokyo. It became the tallest structure in Japan in 2012, making it the tallest free-standing tower in the world. Today, it is the second-tallest structure in the world after Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. It opened to the public on May 22, 2012.
I took my mother to visit the Sky Tree last month. We were lucky to have purchased tickets online as the wait to purchase tickets at the window was over an hour. Note: the site to purchase tickets online is entirely in Japanese (I was able to google translate my way through it). We got our tickets with a credit card at the ticket machine left of the purchase windows. Once in the elevator, we were 350 meters above ground in 50 seconds.
The doors opened to the Sky Tree Tembo Deck where we got a spectacular view of Tokyo. In certain areas of the deck, there are 52-inch touch screen monitors that display panoramas of the landscape. You can play around with it and hear about different locations. If you were hungry or thirsty you could grab a snack at the Sky Tree Cafe. You could also take a professional Sky Tree souvenir photo with the city view in the background (photo below). They also offer to take two complimentary photos with your digital camera (photo comparison below). You could also purchase tickets on that floor to visit the Sky Tree Tembo Galleria, the highest viewing point at the Sky Tree at 450m. The line was long so we opted out.
We went down one level (escalator and elevator access) and visited a small Sky Tree gift shop (I recommend the larger one on the 5th Floor).
We went down yet another level and walked on the glass floor (photo op also available) then got in line to go back to the return lobby (the larger gift shop is here).
We grabbed a bite to eat then toured the Solamachi complex.
You can definitely spend the day at Tokyo Sky Town. Visit the Sky Tree in the morning, grab a bite at one of the many restaurants for lunch, check out the Sumida Aquarium or the Kodomonoya Playcenter or shop around at the numerous shops in the Solamachi Complex.
Address: 1 Chome-1-2 Oshiage, Sumida-Ku, Tōkyō-to 131-0045
Phone: 05-7055-0634
Business hours: 08:00~22:00 daily
Access: Oshiage Station (Sky Tree)
Website: http://www.tokyo-skytree.jp/en/
Tokyo Sky Tree
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