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Tokyo Tower's open-air staircase
An official Tokyo Tower attraction: an open-air external staircase of about 600 steps that climbs the orange lattice from Foot Town to the Main Deck, an observation floor 150 metres up.
Most visitors reach Tokyo Tower's Main Deck by elevator, but the tower also offers an outdoor climb on foot. The Open-Air Outdoor Stairs Walk runs about 600 external steps up the steel lattice to the Main Deck, 150 metres above the ground, and the climb takes around 12 to 13 minutes. Because the route is open to the outside air, there is no elevator along the way, and the up-stairs and down-stairs are separate paths. Everyone who finishes receives a commemorative certificate.
Background & history
Tokyo Tower opened in December 1958 as a broadcasting tower for the Kanto region. At 333 metres it was built as a steel lattice structure inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, with two observation floors: the Main Deck at 150 metres and the Top Deck at about 250 metres. Climbing the outdoor staircase has become a well-known way to experience the tower's structure directly, rather than only the view from behind glass.
What to look for — in walking order
- Foot Town entrance
- the building at the tower's base where you buy your ticket and start the climb
- About 600 steps
- an open-air external staircase reaching the Main Deck, 150 metres up
- The lattice up close
- the climb passes through the tower's orange-and-white steelwork, open to the outside air
- Climber's certificate
- a commemorative certificate given to everyone who finishes the climb, not for sale
How to enjoy it
The upward climb runs on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from around 9:00 to 16:00. It is suspended during the summer heat period — in 2026, from 18 July to 31 August — and can also close in rain or strong wind. When the up-stairs are closed you can still take the elevator to the Main Deck and walk down the outdoor stairs. Check tokyotower.co.jp before you go. Normal observation-deck admission applies.
How to actually get there
- Tokyo Station → Hamamatsucho Station (JR Yamanote or Keihin-Tohoku Line, ~8 min).
- Hamamatsucho north exit → Tokyo Tower Foot Town (walk northwest through Shiba Park, ~15 min).
- Foot Town → Main Deck (climb the ~600-step open-air staircase up the outside, ~12-13 min).
- Tokyo Stn → Hamamatsucho (JR) → 15-min walk
- Tokyo Station →(JR Yamanote Line or Keihin-Tohoku Line, ~8 min)→ Hamamatsucho Station. Leave by the north exit and walk northwest through the Shiba Park area to Tokyo Tower, about 15 min. Total about 25 min. Yamanote/Keihin-Tohoku trains run every few minutes.
- Getting back
- Walk the same way back to Hamamatsucho Station (~15 min) for the JR line, or walk about 5 min to Akabanebashi Station on the Toei Oedo subway line. Both run frequently through the evening; check the last-train time on the platform display if you are out late.
Before you go
- Cash
- Buy the observation-deck ticket at the Foot Town counter at the base of the tower. Both cash and cards are accepted.
- Closing days
- The stair walk (going up) runs on weekends and public holidays, 9:00–16:00. It is officially suspended from mid-July to the end of August; in 2026 that is July 18 to August 31. Rain or high winds can also close the stairs. Check tokyotower.co.jp before you go.
- Another way
- If the stair walk is closed, the Main Deck elevator runs daily. The down-stairs are open for more hours than the up-stairs, so you can often still walk down even when climbing up is closed.
- After you get off
- From the north exit of Hamamatsucho Station, walk northwest through Shiba Park to the Foot Town building at the base of the tower, about 15 min on paved city streets.