The Tokyo Skytree: Iconic Architecture in Sumida, Japan Photography Highlight

During my visit to Tokyo back in April 2024, I stayed in Sumida City. One of the reasons why I chose the location was because it was close to more popular wards in Tokyo including Shibuya and Shinjuku. Sumida City was a peaceful and sometimes busy ward that made for great street photography shots. However, one of the architectural highlights of my trip that I didn’t plan for was the Tokyo Skytree.

Although I never visited the Skytree itself, I was able to take photos of the observation deck from afar in a variety of different locations and angles around Sumida City. In this blog post, I will be sharing some of the photos I took of the Tokyo Skytree and providing explanations regarding composition.

All photos in this blog post were taken on the Sony a7R III and edited in Adobe Lightroom Classic.

 
Tokyo Skytree tower standing near other buildings in Tokyo Japan during sunset
 
 

Cherry Blossoms and the Tokyo Skytree

I was fortunate to visit Tokyo at a time when cherry blossoms were still in bloom. During my first full day in Tokyo, I visited Kinshi Park where you can get a nice view of the Tokyo Skytree amidst the cherry blossom trees. I took the photos below with the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN ART during midday.

I wanted to find a cherry blossom tree that would form a full circle around the Tokyo Skytree (this is why I chose to go with 85mm as a focal length over the other choices I had in my camera bag), but unfortunately I was only able to find cherry blossoms that would surround half of the tower. In the second photo, I used a high-rise building to fill in the empty space on the right.

Although I wouldn’t consider these photos to be incredibly cinematic, I do think that they are nice clean shots that highlight the steel exterior of the Skytree and highlight the architecture of the tower quite well.

 
Tokyo Skytree in Sumida City slightly covered by cherry blossoms in the middle of the day in Tokyo, Japan
The Tokyo Skytree tower covered by cherry blossoms and a high-rise building in Sumida City Tokyo Japan
 
 

Looking back, I think it would be nice to try and capture some photos of the Tokyo Skytree with this same composition at sunrise or sunset. There isn’t a lot of contrast as far as lighting in this photo. If there were some clouds rolling by in the shot, I think that could also make the photo a bit more dynamic - but I’m still happy with the results.

 

Tokyo Skytree from the Oyokogawa Water Park

I would take a walk through the Oyokogawa Water Park a number of times while heading to other locations in Tokyo like the Asakusa district. At a certain spot, you can capture a photo of the Tokyo Skytree reflected in the water of the small river that runs through the park.

One of my favorite ways to capture street photography photos is blending nature with architecture. In this photo, I like the contrast between the Tokyo Skytree’s steel architecture and the nearby buildings with the water and nearby trees.

I captured this photo with the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN ART lens and with a narrow aperture of 7.1 - I wanted to make sure that I got the tower itself and the reflection of the Skytree in sharp focus.

Once again, I wish I had come back during a different time of day since I don’t find the lighting in the photo to be incredibly interesting, but the main point of the photo is the reflection of the Skytree in the water.

 
The Tokyo Skytree in the middle of the day reflected in a small lake in Oyokogawa Water Park in Sumida City Tokyo Japan
 
 
 

Creating Composition Through High-Rise Buildings

Before heading to the Asakusa district to visit the Senso-ji Temple at night, I captured this photo of the Tokyo Skytree between two high-rise buildings. Although the composition is fairly simple (having the observation deck placed right in the center of the frame), I definitely prefer the lighting in this photo compared to the previous ones. The photo was taken shortly before sunset, but you can see slight contrast in the lighting on the Skytree. The natural light slightly hits the tower from the left, but the contrast isn’t harsh enough that it is distracting. 

Although I do wish the two buildings standing between the Skytree were more even, I also think it’s important to not try and over-manipulate an image when it comes to street photography.

 
 

This photo was taken on the Sigma 85mm lens with a more narrow aperture of f/4.5. In general I don’t like to use the widest aperture possible for a prime lens with street photography because I like to keep some of the surrounding environment in the photo in focus, as well. The only thing I would probably change about this photo is that I would have tried to back up a little bit so the top of the Skytower wouldn’t be nearly cut off.

Another aspect of this photo that I like is the complementary colors featured in the image. There is a nice contrast between the blue building on the left and blue sky with the small orange building below the Skytree. While it’s not the main focal point of the image, it’s a slight detail that I appreciate.

 

Tokyo Skytree In Sumida City Alleyways

Sumida City was an unexpectedly beautiful location to capture street photography photos because of the different alleyways that you’ll find at many different corners. Taking multiple trips to the Asakusa district, I would sometimes try and take different paths to get to the destination. During one trip, I walked through an alleyway and stumbled upon a view of the Tokyo Skytree.

For the photos below, I used the Sigma 35mm lens because I wanted a wide enough angle to capture the buildings surrounding the alleyway in the frame, and not just focus on the Skytree.

Just like in the previous photo, these images were taken shortly before sunset. As a result, you can see some nice, cinematic golden light reflected on parts of the street and building, which adds a nice contrast to the image compared to the other shots taken in the middle of the day.

Another important aspect of this sort of composition is the people and cars moving in and out of the frame - it adds a bit of life to the image. From this angle, if there was no one in the shot and it was just an isolated alleyway with no one in frame, the photo would look empty. If you added a crowd of people walking through the area, then the frame would look too busy (especially given the mood I was going for).

 
Bicyclist moving through alleyway in Sumida City towrds the Tokyo Skytree tower
Golden car slowly driving through Sumida City alleyway towards Tokyo Skytree in Japan
 
 

Sunset Photography of the Tokyo Skytree

This was one of the only photos of the Tokyo Skytree that I captured at sunset. Although it’s a pretty simple image, I like the parallel and crossing wires in the lower part of the frame.

You can see how the golden hour lighting affects the contrast in this image more than the previous photos. The natural light from the sunset hits part of the upper part of the red building and the left side of the Tokyo Skytree.

I wanted to experiment with leaving a lot more space at the top of the photo. I used the Sigma 35mm lens with an aperture of f/7.1 for this image. The result makes the observation deck look not as tall, which I think is a nice change from the previous photos that I took.

 
Tokyo Skytree tower at sunset with warm colored buildings and wires surrounding the architecture
 
 

Night Photography of the Tokyo Skytree

The Tokyo Skytree lit up with rainbow colors at night and I tried to take a lot of images of the observation deck during this time. It was difficult for me to find any location that I could take a wide angle of the Skytree without distractions from the path I took walking back to Sumida City.

I took the photo below with the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G-Master lens at a focal range of 62mm. Had I made a more conscious effort to take a photo of the Skytree at night, I probably would have tried and experimented a bit more with compositions - but I’m still happy with the final image.

 
The Tokyo Skytree glowing rainbow colors at night in Sumida City Tokyo Japan
 
 

Final Words

If you’re a travel photographer or a general fan of architecture and you’re visiting Sumida City, then I would recommend you to try and see as many different angles of the Tokyo Skytree as you can.

Even though the observation deck is a popular destination for tourists to visit, I think there’s plenty of enjoyment in just being able to see an incredible landmark (although if you do have time to actually visit the tower, I would recommend that, as well).

As far as composition, I think it’s important to not rely on one focal length or composition that you know you will be happy with. Challenging yourself to experiment with interesting compositions and taking photos at different times of the day can result in some of your favorite photos.

Another important lesson that I took with me while capturing these photos is that it’s always good to have your camera ready and on you. Amazing street photography moments can happen (whether it’s a sunset that you didn’t expect or the perfect subject moving into frame) at random moments.

Thank you for reading and until next time.

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travelBrian Brownlos angeles photograhper, sony alpha, sigma lens, prime lens, sunset photography, city photographer, adobe lightroom classic, golden hour, tourism, landscapes, architecture, travel photography, tokyo japan, tokyo skytree, sumida city, observation deck, tokyo landmark, tourist attractions, street photographyComment