Asakusa Observatory
The Observation Deck at the Culture and Tourist Information Center
Asakusa observatory is a terrace at the top floor of the area’s Culture and Tourist Information Center’s building, facing Kaminarimon in the north-east of Tokyo. It offers a unique view on the shopping street leading to the famous Senso-ji temple.
Asakusa area’s main attractions are Senso-ji temple and its surroundings, including its majestic Kaminari-mon gate, its main hall, and the long shopping street named Nakamise-dori. Facing this street, stands an 8-story building with an original architecture that gives a view on the crossroads.
The building designed by architect Kengo Kuma was inaugurated in 2012. It shelters on its ground floor Asakusa’s Culture and Tourist Information Center, with a multilingual reception desk (English, Chinese, Korean) as well as amenities such as a free Wi-Fi connection and toilets 🚽. The upper floors are dedicated to office spaces and conference and exhibition rooms.
But its most interesting features are located at the top floor:
- Miharashi, a cosy café, and,
- The observation deck offering a great view on the temple’s surroundings up to Sumida river.
Visitors can enjoy here another urban scenery with a perspective on the district around Senso-ji and its pagoda. Slightly to the east, the view on Sumida Park is mostly hidden by buildings, but the Asahi Beer 🍺 Headquarters’ Flame is viewable. In the background, Tokyo SkyTree elegantly reaches to the sky.