What a View!

 

If someone asked me how many photos the average person could take of a city view before getting bored, I probably would've said 30, at a push.  Since visiting the Tokyo city view in Roppongi Hills, I've realised how far off my estimations were... by 143 photos.  

On Tuesday, Chiara and I visited the observation deck, which is on the 52nd floor of the tower, as well as paying an extra 500 yen to go on to the Sky Deck as well, which takes you out onto the roof of the tower - the total cost for our tickets was 1700 yen, which is just under £11.  It is absolutely freezing on the Sky Deck, but it was so worth paying a little extra to get to see the sunset from outside instead of through the glass of the observation deck.  For anyone thinking of visiting Tokyo, this is something I would highly recommend - it's a great way to see the city almost in its entirety (you can't even see the ends of the city), and looks great both in the daylight and the night time.  We went to watch the sunset between around 4.45 and 5.15pm which gave us the best of both worlds, as we watched the sky transform from a pale blue into purples and pinks and silvers and finally a deep, inky black.  Here I've selected the cream of crop of photos that Chiara and I took while there.  Funnily enough, they didn't need any kind of editing.

As well as getting a stunning view of the whole city, on a clear day, you can also see Mount Fuji which is pretty spectacular.  On Tuesday it looked particularly mystical, with smoke billowing from it's summit (just so you don't forget it's a volcano).  

What are your opinions of tourist attractions like these?  I have to say, this one I really enjoyed as I didn't feel it was overpriced or too gimmicky, unlike perhaps when I went to the Top of the Rock observation deck in New York.  Perhaps it's just the different culture, but the Japanese seem far less interested in commercial ventures than in other large cities I've been to.  I find it incredibly refreshing though - it's very laid back here.  I think I could stay forever.

Ruby x 

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