For the less patient, I made a map with all the locations at the end of this post, you are welcome!

PAID:

1, Roppongi Hills Observatory “Tokyo City View”

Tokyo City View on the 46th floor of Roppongi Hills. It is one of the most popular night view shooting spots in Tokyo where you can see Tokyo Tower up close.

2, Fuji TV Sphere Observation Room “Hachitama”

Sphere observation room “Hachitama” on the 25th floor of the Fuji Television Headquarters. This is a shooting spot where you can take beautiful pictures of the Rainbow Bridge. Since the business hours are until 18:00, the night view can be taken only during the winter season.

The Rainbow Bridge is usually lit up in white color, but it is illuminated by the rainbow color only during the Christmas season every year, so it is an observatory that you definitely want to visit in winter.

3, World Trade Center Building “Seaside Top”

An observatory of the World Trade Center Building where you can take a close-up view of Tokyo Tower. The night view of the golden hour is very beautiful as the sun sets behind Tokyo Tower.

Currently, redevelopment is progressing, and the building was built in front of the World Trade Center building, and the landscape has been slightly spoiled, but it is still a recommended observatory.

4, Shibuya Scramble Square / Shibuya Sky

The observation facility “Shibuya Sky” on the 45th to 47th floors of Shibuya Scramble Square, which opened in November 2019. You can enjoy the 360-degree night view of Tokyo, but we recommend the south and east directions.

5, Tokyo Tower Observatory

The observatory of Tokyo Tower, which consists of a large observatory 150m above the ground and a special observatory 250m above the ground. An additional 600 yen will be required for the special observatory.
It is a popular observatory overlooking famous places such as Roppongi Hills and Rainbow Bridge.

6, Tokyo Sky Tree Tenbo Deck

Tokyo Sky Tree Tenbo Deck 350m above the ground. Large glass over 5m is arranged at 360 degrees, and you can take a powerful night view. A tripod is also available, but it’s so crowded that it might take some courage to take it out…

7, Sunshine City 60

An observatory on the 60th floor of Sunshine Ikebukuro. You can take pictures of the Tokyo Sky Tree and Tokyo Tower in the east, and the Shinjuku skyscrapers in the south.

8, Telecom Center Observatory

The observatory of the Odaiba Telecom Center, which has been selected as a night view heritage site. It is an observatory with a beautiful night view of Odaiba and the Rainbow Bridge. It’s not so crowded even on holidays, so you can enjoy shooting slowly.

9, MAGNET by SHIBUYA109 “CROSSING VIEW”

“CROSSING VIEW” of MAGNET by SHIBUYA109, which allows you to take a bird’s-eye view of the Shibuya Scramble intersection, which is popular with foreign tourists. The sight of many people crossing an intersection is a masterpiece.

Free:

10, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observatory

An observatory on the 45th floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which has been selected as one of the 100 best night views. You can take a night view unique to Tokyo where skyscrapers are lined up. There are two locations, the South Observatory and the North Observatory, but if you are going to shoot, the South Observatory is recommended because the lighting in the room is dim and you can see the direction of Odaiba.

11, Yebisu Garden Place Sky Garden

The free observatory “Sky Lounge” on the 38th and 39th floors of Yebisu Garden Place. You can enjoy shooting the Tokyo Tower and skyscrapers at the observatory overlooking the Minato Ward area.

12, JP Tower KITTE Roof Garden “KITTE Garden”

JP Tower KITTE roof garden “KITTE Garden” is famous as a shooting spot for the Tokyo Station Marunouchi station building. With an ultra-wide-angle lens, it is possible to take powerful pictures of brick station buildings and skyscrapers in Otemachi.

13, Tower Hall Funabori

A double-decker observation room in Tower Hall Funabori. In the case of shooting, you will receive a shooting permit at the counter and will be guided to the lower floors.

14, Skytree East Tower 30F Observatory

A lesser known observatory spot on the 30th floor of the Skytree East Tower.

15, Bunkyo Civic Center Observation Lounge

Observation lounge on the 25th floor of Bunkyo Civic Center. If you visit when the weather is clear and clear, you can take a picture of the composition of the skyscrapers in Shinjuku and Mt. Fuji.

16, Caretta Shiodome “SKY VIEW”

The observation lounge “SKY VIEW” is on the 46th floor of Caretta Shiodome. The night view of Odaiba, Tsukiji Market, and Harumi Triton Square, where you can see the Rainbow Bridge and the Yurikamome Line, are attractive.

17, Tokyu Plaza Ginza Rooftop Observatory “Kiriko Terrace”

The rooftop observatory “Kiriko Terrace” on the 11th floor of Tokyu Plaza Ginza. It is a unique observatory where you can dynamically photograph the light trails of cars passing through the Sukiyabashi intersection.

18, Odakyu Department Store 12th floor observation floor

The observation floor on the 12th floor of Odakyu Department Store, a department store directly connected to Shinjuku Station. You can take pictures of Tokyo Mode Gakuen, which has beautiful curves, the bus stop at Shinjuku Station, and skyscrapers.

My plan was to walk all the way to the Sakurai shrine which is located 31 km outside of Fukuoka city at the seaside in the water with two big rocks behind it called couple rock with my backpack, tent and all the things needed weighed about 15kg. I planned to arrive slightly before sunset.

It was a bright, sunny, and really hot day. Halfway there I decided to stop for five minutes to take a short break before the next half.

But

As soon as I sat down an old man stepped into the break on his bike and jumped off and started to talk to me.

Fun fact. He doesn’t speak English. He’s from China but moved to Japan a long time ago. We were speaking over two hours through google translator. In the end, he invited me for an iced coffee the next day whenever I’ll be back at the same spot.

So I started to walk once again. I was two hours late and obviously missed the sunset. To top it all I forgot to check the elevation and google led me up and down on the mountains without street lights. What a beginner mistake… I arrived at about 10 pm at the Sakurai shrine. I ate my dinner and tried to take some night shots but it was impossible to get a good result because all of the out-of-service cruise ships due to coronavirus were lined up close to the sure and lit up during the night… It was a complete sh*tshow.

I made my tent at a close-by spot on the beach and tried to sleep. It was already close to 1 am. My alarm was at 4 am for the sunrise at 4:30.

I didn’t sleep much, to be honest, but at least in the morning, I’ve got a few good shots from the shrine and the rocks behind.

I packed everything in my bag and started my way back but on a different road this time. With less elevation. Once I arrived we met at the same spot as the day before and walked to his house. I took a fast shower and we enjoyed the iced coffee while we were talking.

I learned that sadly he is living alone and he really likes to talk to foreigners too. He is really kind! Make sure that if you see him, give a big hug to this great man!

After one or maybe two hours again we said goodbye to each other and I continued my way back to Fukuoka. It was late afternoon once I got back to the city. The result was 7 blisters on my feet and 2 more discovered later that day. I ate local ramen which was good but not my favorite.

After finishing my bowl I was looking for a park to try to sleep in my tent before I move on to Nagasaki the next morning.