Tokyo City View and Mori Art Museum

Tokyo City View is the indoor observation deck on the 52nd floor of the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, the centerpiece of the Roppongi Hills complex that remade this nightlife district into a cultural hub in 2003. What sets it apart from Tokyo's other viewpoints is its position: it sits in the middle of the city, rather than at its edge, with floor-to-ceiling windows wrapping around the building and Tokyo Tower standing close by, so the view is less an abstract map than a portrait of the skyline. Shinjuku's towers, the green block of the Imperial Palace, the bay and, on clear days, Mount Fuji are all in sight, and after dark the illuminated Tokyo Tower makes this one of the best night views in Tokyo. The deck stays open late into the evening, later than most of the city's museums. One floor up, the Mori Art Museum on the 53rd floor is the most important contemporary art museum in Japan, with no permanent collection but a run of ambitious international and Japanese exhibitions that change several times a year. For autumn 2026, it is showing a major exhibition of the Japanese artist Mariko Mori, alongside the museum's MAM Project series and the Mori Art Award exhibition. The Mori Arts Center Gallery on the 52nd floor hosts separate exhibitions, often on anime, manga and design, ticketed on their own. Admission to the observation deck is moderately priced, with discounts for buying online, and museum tickets usually include the deck. At ground level, Louise Bourgeois's giant spider sculpture Maman, at the foot of the tower, is one of the most photographed artworks in Tokyo.

Which tower view should you choose? SHIBUYA SKY gives you the open-air thrill and the Scramble below; Skytree gives you height and Mount Fuji; Tokyo City View gives you the most beautiful skyline, with Tokyo Tower near enough to be the star of your photographs. It is also the most comfortable of the three: indoors, rarely as crowded, with seating along the windows and a cafe-restaurant on the same floor, and open late enough to come after dinner. The trade-off is reflection on the glass at night, so stand close to the windows and use a dark sleeve or your hand to cut glare for photos.

To make the most of it, time your visit to cover sunset and come up first in the late afternoon, then visit the Mori Art Museum as the light fades and return to the windows for the night view. The museum's exhibitions are serious, large and often spectacular, and are worth checking ahead of your trip, since the right show can be a highlight. Weekday evenings are the quietest. Online tickets are a little cheaper than counter prices and save queuing in the ticket hall on the third floor, from which elevators climb to the 52nd floor. Roppongi Hills itself rewards an hour: Mohri Garden, a small Edo-style garden at the foot of the tower, the TV Asahi building and Keyakizaka Street's winter illuminations.

Access is easy: Roppongi Station on the Hibiya Line connects directly via exit 1C, and the Oedo Line platforms are about four minutes away on foot. Roppongi is also a short walk from Tokyo Tower, Azabudai Hills and teamLab Borderless, and from the National Art Center, making it one of the best areas for an art-focused day that ends with a view and a late dinner.