In the Clouds Above Tokyo

Crowned with a halo of clouds the Tokyo Skytree towers above all others as it reaches towards the heavens. Pearls of rain rolling down it, the structure shines enticing you towards it and begging you to enter. A quick elevator ride, which makes your ears pop twice, takes you 350m up to the first observation deck. Here you can enjoy panoramic views of the gigantic city, and on a clear day even see Mt. Fuji.

Standing at the bottom of the tower looking up, the building looks pretty tall but not unusually high. However, once up on the observation deck it is shocking to look down and realize just how high up you really are. Looking down on the rest of Tokyo without another building coming even remotely close it feels as though you are floating above the world. 

Through the patches in the quickly moving clouds, we were treated to fabulous views of the city, spanning as far as the eye can see. Every which way you look something catches your eye and fortunately there are interactive maps scattered around the floor enabling you not only to discover what you are looking at through the windows, but to learn a few small details about them as well.

View from the Skytree

There are three levels of the observation deck, each of which have something different to offer. On a crystal clear day we may have paid the extra to go up to the observation gallery which is the uppermost level, however as visibility was limited by the inclement weather, we enjoyed the three decks available to us and spent a good hour and a half soaking up the views.

The Tokyo Skytree is not the only tall tower of mention in Tokyo. So after we had come back down to the ground and explored the shops in the mall (which is basically attached to the skytree) we made our way to the second best view point in Tokyo, the Tokyo Tower. Having enjoyed the skytree in the daylight it was nice to experience the Tokyo Tower at night as it provided such a different experience.

Tokyo Tower @ night

The Tokyo tower, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Paris' Eiffel Tower is a beautiful structure located close to the Zojoji temple. (Click here to learn about the Tokyo Tower & the Zojoji temple) We enjoyed the stunning views and walking around the bottom of the Tokyo Tower before heading out for some dinner near by. (Click here to read about the food in Tokyo).

Given the amount of rain pouring down on us, it was nice to spend the day in the clouds, soaking up what views we could of Tokyo both day and night!

Early in the morning, the queues were non-existent!

Inside watching the rain roll down...