Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
Shinjuku, Tokyo
- Daily
- 9:30 to 22:00
- 1st and 3rd Tue
- Closed
Hours are for the South Observatory, last entry 21:30. The North Observatory takes visitors until 17:00. Both close 29 to 31 December and on 2 and 3 January.
Source: zaimu.metro.tokyo.lg.jp, checked 5 Oct 2026.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building has twin observation decks at 202m, completely free, in Kenzo Tange's cathedral-like towers. On a clear day Mt Fuji stands behind the endless sprawl of western Tokyo. It's one of the best free views in the city.
More photos of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
Insider tip
The South Observatory stays open until 10pm and the North closes at 5:30pm. Each deck closes on certain days of the month, so check before you go. Get there an hour before sunset and watch the city switch on.
What the guides say about Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku has free observation decks at 202 metres with a direct Fuji sightline, and winter mornings are the reliable window, before any afternoon haze builds. The free things to do collection lists the other free viewpoints you could build a morning around. For the paid version, Shibuya Sky gives you the same horizon from an open-air rooftop, and the winter sunset slots, with Fuji silhouetted against an orange sky, are the best tickets the deck sells all year. Book those ahead. Photographers have caught on, even if the season as a whole hasn't.
The neighbourhood splits into distinct zones. West of the station, Nishi-Shinjuku, is the skyscraper district: wide streets, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the city's biggest cluster of full-service hotels, and calm after dark. East is Isetan, the department stores and the restaurant streets. Kabukicho, north-east of the station, is neon, izakayas and bars open until the first trains. Golden Gai, a tight block of alleys beside it, has around two hundred tiny bars. Book west for sleep, east for evenings, and only book Kabukicho if you want to be in it.
6. Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. A free observation deck at 202 metres, with Mount Fuji on the horizon on clear days. Sunset here beats most of the paid decks, and the queue is a fraction of the Skytree's. There are two decks, one in each tower. They close on alternating days each month, so you'll almost always find one open.
What's on at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
Upcoming events at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Tokyo events calendar.
Shinjuku Neon Walk (Nishi-Shinjuku winter art illumination)
Shinjuku Neon Walk（西新宿 中央通り アートイルミネーション）
Time 16:30 to 22:00 (2025-26); until 1:00 on 31 December; food stalls Fri to Sun 17:00 to 22:00
Light art installations in four zones along the Chuo-dori walkway by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, with Edo-themed food stalls on weekends until late December.
IQRemix, CC BY-SA 2.0 Tokyo Marathon 2027
東京マラソン2027
Station Tochomae (Toei Oedo Line) for the start, Tokyo (JR) for the finish
The 20th Tokyo Marathon starts below the Metropolitan Government Building in Nishi-Shinjuku and finishes on Gyoko-dori by Tokyo Station, by way of Iidabashi, Asakusa, Monzen-nakacho, Ginza and Shiba. Watching from the roadside is free, and streets along the course close on the morning of the race.
IQRemix, CC BY-SA 2.0 The 130th Anniversary of the Birth of Togo Seiji: A Retrospective
生誕130年 東郷青児展
Station Shinjuku (JR lines, west exit), 5 min walk
A retrospective of Togo Seiji (1897 to 1978), the painter behind the museum's founding, held for its 50th anniversary. It covers his graceful women, known as Seiji beauties, his early avant-garde work and sketches from his travels abroad.
Belgian Beer Weekend 2026 Shinjuku
ベルギービールウィークエンド2026 新宿
Time See the organiser's page (hours not yet published)
Belgian beers, Belgian food, a souvenir marche and live music under the glass roof of the Sumitomo Building's atrium, the festival's only winter edition.
Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen: The Completion Exhibition
芥見下々『呪術廻戦』完結展（新宿会場）
Time 10:00 to 20:00 (last entry 19:30); closed 1 Jan; timed tickets Station Tochomae (Toei Oedo Line), 3 min walk; Shinjuku west exit, 8 min walk
The final stop of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga exhibition shows Gege Akutami's digital drawing process with his own notes, plus storyboards and sketches shown here for the first time.
Smaller local events nearby
Christmas illumination at the Shinjuku Sumitomo Building Sankaku Hiroba Illumination
10 Nov to 25 Dec (dates to be confirmed) · Sankaku Hiroba, Shinjuku Sumitomo Building, Nishi-Shinjuku
A Christmas display under the glass dome of the Sumitomo Building's Sankaku Hiroba, with an evening snowfall show in 2025.
Free · 16:00 to 23:00 (2025, with a snowfall programme in the evening) · Map · Source: Koho Shinjuku, 15 Dec 2025 (illumination walk feature) · 新宿住友ビル三角広場 クリスマスイルミネーション
Flea market at Shinjuku Chuo Park Market
Sat 21 Nov · Shinjuku Chuo Park
A flea market at Shinjuku Chuo Park run by the Tokyo Recycle Movement Citizens' Association.
Map · Source: Tokyo Recycle Movement Citizens' Association · 新宿中央公園〈MOTTAINAI〉 フリーマーケット
Nearby
Around Shinjuku
Neon chaos, tiny bars, and a surprisingly serene garden
Shinjuku is the Tokyo people picture before they arrive, and it's every bit that intense. The trick is knowing when to switch modes. Golden Gai and Omoide Yokocho are for tiny-bar nights, and Shinjuku Gyoen is for when you need the volume turned down. The entry fee at Gyoen keeps the crowds manageable even in cherry blossom season, which makes it one of the best value tickets in the city.
Shinjuku has 16 places on the Roam Tokyo map: 4 restaurants, 4 bars, 2 parks and gardens, 2 bathhouses, 1 shrine or temple, 1 viewpoint, 1 landmark and 1 neighbourhood. Read the Shinjuku guide.
From the blog
Good to know
- What is the address of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building?
- 2-8-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo (in Japanese: 東京都新宿区西新宿2-8-1).
- What are the opening hours of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building?
- Daily 9:30 to 22:00; Closed 1st and 3rd Tue. Hours are for the South Observatory, last entry 21:30. The North Observatory takes visitors until 17:00. Both close 29 to 31 December and on 2 and 3 January.
- How do I get to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building?
- The nearest station is Tochomae (Oedo Line). Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
- How much does Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building cost?
- Nothing. Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building?
- An hour before sunset.
Stay near Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
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Median US$213 a night across 48 listings within 0.6 km for a two-night stay a month out, sampled 20 October 2026. Cheapest quarter under US$165. See the weekly index for every neighbourhood.
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