Tokyo from the Sumitomo Building
Back in the 1980s, when I first lived in Japan, the Shinjuku Sumitomo Building was the building to go to the top of if you wanted a great view of the city. There was no Sunshine City, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office, Mori Tower, or Ebisu Garden Place Tower at the time. The two times I revisited the Sumitomo Building on our most recent adventures in Japan the observation deck was empty. It’s still a great place to view the city (although with the other high rise buildings that have since been built some views are more obstructed than they were 20+ years ago), and you can avoid the crowds at the other places here. Also, there are several floors of relatively inexpensive restaurants at the top with fabulous window seats.