Tokyo 2019 (November visit): Roppongi Hills Observation Deck

I got back to Tokyo after dark and headed over to Mori Tower at Roppongi Hills to visit its observation deck. During my first trek across Japan in 2017 I had visited the Roppongi Hills observation deck and it had become my favorite nighttime viewing spot in Tokyo, so I had been saving a return for the end of my 2019 journey. This was my final night in Tokyo (and Japan) and I wanted to do something special for the occasion.

Before going up to the observation deck I looked to the side and caught a glimpse of Tokyo Tower. If you’re in Tokyo but can’t spend much money the plaza outside Roppongi Hills is a nice place to go at night and enjoy some free views of the area.

The layout of the observation deck had changed slightly since my previous visit but the views from Roppongi Hills were just as I remembered them. After stepping out of the elevators I looked around for a little bit before finding a good spot to take a seat and stare out at the endless city. The storm passing overhead had closed the rooftop observation deck, and the low clouds would mean that my 2019 photos from Roppongi Hills wouldn’t be as good as the 2017 photos, but I was quite happy just to observe the nighttime view of Tokyo. I was sitting by the windows close to the elevator, so my field of view was looking roughly east. Tokyo Tower was on my right and in the distance I could barely make out the thin line of light that was the Tokyo Skytree. There’s something strangely soothing about staring out an ocean of city lights and I remained at my spot for what felt like a long time.

Eventually, however, I got up and left the observation deck. Before exiting Roppongi Hills I took a look inside the Mori Art Museum since it was covered as part of my observation deck ticket. At the time the museum was showcasing concepts for futuristic cities and how people might live in the future. Japan is frequently on the forefront of new technology and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the things I saw at the museum became real in Japan within the next decade or two. When I got to the end of the museum tour route I went over to the elevator that would take me down to the ground level. My final night in Japan was just about wrapped up but I felt like I had ended it well.