Tokyo Solamachi

Tokyo Solamachi (lit. “Tokyo Sky Town”) is the large shopping, dining and entertainment complex at the base of the Tokyo Skytree. It features over 300 established and original shops and restaurants, and would be well worth a visit even without Japan’s tallest tower on top of it.

Solamachi offers a wide variety of shops that include many unique establishments specialized in goods such as salt from across Japan and the world, food samples and traditional Tokyo crafts. An entire floor with original souvenir shops offering character goods, Japanese interior design and snacks, should be of particular interest to foreign tourists. Of course, there are also official Tokyo Skytree Shops.

The complex also houses a large food market, food court and four floors filled with interesting restaurants, including the two top floors of the Skytree East Building that enjoy nice views onto the Skytree. Additional time can be spent at the attractive Sumida Aquarium, the Tenku planetarium (no English provided) and in the multiple small green spaces and terraces found across the complex. The Postal Museum was newly opened in March 2014 on the ninth floor of Solamachi East. It has a wide collection of stamps from all over the world, as well as interactive displays and exhibits showing the history of the postal services in Japan.