Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observatories

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building — universally shortened to the 'Tocho' — is the seat of the city's government and one of the best-value experiences in Tokyo: its twin observation decks, 202 metres up on the 45th floor, are completely free to the public. Designed by the great architect Kenzo Tange and completed in 1990, the 243-metre tower splits into two turrets above the 33rd floor, a silhouette deliberately evoking both an integrated circuit and a Gothic cathedral. For a few years it was the tallest building in Tokyo, and it remains the tallest city hall in the world.

There are two decks, one in each of the north and south towers, and they open on alternating days, so it is worth checking in advance which is available. Both offer sweeping panoramas from the same height. To the west, on a clear day, Mt. Fuji stands crisp on the horizon beyond the suburbs — winter mornings, when the air is dry and cold, give the sharpest views of the mountain. To the east, the towers of Shinjuku crowd close, with Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree and the greenery of Yoyogi and the Imperial Palace all visible across the vast grey-and-neon plain. After dark the same window becomes a sea of light stretching to every horizon.

Inside, each deck has a cafe and a souvenir shop, and one tower is home to a grand piano that visitors are sometimes invited to play, filling the observatory with impromptu music. The atmosphere is relaxed and rarely as crowded as the paid observatories, though a short security check and lift queue can form at peak evening hours. Because there is no admission fee and opening hours run until 22:00, it is an ideal first stop for budget travellers wanting to orient themselves over the city, or a spontaneous night-view visit at the end of a day in Shinjuku.

The building itself rewards a look from ground level too: its plaza and the sculptural, symmetrical facade are a landmark of 1990s Japanese architecture, and the recently added 'Tokyo Night View' projection-mapping shows sometimes light up the exterior after dark.

Getting there is simple. The observatory lifts are reached from the first floor of Tower 1; the nearest station is Tochomae on the Toei Oedo Line, just two minutes away, and it is about a ten-minute walk from the west exit of JR Shinjuku Station through the skyscraper district. The decks are step-free and fully accessible by lift, with wheelchairs available to borrow. Bring a camera with a decent zoom for Fuji, and time an evening visit for the moment the city lights come on.