Bunkyo City Hall

The Bunkyo Civic Center is the city hall of Tokyo's Bunkyo ward and, at 142 metres, one of Japan's taller government buildings. Built in 1994 to a design by Nikken Sekkei in late-postmodern style, it has a free observation floor on the 25th storey that is something of an insider tip among Tokyo travellers. On clear days you can see across the whole inner city to Mount Fuji; at night the Tokyo Dome glows directly next door. Admission is free, the queue short and the cafe modest, but as a cheap alternative to Skytree or Tokyo Tower the view is surprisingly good. By day the building runs normal office hours; evening access is limited.