Tokyo Tower
Tokyo Tower (©JNTO)





Shinjuku
Skyscrapers of Shinjuku (©JNTO)
Tokyo Tower, 333 meters high, is a broadcasting tower. The landscape has changed dramatically since the tower's early days - it was completed in 1958 - when it was by far the tallest structure in sight. Though it no longer stands out so much in terms of height, Tokyo Tower remains a powerful symbol of the city and an essential feature of the landscape. From the observatory 250 meters above ground level, one can see signs of the redevelopment boom that has new high-rise buildings sprouting up all over the city. The view gives a true sense of Tokyo's vitality. High-rises under construction in Roppongi, Shinagawa, and Shiodome flank the tower like the vertices of a giant triangle. To the southeast of the tower Odaiba, the new urban center that has grown up over the past decade on a piece of reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay.

The northwest side of the tower looks out on the skyscrapers of Shinjuku. In the half century since World War II, as Tokyo's population has expanded to the west, Shinjuku has emerged as a secondary urban center. The metropolitan government headquarters, once located in the original heart of the city, moved to west Shinjuku about 10 years ago, and since that time about half the city functions have moved here.

The heart of the new city center is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which has two observatories on the forty-fifth floor that are open to the public free of charge. This vantage point 202 meters above ground looks out on Tokyo Bay to the southeast, and on a clear day Mt. Fuji can be seen to the southwest. The North Observatory has a café, which also serves alcoholic drinks from 5 PM onward.

West Shinjuku also has a concentration of major hotels, including the Keio Plaza Hotel, the Hilton Tokyo, the Park Hyatt Tokyo, the Hotel Century-Hyatt Tokyo, and the Hotel Century Southern Tower. Many of these hotels have "sky bars" where the food and drink comes with a view of the city lights. Enjoying a light drink or snack while looking out at the nighttime cityscape may be a good way to end a day of sightseeing around Tokyo.
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