June 15, 2026

Towering Over Tokyo

Over the course of the trip, Luke Watson made more than one visit to the Tokyo SkyTree, a communications tower that is the third-tallest structure in the world. Below are some recollections from those visits. — Luke Strosnider, Program Director

A view of the city of Tokyo from high above. Dense urban buildings and a river are seen. — View of Tokyo from the Tembo Deck of the Tokyo Sky Tree.

Even on cloudy days, the view is very nice from the Tokyo SkyTree. On clear days you can see Mount Fuji, but if you can’t, you still get to see the rest of Tokyo from above all the other buildings. I also learned that this tower is one of the tallest in the world, though it’s hard to find exact comparisons.

A shelf featuring Snoopy-themed plush dolls, cups, and other souvenirs. — Shelf of Snoopy souvenirs in the gift shop of the lower observation deck.

One thing that surprised me in the SkyTree is the amount of Snoopy merchandise. Despite being American, he seemingly has a strong place in Japanese pop culture. Apparently, there’s even a museum dedicated to him in Tokyo.

Night view over the city of Tokyo. The sky is black and buildings are lit up. — A view of Tokyo after sunset.

I decided to go back for a second trip to the Tokyo SkyTree, in hopes of being able to see Mt. Fuji, to no avail unfortunately. However, I was able to look down on the city during the sunset and eventually see the buildings glow after the sun disappeared completely.