When you think of New York City, the Empire State Building might come to mind. When Japanese people think of Tokyo, not one, but two towering structures come to mind— Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Skytree. The former with its symbolic two-tone color of orange and white was designated as a national registered tangible cultural property in 2013. Tokyo Skytree has a height of 634 meters and is the highest stand-alone communication tower in the world. Luckily those two fascinating tourist spots are located within 10 kilometers of each other. Visit one or both when sightseeing in Tokyo for beautiful views of the city’s sprawling landscape and more.

TOKYO SKYTREE

One winter day, I went sightseeing in Tokyo with one of my friends from Okinawa. We planned a tightly scheduled tour as he wanted to visit Tokyo Skytree, Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, and Ueno in one day after he competed in a half marathon in Saitama in the morning.

After his race, we took train at JR Urawa Station where the competition was held to Tokyo Metro Oshiage Station, located next to Tokyo Skytree Town, a 3.69-hectare area which includes a broadcasting tower called Tokyo Skytree, a commercial complex called, Tokyo Solamachi, and an office complex called Tokyo Skytree East Tower.

We had to wait 30 minutes to get our tickets. Visitors can choose from two tickets: one will take you to the regular deck at 350 meters high and the second one will take you to the higher deck at 450 meters. My friend said the first one was good enough for him to enjoy the tower.

It took us only 60 seconds on an elevator to get to the regular deck. From it, we could see Tokyo in 360 degrees. If the weather had cooperated, we could have seen Mt. Fuji, but it was too cloudy. While walking around the floor, he pointed to a river and asked me what river that was. I had no idea, but he said that it must be Sumida River. He must have pre-studied. This happens; sometimes tourists have more knowledge about sightseeing places than local people have. I thought next time when I introduce my friends to sightseeing spots, I should check in advance.

He said that we were so high above the city that the buildings looked like toys. The trip to Skytree reconfirmed to my friend that Tokyo is a big city with buildings stretching as far as the eye can see.

After our descent, we headed to Sensoji Temple to complete our bullet tour. There were many attractive places to see in Tokyo Skytree Town such as restaurants, shops, and an aquarium, but we were short on time. It is about a 20-minute walk to the temple from Skytree, but you can save time if you hop on the train.

Sensoji Temple is about 1,400 years old and is a very popular tourist destination. Kaminarimon Gate, at its entrance, is a famous spot with a huge lantern (3.9 meters high, 3.3 meters in diameter and weighing about of 700 kgs) hanging from the structure.

Many visitors, including my friend, took photos of themselves near the lantern. Past the lantern, the 250-meter approach to the temple is filled with about 90 shops selling traditional Japanese food and goods.

We decided to visit the shops later and entered the temple, prayed before the altar, and pulled out an omikuji or an oracle drawn by lot. On our way back to the gate, we bought some dumplings at one of the shops. While we were eating, my friend told me he was so exhausted that said we should skip Ueno. I agreed. Usually, people do not go sightseeing after running a half marathon. Ueno was added to his future itinerary.

Tokyo Skytree and Sensoji Temple are two fascinating tourist spots located near one another. So make it a daytrip, but probably avoid running a half-marathon beforehand.

Tokyo Skytree

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TOKYO TOWER

Did you know you can take stairs to the top of Tokyo Tower? Using your legs instead of taking the less-than-a-minute elevator ride to the observation deck is a great way to enjoy the city’s scenery while getting in a little workout. The tower’s website says there are 600 stairs to the deck, which even a kindergartener can climb in about 15 minutes. So, I decided to give it a try myself.

One cool spring morning, I headed to the tower, walking 10 minutes from Kamiyacho Station, one of the nearest stations. As I got closer to the tower, its size was overwhelming. When I got to its parking space just in front of the tower built in 1958, I saw only a scattering of cars parked. Most likely its popularity was eclipsed by Tokyo Skytree, the new symbol of Tokyo built in 2012.

I entered Foot Town, the 5-story building just under the tower, and bought a ticket on the first floor. When I reached the stairs on the roof of the Foot Town building, a staff member checked my ticket and gave me a Certificate of Stairway Ascent. I earned the certificate of completion without even climbing a step!

Despite already having a certificate confirming my climb, I decided to actually put in the steps. To distract from the physical exertion, trivia questions were posted along the way and some steps are numbered to let you know how many you have climbed. The more steps I took upward, the more beautiful scenery I could enjoy. And I wasn’t the only one. Young couples, parents and their children, and an elderly woman and her daughter took the long way up to enjoy the view. It took me about 20 minutes to get to the deck. It was good exercise for me, but those who think it is not enough can go down the other stairs after they enjoy the scenery from the deck.

The deck commands a panoramic view of the heart of the metropolis as well as Skytree and Chiba Prefecture. When the weather cooperates, even Mt. Fuji can be seen. Unfortunately, it was too cloudy to see it that day. The deck even had a shrine. Though it was a tiny little one, many people allegedly visit the shrine because it is the one with the highest altitude in Tokyo’s 23 wards.

Some parts of the deck floor were made of tempered glass, and visitors enjoyed the thrill of looking down to the sites below while stepping on these panels.

After enjoying the scenery, I went to an official souvenir shop on the third floor of Foot Town. It carried many Tokyo Tower-shaped goods like plastic bottles and key holders. I am sure that you can find good souvenirs there. Foot Town has some restaurants and cafes where you can recharge after visiting the deck.

A visit to Tokyo Tower offers a workout, magnificent views and a chance to visit a shrine. This is like killing three birds with one stone. So tie up your jogging shoes and head to Tokyo Tower.

*The stairs to the deck are sometimes closed due to weather or other reasons. Check their website before you visit.

Tokyo Tower

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