Tokyo is one of those cities that you could never get sick of. It’s vast, fast-paced and exciting! There are so many ‘pockets’ that each offer something different. If you’re into fashion head to Shibuya; for museums head to Ueno; for books head to Jimbocho; for vintage shops head to Shimokitazawa, etc etc.
I love being a tourist in my own city. Whenever I have some free time, I’ll try go somewhere I haven’t been before. But sometimes I gotta make sure I’m not spending more than I’m earning! Shopping, going to museums and eating out all cost money, but Tokyo doesn’t have to be expensive. There are plenty of things to do which won’t cost you a thing. Many of my friends love to hang out at Yoyogi Park which is open to the public 24/7. In summer, there are huge fireworks shows on basically every weekend. And there are thousands of cultural street festivals that take place all year round!
When you live in your little part of the city, you get used to going to the same supermarkets, same cafes, same dry cleaners. Some of those shopkeepers know your face and may even know your name. Most weeks, there’s not much need to leave your suburb! When you head up to a 20th floor observation deck, you quickly realize that your little area is in fact just a pinhead compared to the entire city! Sure, it makes you feel a bit smaller, but I think it’s also comforting to know there are millions of people in the same position as you! I also just love reminding myself how damn massive Tokyo is!
Here are some of the top observation decks in Tokyo city you can check out for the grand price of zero yen :-)
Hikarie, Shibuya ward
Observation Deck: 11th floor (70m)
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Shinjuku ward
Observation Deck: 45th floor (202m)
Bunkyo Civic Center, Bunkyo ward
Observation Deck: 25th floor (105m)
Carrot Tower, Setagaya ward
Observation Deck: 26th floor (124m)
Weekly Photo Challenge: Scale The size of one human compared to an entire city is mind boggling!
Celia in Tokyo 
Good tips, Celia. I wish I knew such observation posts for New York City.
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There must be many secret rooftops from which you can look out at New York. I’d love to know where they are too!
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Does carrot tower look like a carrot?
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Well, it’s kind of orange! The name was chosen from a competition for kids actually.
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Hi Celia,
What a great way to show the apparently never-ending Tokyo metropolis where there is always something new to see. Loved your shot from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building with the bottle-scape in front of the buildings. Great post. Cheers …
John
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It really is never-ending! Literally the only things stopping the development of houses are the sea and the mountains!
Yeah, that was a fancy little bar! I took my brother and some friends who were visiting from Oz :-)
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Wow, the city appears like it goes on, and on, and on.
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It definitely does! I just looked up some stats – 13,500 km2 and current population at 37.8 million in Greater Tokyo (12mil in the city), and the most populous metro area in the world. Not even comprehensible for most Australians, and Canadians I suppose!
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Celia, this is indeed hard to get my mind around. More population in Greater Tokyo than in all of Canada. Last year Canada surpassed 35 million. Just incredible. :)
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地上（ちじょう） １２４ メートルの 展望台（てんぼうだい）に あがって すばらしい夕焼け空に
富士山が シルエットとして 見えたこと、とても 感激（かんげき）だったでしょう。
都会の景色（けしき）は 夜景（やけい）のほうが よいとおもいます。
でも 雪景色の世田谷は おもしろいですね。白い屋根の家々が ホワイトチョコレートの ようです。
そして、第二次世界大戦で めちゃめちゃに 破壊（はかい）された東京が いまの姿になったことは
おどろきです。こんなに たくさんの高層（こうそう）ビルが建っていることに 圧倒（あっとう）されます。
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キャロットタワーの２６Fに「スカイキャロット」というレストランがあります。そこで夕食を食べながら素敵な夜景を楽しみたいのです！
第二次世界大戦の前に確かに今と全然違いました。たくさんの美しい建物がなくなって残念ですね。
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You are right, it depends on the individual and his/her level of interest and quest for exploration…every city has something or other to offer…we should have the eye for such areas of interest and of history. You have that curiosity which is best leveraged through the travel.
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