Capturing Mount Fuji from Tokyo Tower at Dusk

Tokyo Tower photos in the evening! I wanted to shoot the sunset from its observation deck. But would the weather stop me? Summer can be problematic for this type of photography. The morning of my visit was cloudy, but I decided to go anyway. My night wasn’t smooth sailing, but I got the photos I wanted. I went home happy.

Once I got up to the main deck and out of the elevator, I went straight to the Mount Fuji side. I shouldn’t have been shocked, but I was. Thick clouds completely covered the Japanese Alps. I needed X-ray vision to see through them, but I’m not Superman. I really wanted to photograph the mountain. Actually, I had never seen it from Tokyo Tower. Would history repeat itself? I was faced with that possibility.

While I was there, I saw some of the changes in Tokyo. The largest project was a Mori Building Company initiative, the Toranomon-Azabudai District, which features three towers; the main one has 64 floors. As it is close to Tokyo Tower, the view in that direction has disappeared, so Shinjuku is barely visible now. You can only see a few buildings between the gaps.

And then, just as I was about to give up, history decided not to repeat itself. The clouds parted, and there it was: Mount Fuji. Well, the guests and I only enjoyed the silhouette, but that view was impressive. The mountain was majestic in the setting sun.

Mount Fuji’s supporting cast was impressive. You can see many major Tokyo landmarks from the tower. Some of them were:

Roppongi Hills (another skyscraper with fantastic views of the city)
Tokyo Rainbow Bridge (perfect for enjoying Bay views of the city skyline).
Tokyo Skytree
Zojoji (a temple with Tokugawa ties)

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the city began to transform. The harsh light of day softened into a warm, golden glow that washed over the endless rooftops. One by one, office windows and streetlights flickered to life, creating a glittering tapestry of light that stretched to the horizon. Far below, I could just make out the tiny figures of a soccer team chasing a ball on a brightly lit pitch, their game a silent movie from 150 meters up.

As I mentioned earlier, I only went to the main deck. It is 150 meters up. One day, I’ll go to the top one. That’s at 250 meters. Yes, I know I’ve said that before. Eventually, it will be here.

You might be wondering why there are no pictures of Zojoji here. In the evening, the temple was shrouded in deep shadows. Please accept my apologies if you were expecting to see it.

It would be nice to do some long exposures, but tripods aren’t allowed. A long time ago, there were ledges around the windows. You could use those to place your camera for shots. That’s not possible now. You’ll have to make do with handheld.

I was glad to get some Tokyo Tower photos on a beautiful evening. It was an excellent night, and doubly so because I finally got to photograph Mount Fuji. Still, I need to go again. These articles have limited space, and I want to show you more images. Expect more in the future.