At One Place

How many steps to the top of Tokyo Tower?

Steps to the top of Tokyo Tower
600
Reaching the Main Deck at 150 m · open to climb

One of the rare tall towers where the public staircase is genuinely open: the open-air gaidan runs from the ground to the Main Deck and is available at weekends, on public holidays and daily during summer. Climbers who complete it are given a certificate. The upper deck at 250 m is lift-only. The staircase is exposed on the outside of the lattice, which makes it a very different experience from an enclosed fire stair.

The numbers

Steps
600
Reaches
the Main Deck at 150 m
Public access
Open to climb
Where
Tokyo, Japan
Height climbed
150 m — 492 ft
Average rise per step
250 mm

What the climb is like

About 15 minutes. Open weekends and holidays, weather permitting; included in the Main Deck ticket.

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.

Space Needle 848 steps
Ulm Minster 768 steps
Eiffel Tower 674 steps
Tokyo Tower 600 steps
St Peter's Basilica dome 551 steps
Cologne Cathedral south tower 533 steps
St Paul's Cathedral 528 steps
Tokyo Tower ranks 22 of 56 here by step count.
Structure Steps Reaches Access
Space Needle 848 the observation deck at 158 m Restricted — events or permit only
Ulm Minster 768 the highest viewing platform at 143 m, in the world's tallest church steeple Open to climb
Eiffel Tower 674 the second floor, at 115 m — the highest point the public can reach on foot Open to climb
Tokyo Tower 600 the Main Deck at 150 m Open to climb
St Peter's Basilica dome 551 the lantern at the top of Michelangelo's dome, at 136 m Open to climb
Cologne Cathedral south tower 533 the viewing platform at 97 m, below the spire Open to climb
St Paul's Cathedral 528 the Golden Gallery at 85 m, the highest point open to visitors Open to climb

Common questions

How many steps to the top of Tokyo Tower?
600, reaching the Main Deck at 150 m.
Can the public climb Tokyo Tower?
Open to climb. About 15 minutes. Open weekends and holidays, weather permitting; included in the Main Deck ticket.
How high is that climb?
150 m, about 492 ft, which averages 250 mm per step.

Related pages

Sources

  1. Official vendor product documentation — At One Place

How these figures are compiled and checked