If you ever come to Shinjuku, you won't want to miss climbing up the Tokyo Metropolis Government Building and getting a view of the city from their 45th floor observatories (there are two, North and South).
This is the view from the North observatory. If you look above the city you can actually see a shadow of Mt. Fuji. It's very rare to get a clear view of our tallest mountain during the hot and muggy summer season, but in the winter the air gets clearer and Mt. Fuji can often be seen from Shinjuku!
Speaking of Mt. Fuji...did I mention that I climbed it in August?
Mid-July to late-August is the peak climbing season for Mt. Fuji. I went with my sister and friends this summer for the first time. We started climbing at night, which is the norm for people hoping to see the sunrise at the top. The climb was pretty hard and we took a lot of breaks along the way. But we made it to the top, just as the sun was rising, and it was beautiful sight to see.
I thought I'd share some photos with you here.
The last photo is a stamp I got on my climbing stick...it has the date of the climb engraved in it, which just happens to be my birthday! Don't think I'll be forgetting this day anytime soon!
Hope you had a wonderful week and enjoy the weekend ahead of you! Happy weekend everyone!
Enjoy looking at more beautiful skies all around the world 
What an amazing adventure! That first photo of the city with Mt. Fuji in the background is gorgeous! It needs to be in a calendar AND on the cover. - And what a great idea to climb it at night in order to see the sunrise. That's a photographer's biggest wish! Thank you for sharing this! I love it when people do things that makes their dreams come true!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post and photos.
ReplyDeleteRegards!
I am so impressed Kaori! What a wonderful adventure. Thanks for sharing your pictures!
ReplyDeleteOooooo
ReplyDeleteOh, yes. You showed us one of the same photos in your August 17th post. Way to go, Kaori!
ReplyDeleteThat top photo is better than some Tokyo tourist postcards I’ve seen. If this were in one of those revolving postcard racks my hand would reach out, grab it (or several), and carry it to the cash register and beyond. It would keep coming out of the little paper bag while on the train home so I could look at it again and again.
That is awesome - I'd love to climb (or even see) Mt. Fuji one day. Fantastic shots!
ReplyDeleteI've read that Mt. Fuji is the most visited mountain in the world. The second-most visited is supposed to be Pikes Peak (elevation 14115 ft or 4302 m), just outside my city. But it's a little easier to climb, as it has several ways to the top. I've been up it all three ways - climbed it by foot, taken the cog railroad up, and driven it (several times with my little Toyota Corolla, which has been driven over 185,000 miles [approximately 300,000 km] and still gets me to work every day and to the mountains on the weekends). But Pikes Peak isn't as impressive as Mt. Fuji, because it rises from a high plateau.
It looks like you could shout out, “We’re on top of the world!”
ReplyDeleteIn your top photo I was wondering what that bright green patch is middle left. “An illuminated screen, like in Shibuya?” I wondered. Illuminated, yes: the courts at Taisho Central Tennis Club. And to the left of that, near the edge: the building that looks like it has a pyramid on top? It’s actually 2 buildings. They lined up almost perfectly, didn’t they? The pyramid shape is from the back of Opera City. The two-stack building below and a block away from the pyramid is a ventilation facility (中央環状新宿線西新宿換気所) for The Metropolitan Expressway Central Circular Route I know nothing about. It even passes through Nakai. Some photos here.
What a great post Kaori,the top shot is truly fantastic, what a brilliant view of an enormous city, the sky is pastel perfection..and what an experience to climb Mt Fuji, seeing the sun rise would have been an experience of a lifetime and on your birthday too, excellent!
ReplyDeleteKaoriさんの街から見える風景は圧巻です。 私達の住む街とさらに、稀有な美しき富士山まですべてお見訪通しな訳ですね！ まいった（笑）
ReplyDeleteWhat a magnificent view off the 45th floor!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Kaori! O tanjobi ni omedito gozaimashita! Bon anniversaire! Alles Gute zum Geburtstag! Grattis pa fodelsedagen! Gratulerer med dagen!
What a fantastic capture of Tokyo from the top with the pink sky over Mt Fuji in the distance! And congrats for making it to the top... that IS a wonderful BD gift to yourself!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your effort of this journey. Many Happy Birthday wishes as well.
ReplyDeletePlease have a wonderful Sunday.
great story to go with your photos
ReplyDeleteMarvelous SkyWatch colours!
ReplyDelete*drools over the photo*
ReplyDeleteI never did get up those buildings in Shinjuku, but I went up the Sunshine 60 in Ikebukuro a few times.
I used to be able to see Mt. Fuji from the apartment building I used to live in in Tokyo. Jjjuuuust barely though.
How long did it take you to get to the top, by the way (hour wise)?
Amazing long shot of your city.
ReplyDeleteAt first sight I thought you must have been in an aeroplane, but 45 floors up, giddy heights..! Wonderful view of the city.
ReplyDeleteYour trek up the mountain at night to watch the sunrise must have been quite an adventure, and a wonderful birthday outing.
So many interesting things and pictures in this post, but I like most the idea of the stamps on the climbing stick; this is nice, useful and original!
ReplyDeleteWow, I'd love to climb Mt Fuji... Did you get altitude sickness?
ReplyDeleteLove the skies! Such a wonderful color.
ReplyDeletewow! to be able to climb that and get stamped sure was monumental.
ReplyDeletethe view's breathtaking Kaori. ^0^