SHIBUYA SKY or Tokyo Skytree?

Short version: they are not competing for the same evening. SHIBUYA SKY is an open-air rooftop 229 metres up, directly on top of Shibuya Scramble Square and directly over the Scramble Crossing, with no glass on the outer edge at the corner everyone photographs. Tokyo Skytree is far taller, enclosed behind glass, and further east, so you look across the whole city rather than down into one piece of it. Choose SHIBUYA SKY for the Crossing and the open air, Skytree for altitude and reach.

SHIBUYA SKY height229 m

Deck typeOpen-air rooftop

Sits aboveScramble Crossing

StationDirectly connected

Open10:00–22:30

Last entry21:20

What each one is for

SHIBUYA SKY is a rooftop. You ride to the ticket lobby on the 14th floor, then to the SKY GALLERY on the 46th behind floor-to-ceiling glass, then up again into open air. Wind, weather and the noise of the city arriving from below are part of it. The corner over the Crossing has no glass at the outer edge, and that is the whole reason the queue forms there.

Skytree is a broadcasting tower with enclosed decks much higher up, on the other side of central Tokyo. The view is wider and further and the glass is always between you and it. I am not going to quote its prices or its heights here, because it sells several deck combinations and the numbers move — check them on the tower’s own site rather than trusting a figure I typed once.

How I would choose

One evening in Tokyo, first visit. SHIBUYA SKY. The Crossing underneath you is the image people come for.
You want the city entire. Skytree, for the altitude and the eastward reach across the river.
You dislike heights but want a view. Skytree, because the glass never stops being there.
You are staying in Shibuya or Shinjuku. SHIBUYA SKY, which is connected to Shibuya Station with no walk outdoors.

What works

Open air at the edge, which no enclosed deck can imitate
Directly above the Crossing, at 229 metres
Connected to Shibuya Station, so no walk in the rain to reach it

Worth knowing

Lower than Tokyo’s tallest deck, and it does not pretend otherwise
The rooftop closes in strong wind or heavy rain, with no refund
Sunset slots sell out within minutes of the midnight release

Insider tip

If you are doing both, put SHIBUYA SKY at dusk and Skytree on a clear daytime. The Crossing needs the lights on; the wide eastern view needs the air to be clean.

Which light to book here

The half hour before sunset is the slot that justifies the ticket, and it is the one that goes first. That timing, and the Mount Fuji morning, are on the best time to visit. If you are still deciding whether to spend the money at all, I have written the case both ways on is it worth it.

Check availability & book

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure on most tours — book now, decide later.

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, SHIBUYA SKY or Tokyo Skytree?

SHIBUYA SKY if you want open air and the Scramble Crossing directly beneath you at 229 metres. Skytree if you want the greatest height and the widest view, from behind glass. Costs for SHIBUYA SKY are on what tickets cost.

Is SHIBUYA SKY taller than Skytree?

No. SHIBUYA SKY is 229 metres and Skytree is a great deal taller. What SHIBUYA SKY has instead is an open rooftop and a position directly over the Crossing, which the taller tower cannot offer at any height.

Which one is harder to book?

SHIBUYA SKY at sunset, comfortably. Those slots go within minutes of the midnight release and the 14th-floor counter only sells the leftovers — the detail is on do tickets sell out.