Tokyo, a vast metropolis has many FREE access observatories spread across the city and Bunkyo Civic Center Observation deck is one of those awesome spots. Not only does it boast of awesome views of the city, it is the FREE ACCESS to the observatory which was so helpful in my initial days in Japan when I did not have much money to spend on tourist attractions. This is the place from where I got my first views of the Mount Fuji. The moment you enter the observatory on the 26th floor, you get a grand view of the city. 

The traffic which seems “busy” from the ground level suddenly feels a calm and slow in its movement.

IF YOU ARE ON A CLEAR DAY IN WINTER, You get this awesome view of the Mount Fuji from the observatory for FREE. The below is the main attraction of this observatory. 

Photo: Morio, “Skyscrapers of Shinjuku 2009 January” / Wikimedia Commons,

The same view on a rainy or a cloudy day will be as underwhelming as below

With the well lit city Shinjuku area in the foreground, this is one os my most favourite view of the Tokyo metropolis.

The observatory views are more beautiful in the evenings and especially after the Skytree light up around 18:00 or 19:00 depending on the season. You can also see the other closely attractions of the Tokyo Dome and the ferris wheel in the premises of the Korakuen. On the way back you can go around the Tokyo Dome and the nearby entertainment-adventure park where you can get on some crazy rides and insane drops. I do not understand why people pay money to frighten themselves. I am not gonna ever get onto something like that. YIKES. The Skytree views are just out of the world on a zoomed in format. I plan to do a time-lapse video here someday, just someday when its clear and I have loads of time too…

Done with enjoying the evening and having a cup of hot coffee with my wife, we made our way back on the Marunouchi Line back home. Sometimes going by public transport is more fun than always getting into a car… LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST, do not visit in new year holidays. I did once and it was CLOSED. Horrible experience on a cold day in December. 

Access from Tokyo Metro Korakuen Station om Marunouchi Line. Location is below