Tokyo Skytree

Tokyo Skytree needles 634 metres over the city's old east side - certified by Guinness as the world's tallest tower in 2011 and opened to the public in 2012, its height a wordplay on Musashi, the old province name, and its steel lattice subtly twisting from a triangular base to a round summit. Two observation levels stage the megacity: the Tembo Deck at 350 metres with its floor-to-ceiling sweep and a glass floor panel, and the Tembo Galleria at 450 metres, a spiralling glass corridor sold as the highest skywalk of its kind. On winter's clearest days the reward doubles - Mount Fuji floats on the horizon beyond the endless grey-silver grid. At the base, the Solamachi complex handles the aquarium, planetarium and shopping, while the Sumida River neighbourhoods below keep some of Tokyo's older, lower-rise texture.

What you actually see

• The Tembo Deck - the 350-metre sweep over the endless city.
• The Tembo Galleria - the spiral glass corridor at 450 metres.
• Fuji on the horizon - the winter-morning bonus beyond the grid.
• The night city - Tokyo as an electric circuit board after dark.

When to go

December to February mornings give the clearest air and the best Fuji odds; summer haze flattens the view. Sunset slots are the most fought-over - book dated tickets online.

Honest expectations

The full two-deck ticket is genuinely expensive and haze can halve its value - check the visibility forecast before paying for the Galleria. Weekend queues run long even with timed tickets. Purists argue Shibuya or Roppongi decks give a better skyline because the Skytree itself is in it; the Skytree wins on raw height and the eastward river views.

Nearby

Senso-ji temple in Asakusa, the Sumida River walk and Ryogoku's sumo district.