At One Place

How many steps to the top of Tokyo Skytree?

Steps to the top of Tokyo Skytree
2,523
Reaching the upper observation deck at 450 m, via the emergency staircase — no public access · not climbable by the public

The world's tallest tower has 2,523 emergency steps that visitors never see; both observation decks are reached by lift. Limited stair-descent events have been run from the 350 m deck as promotions, always downward and always ticketed by lottery. The tower's height of 634 m was chosen because the digits read as "Musashi" in the old numeral wordplay, the historic name for the region. The emergency stairwell exists to meet Japanese fire code for a structure of that height.

The numbers

Steps
2,523
Reaches
the upper observation deck at 450 m, via the emergency staircase — no public access
Public access
Not climbable by the public
Where
Tokyo, Japan
Height climbed
450 m — 1,476 ft
Average rise per step
178 mm

This count describes a stairwell the public cannot use. Published step figures for famous structures very often refer to service or emergency stairs — worth knowing before planning a visit around one.

Published counts for the same structure routinely disagree by five to ten per cent, and nearly always for one of three reasons: whether intermediate landings count as steps, whether the final platform step counts, and where the climb is deemed to start. The figure here says what it reaches.

How it compares

Only the ones marked open to climb can actually be walked.

Burj Khalifa 2,909 steps
Tokyo Skytree 2,523 steps
Mount Haguro stone stairway 2,446 steps
One World Trade Center 2,226 steps
Willis Tower 2,109 steps
Tokyo Skytree ranks 2 of 56 here by step count.
Structure Steps Reaches Access
Burj Khalifa 2,909 the 160th floor, via the emergency stairwell — no public access Not climbable by the public
Tokyo Skytree 2,523 the upper observation deck at 450 m, via the emergency staircase — no public access Not climbable by the public
Mount Haguro stone stairway 2,446 the Sanjin Gosaiden shrine at the summit, through cedar forest Open to climb
One World Trade Center 2,226 the 102nd floor Restricted — events or permit only
Willis Tower 2,109 the 103rd floor Skydeck Restricted — events or permit only

Common questions

How many steps to the top of Tokyo Skytree?
2,523, reaching the upper observation deck at 450 m, via the emergency staircase — no public access.
Can the public climb Tokyo Skytree?
Not climbable by the public.
How high is that climb?
450 m, about 1,476 ft, which averages 178 mm per step.

Related pages

Sources

  1. Official vendor product documentation — At One Place

How these figures are compiled and checked