Tokyo Skytree vs Tokyo Tower

Tokyo Skytree vs Tokyo Tower comes down to height against price: I’d book Skytree if you want the highest view and Tokyo Tower if you want the cheaper, more atmospheric one. The Skytree admission costs $12.66 and reaches 350 m, with the Galleria at 450 m as an option. The Tokyo Tower admission costs $9.49 and reaches 150 m. If you only have one evening, I’d choose Skytree on a clear day and Tokyo Tower on a cloudy one.

Both towers are in Tokyo but on opposite sides of the Sumida River, so the Tokyo Skytree vs Tokyo Tower choice is about what you want to be looking at. Every price, rating and inclusion here comes from the GetYourGuide listings I checked in October 2026, in US dollars. Links open GetYourGuide in a new tab, and I earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. The full ticket lists are on my Tokyo Skytree tickets and Tokyo Tower tickets pages.

Tokyo Skytree vs Tokyo Tower: Head to Head

	Tokyo Skytree	Tokyo Tower
Structure height	634 m, per Wikidata	332.6 m, per Wikidata
Public levels	Tembo Deck at 350 m, Tembo Galleria at 450 m, per the official site	Main Deck at 150 m, Top Deck at 250 m, per the official site
Opened	2012	1958
Admission from	$12.66	$9.49
Top ticket rating	4.54 from 15,970 reviews	4.63 from 4,558 reviews
Google Maps rating	4.4 from 120,487 reviews	4.5 from 101,619 reviews
Hours (Google Maps)	9 AM to 10 PM weekends, 10 AM to 10 PM weekdays	9 AM to 11 PM daily
Time to allow	About 2 hours	About 1 to 2 hours
In the view	Sensō-ji below, Mount Fuji on clear days	Central Tokyo around you, Skytree in the distance

Tokyo Skytree

Tokyo Tower

Which Has the Better View: Tokyo Skytree or Tokyo Tower?

Height favours Skytree by a lot. Its Galleria at 450 m is 200 m above Tokyo Tower’s Top Deck and 300 m above its Main Deck. The horizon distance from the Skytree deck height is 75.8 km against 56.4 km, using the standard horizon formula. That extra reach is what gives Skytree its chance at Mount Fuji, and the official site says that on clear days you can even spot it.

In the Tokyo Tower vs Skytree view contest, the better frame is a matter of taste. From Skytree you look across the low sprawl of eastern Tokyo and get the sense of scale. From Tokyo Tower you are closer to the middle of the city, the streets feel nearer and the lit night scene is the draw; one reviewer on the Tokyo Tower listing recommended booking just before dusk to get both day and night. Tokyo Tower also has Skytree in its skyline, while Skytree cannot frame itself.

“Take in a sweeping panorama of Tokyo—on clear days you can even spot Mt. Fuji, with a drink from the café in hand.”

Price and Tickets: Tokyo Skytree vs Tokyo Tower

Tokyo Tower is cheaper by $3.17 on the plain admission: $9.49 against $12.66. In the Tokyo Skytree vs Tokyo Tower price contest the gap is small, so I’d let the view decide. Skytree has the better cancellation terms, free up to 31 days and 8 hours before, while the Tokyo Tower admission is non-refundable, so book it only for a date you are sure of.

LINKTIVITY Inc.

TOKYO SKYTREE® Observation Deck Admission ticket

• ★ 4.5 (15,970 reviews)
• Free cancellation

My pick: The Skytree default: $12.66, 4.54 stars from 15,970 reviews, with the Galleria as an option and free cancellation.

from

$12.66

Check availability

LINKTIVITY Inc.

Tokyo Tower Admission Ticket

• ★ 4.6 (4,558 reviews)
• 24-hour ticket

My pick: The Tokyo Tower default: $9.49 for the Main Deck at 150 m, 4.63 stars from 4,558 reviews, valid for 24 hours but non-refundable.

from

$9.49

Check availability

Each tower has an upgrade. The Skytree admission with Sumida Aquarium entry is $27.85 and takes about 2 hours, rated 4.57 but from only 9 reviews. At Tokyo Tower, the Main Deck QR pass is $16.04, and the VIP tour with lounge access is $44.30 and includes the Top Deck at 250 m. I’d treat any rating from fewer than 20 reviews as a signal and not a verdict.

LINKTIVITY Inc.

TOKYO SKYTREE® Admission Ticket with Sumida Aquarium Entry

• ★ 4.6 (9 reviews)
• 2 hours

My pick: Skytree plus the Sumida Aquarium for $27.85, about 2 hours; only 9 reviews, so buy it for the pairing.

from

$27.85

Check availability

LINKTIVITY Inc.

Exclusive Tokyo Tower VIP tour with Lounge Access

• 24-hour ticket
• Free cancellation

My pick: The Tokyo Tower VIP tour with lounge access at $44.30, the only listing here that reaches the Top Deck; no reviews yet.

from

$44.30

Check availability

Crowds and Timing: Tokyo Skytree vs Tokyo Tower

I have no live queue data for either, so I can’t say which line is shorter. Skytree has more Google Maps reviews, at 120,487 against 101,619, and a reviewer on its listing mentioned a wait for the lift but said the sunset made it worthwhile. Tokyo Tower’s admission is valid for 24 hours once booked, which gives you some flexibility on the day.

For Tokyo Skytree vs Tokyo Tower timing, sunset is the same at both within a minute, according to the 2025 data from Open-Meteo: about 16:28 in December and 18:58 in June. I’d arrive 45 to 60 minutes before sunset at either. The clearest months were January and February, at about 36 to 38 percent cloud cover, and May was the cloudiest at 86 percent. Tokyo Tower stays open until 11 PM and Skytree until 10 PM, per Google Maps, so Tokyo Tower gives you more time after dark.

Month	Sunset (Tokyo time)	Cloud cover	Sunshine a day	Rainy days
Janclearest	16:50	36%	8.1 h	5
Febclearest	17:22	37%	9 h	2
Mar	17:48	64%	6.9 h	16
Apr	18:13	61%	8.1 h	14
May	18:38	86%	6.6 h	17
Jun	18:58	73%	9.1 h	13
Jul	18:56	59%	10.9 h	8
Aug	18:30	60%	10.9 h	9
Sep	17:48	63%	8.6 h	17
Oct	17:05	78%	5.3 h	14
Nov	16:34	44%	7.3 h	6
Decclearest	16:28	40%	7.3 h	7

Mount Fuji and Weather: Tokyo Skytree vs Tokyo Tower

Mount Fuji is the question I get most about Tokyo Skytree vs Tokyo Tower, and the honest answer is that it depends on the air, not the tower. Skytree has the height and the official claim, so it is the one I’d book if Fuji is the point of the trip. I can’t promise a sighting on any day, and Tokyo Tower’s lower decks make it less likely.

The 2025 Open-Meteo data shows how much weather decides it. Cloud cover averaged 36 percent in January and 37 to 38 percent in February, but 86 percent in May and 78 percent in October. Because the Tokyo Skytree vs Tokyo Tower decision matters less than the day you pick, I’d book the flexible Skytree ticket, watch the forecast the day before, and keep the cheaper Tokyo Tower for the cloudy evening, when the lit streets are the show.

What Each Ticket Adds: Skytree vs Tokyo Tower

The Skytree admission is a deck ticket with options: the Tembo Galleria at 450 m if you select it, a night view option with a drink, and a morning option with a soft drink and a snack, all at the SKYTREE CAFE350. You collect it at the 4F ticket counter. It is aimed at someone who wants height and a pause with a view.

The Tokyo Tower admission is simpler and cheaper. It gets you to the Main Deck at 150 m, and the Top Deck at 250 m is included only when you pick the Top Deck tour option. Wikipedia describes the tower as inspired by the Eiffel Tower, and dates its completion to 1958. In short, Skytree sells you the altitude, and Tokyo Tower sells you the history and the nearness.

Which Should You Pick: Tokyo Skytree or Tokyo Tower?

• First visit, one tower only, clear day: Skytree at $12.66, for the 350 m Tembo Deck and the Galleria option.
• Cheapest ticket: Tokyo Tower at $9.49, by $3.17.
• Best chance of Mount Fuji: Skytree, and go in winter, when the Open-Meteo cloud cover was lowest.
• Evening and lights: Tokyo Tower, open until 11 PM, about an hour before sunset.
• Families: the Skytree and Sumida Aquarium ticket at $27.85, for a 2-hour combination.
• Both in one trip: see the next section, then my guide to the best observation decks in Tokyo.

Can You Do Both Tokyo Skytree and Tokyo Tower?

Yes, and I think it is worth it if you have a few days. By Google Maps coordinates the two are 8.22 km (5.11 miles) apart in a straight line, so you need a train or a taxi and not a walk. I’d go up Tokyo Tower first, in the evening, to see Skytree lit up in the distance, and go up Skytree on a different, clear day for the height. Doing both costs $22.15 for the two plain admissions.

Whichever order you choose, book a slot for each, and check the official Tokyo Skytree site and the official Tokyo Tower site for holiday hours and current prices. If you want a third perspective, Shibuya Sky is on my Shibuya Sky tickets page.

My Verdict

In the Tokyo Skytree vs Tokyo Tower contest, I’d call it for Skytree on a first visit, because of the 450 m Galleria and the Mount Fuji chance. I’d call it for Tokyo Tower for a budget evening or a return trip, when you want the lights, the later closing time and the cheaper $9.49 ticket. Either way, the prices are within about $3, so book the one whose view you want to remember.