Why I skipped the elevator
At the time I wasn't getting much exercise, and I wanted to move my body, so when I went up Tokyo Tower I bought the regular observation-deck ticket and took the outdoor stairs instead of the elevator. It was a weekend, I went on my own, and I remember it being around the COVID period — I can't be more precise than that.
I thought it would be easy. It turned out to be surprisingly hard.
The marked starting point of the outdoor staircase route, at the base of the tower.
Up in one go
The staircase starts on the roof of Foot Town, the building at the base of the tower, and climbs open-air all the way to the Main Deck. You're outside the whole time.
I went up without stopping to rest. My memory is that it took around 15 minutes — a recollection, not a stopwatch time. The second half was hard.
A straight stretch of the outdoor stairs from my climb.
Photo from my climb up Tokyo Tower's outdoor stairs.
There are quiz signs along the way, featuring the tower's mascot characters. I remember them being there, but honestly I didn't pay them much attention — I just kept climbing.
One of several quiz signs posted along the climb, marking height and testing tower trivia as you go up.
Looking out through the safety mesh from the stairs.
At the top — and back down
When I reached the top, I was absolutely worn out. Taking the elevator gets you to the same deck, but climbing it felt like I'd actually gone up the tower myself rather than being carried up it.
Photo taken after reaching the Main Deck.
I walked back down by the stairs as well.
Who I'd send up the stairs
If you don't get much exercise, I think it's worth doing once. That's my own impression, not health advice: it's several hundred outdoor steps in a row, so weigh it against your own fitness on the day — the elevator goes to the same deck.
Checking before you go
The following comes from Tokyo Tower's official site as checked on 2026-09-29, not from my own climb, which may have been under different arrangements. The route — officially the "Open-air Outdoor Stairs Walk" — is about 600 steps and 150 meters from the Foot Town rooftop to the Main Deck, and the tower's own estimate is 12 to 13 minutes. The up staircase opens on weekends and holidays only, 9:00 to 16:00; a separate down staircase runs every day, 9:00 to 20:00. The regular observation-deck ticket covers the stairs (1,500 yen for adults as of that check).
Both staircases close in rain, severe weather, or during a heatstroke warning, and once you start up on foot you can't switch to the elevator partway. Hours can change without notice, so check the official page on the day you plan to go.