Shibuya Sky or Tokyo Tower: Which to Visit

This comparison is less even than it looks. Tokyo Tower is a 1958 landmark in the Eiffel mould, its Main Deck at 150 m for 1,500 yen and its Top Deck at 250 m for 3,500 yen (japan-guide.com), and a large part of its appeal is seeing it rather than standing in it. Shibuya Sky is a modern rooftop deck with no architectural personality of its own and a far better view. Which you choose depends on whether you want the icon or the outlook.

Height is not the point, but it is not nothing

Tokyo Tower's Main Deck is 150 metres and its Top Deck 250. Shibuya Sky's rooftop is 229 metres. So they are broadly comparable, and both are dwarfed by Tokyo Skytree. The difference is that Shibuya Sky is open and Tokyo Tower is not, and that Shibuya Sky sits above the densest, most animated part of the city while the tower stands in a quieter district.

What each one is actually for

Tokyo Tower is a piece of post-war optimism painted international orange, and it photographs beautifully from the streets of Minato and from other viewpoints, including Shibuya Sky. Going up it is a secondary pleasure. Shibuya Sky has no exterior charm at all — it is the top of an office and retail block — and everything it offers is from the roof.

Price and practicality

Tokyo Tower is generally available on the day and needs no fourteen-day planning. Shibuya Sky is 2,700 yen before 15:00 and 3,400 after, with a timed slot released two weeks ahead at midnight Japan time and sunset windows gone in minutes. If your schedule is uncertain, that flexibility counts for a great deal.

The best answer is often both, in one direction

Go up Shibuya Sky and look at Tokyo Tower from it. On a clear evening the tower is visible on the skyline, lit, and that is arguably the better way to enjoy both. It costs one admission rather than two.