Tokyo city views from the Mori Tower 52nd Floor

Architecture

Aug 2

Written By Thomas Milton

Mori Towers | Tokyo | Japan

Exploring the architecture and Tokyo skyline from the Mori Tower. A black and white photography approach.

Photography & copy by Thomas Milton

The Tokyo City Views lounge is located on the 52nd floor of the Mori Tower in the stylish Roppongi Hills area. Unlike typical observatory decks, this lounge features minimal architectural style and interior design. It offers plenty of negative spaces, shades, lines, silhouettes, and compositions, creating numerous photography opportunities from the observatory deck itself to the 360° Tokyo cityscape views from Roppongi Hills.

The weather during my visit was grey and cloudy, and I arrived around lunchtime—not ideal lighting conditions for outdoor photography. However, when you're a visitor, you work with what you have. I deliberately used a wide-angle lens (Sony Gmaster 14mm F/1.4) to leverage the interior design's negative space, creating contrast with the exterior lights and views. In post-production, I edited the photos in black and white, which enhanced a balanced symmetry between dark and light elements, as well as between people, space, and views.

For the cityscape shots of Tokyo, I applied the same approach, using a wide-angle lens to capture the city's vastness. This technique emphasises how even major landmarks appear small against the endless expanse of houses, streets, and buildings.

While it's difficult to say which Tokyo observatory offers the best view, the Mori Tower stands out for its exceptional minimalist architectural design. This observatory is truly unique and well worth visiting, especially for architectural photographers. Rarely can one find such a nicely designed place alongside Tokyo's magnificent cityscape.

Interior Architecture

52nd Floor Cityscape views

Roppongi Hills area

“While it’s difficult to say which Tokyo observatory offers the best view, the Mori Tower stands out for its exceptional minimalist architectural design.”

— Thomas Milton

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