Tokyo From Above for Free: Which Observation Decks Are Actually Open
You don’t need to pay for a view in Tokyo. Mostly, you just need to know which door to walk through.
Shibuya Sky, Tokyo Skytree and the Roppongi Hills deck are all genuinely good, and they all charge. But the city also keeps a handful of high floors open to anyone who wants to ride the lift. No ticket, no reservation.
The catch: two of the most-recommended free decks closed recently. One has reopened, one is still shut, and plenty of guides haven’t caught up. So here’s where things stand as of October 2026.
Height is cheap in Tokyo. It’s the timing that costs you.
At a glance
| Free deck | Height | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Shinjuku | About 202 metres | South deck open roughly 9:30 to 22:00. Check closure days first |
| Caretta Shiodome SKY VIEW | 46th floor, about 200 metres | Faces Tokyo Bay |
| Ebisu Garden Place Sky Lounge | 38th floor, around 160 metres | Looks toward Roppongi and the bay |
| Nerima Ward Office | 20th floor | Open 9:00 to 21:30. Fuji on a clear day |
| Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center | Eight floors | Straight down Nakamise-dori to Senso-ji |
| Carrot Tower, Sangenjaya | 26 floors, about 124 metres | Fully open again since 1 October 2026 |
| Bunkyo Civic Center | 25th floor | Still closed. Reopening reportedly planned for early December 2026 |
All free, no reservation.
Start with the Metropolitan Government Building
If you only go to one, make it the Tocho in Shinjuku.
It’s about 202 metres up, it’s free, and it’s roughly a ten minute walk from the west exit of JR Shinjuku Station. Each of the two towers has its own observatory, and they keep different hours.
The South deck stays open late, roughly 9:30 to 22:00 with last entry around 21:30. The North deck closes much earlier, in the late afternoon.
Their days off are staggered too. The North tower closes on the second and fourth Monday of the month, the South tower on the first and third Tuesday, and if that day is a national holiday, the closure moves to the next day. Either one can also shut for building inspections.
So in practice: check the day before, and plan on the South deck.
There’s a quick security check at the entrance. On a clear evening a line can form, but it moves.
Caretta Shiodome looks out over Tokyo Bay
On the 46th floor of Caretta Shiodome, about 200 metres up, there’s a free viewing space called SKY VIEW.
It faces Tokyo Bay, so Ginza, Odaiba and the Rainbow Bridge all fit into one sweep. Quite a change from the endless grey grid you get from Shinjuku.
It’s smaller and quieter than the Tocho. It’s also on a restaurant floor, so you can go up, take a look, and then decide whether you feel like sitting down.
Ebisu Garden Place Sky Lounge
The 38th floor of Ebisu Garden Place Tower, around 160 metres up, is open and free.
The view runs toward Roppongi and the bay. Walk up from Ebisu Station to get there. It’s one of the nicer approaches to any building in Tokyo.
Nerima Ward Office, for the view toward Fuji
Most visitors never hear about this one.
The Nerima Ward Office has a free observation lobby on the 20th floor, open 9:00 to 21:30, which is later than most ward buildings. It’s closed on the fourth Sunday of every month and from 29 December to 3 January, so check the calendar first.
The windows face northwest, east, southeast and southwest. You’ll see Ikebukuro and the Skytree to the east, the Shinjuku towers to the southeast, and on a clear day, Mount Fuji sitting low on the southwestern horizon.
It’s a municipal office, so the lighting is fluorescent and the mood isn’t exactly romantic. That’s also why it’s empty.
Asakusa: low, but looking straight down to Senso-ji
The Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center is only eight floors up. By Tokyo standards, that’s nothing.
It makes the list anyway, because the framing is so good. From the free terrace you look straight down Nakamise-dori to Senso-ji, with the Skytree off to one side. Kengo Kuma designed the building, and it sits right across from Kaminarimon.
Go at dusk, when the lights along the approach come on.
One still closed, one back open
Bunkyo Civic Center is the one everyone recommends for Mount Fuji, from the 25th floor at around 105 metres. It’s been closed for construction since early 2025, and reopening is reportedly planned for early December 2026.
Keep it in mind for later. It won’t help you this month.
Carrot Tower in Sangenjaya, 26 floors and about 124 metres tall, is usually one of the best free sunset spots in the city, with Fuji sitting behind the western glass.
Setagaya Ward suspended the observation lobby and its café on 21 July 2026 after part of the air-conditioning failed. The lobby reopened for evenings from 6 August, and everything went back to normal on 1 October 2026.
The lobby is open 9:30 to 22:00 and the building closes on the second Wednesday of each month.
Things like this change, so check the Setagaya Ward page or the relevant official site before you go.
Can you actually work up there?
Mostly, no. Better to know that going in.
These are places to look out from, and they aren’t set up as lounges. Seats are limited, outlets are rare if they exist at all, and where there’s a café or restaurant attached, they expect you to order something and not move in.
What they’re good for is something a long remote-work day slowly takes from you: a change of altitude. Spend twenty minutes looking at something more than three metres away and your eyes and your head reset. Switching cafés doesn’t do that.
So use it for a break. It won’t work as a desk.
When to go
Clear air matters more than the time of day.
In Tokyo in September and October, your best odds come right after a typhoon or a strong wind, once the haze has been blown out and Fuji shows up from places it usually doesn’t. Winter mornings are the reliable season for that, but a washed-clean autumn afternoon comes close.
For night views, get there about half an hour before sunset and stay put. One trip up gets you the daylight view, the blue hour, and the city lit up.
Everywhere on this list is calmer on weekday evenings than on weekends.
FAQ
Do any of these need a reservation?
No. Every deck above is free and walk-in. Timed tickets only come in at the paid ones like Shibuya Sky.
Which one has the best chance of Mount Fuji?
Normally Bunkyo Civic Center or Carrot Tower. Bunkyo is still closed, but Carrot Tower has been fully open again since 1 October 2026, so that’s your first choice right now. Nerima Ward Office and the Tocho work too on a really clear day.
Is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building worth it if you have already paid for Skytree?
Yes, because you see something different. Skytree shows you how far Tokyo goes. The Tocho sits right in the middle of Shinjuku’s towers, so it shows you how packed the city is.