Caretta Shiodome Free Observation Deck, How to Reach the 46th Floor, Hours and the View
Tokyo has a great many paid observation decks, and they are mostly very good. This is not one of them, and that is the point.
At Caretta Shiodome, a glass shuttle lift takes you from the basement to the 46th floor, roughly 200 metres up, where there is a viewing space called SKY VIEW that is free. No ticket, no queue, no booking. The lift starts inside the station area, so on a wet day you can do the whole thing without getting rained on.
The building also contains the Dentsu Shiki Theatre “Umi”, one of the Tokyo homes of the Shiki Theatre Company, so it works well as a way to fill the hours before or after a show.
Hours and Cost
The viewing deck is free, with no booking. The official site lists the restaurants as open 11:00 to 23:00 (it varies by shop), and the deck is described as open in the same hours, every day of the year. Hours change, so please check the Caretta Shiodome website before you go.
One warning: when a big event is held nearby, floors 46 and 47 can be limited to guests with a restaurant reservation for a few hours. That happened, for example, on Saturday 24 October 2026, from 15:00 to 19:00. If your visit falls on a busy day, look at the “Events & News” page of the official site first.
Getting There
Caretta Shiodome is next to Shimbashi and Shiodome stations. The easy rule is to ride to Shimbashi and walk, or to get off at Shiodome. Times below are approximate, so please check a route app before you travel.
From Tokyo Station (where Shinkansen from the west and north arrive): take the JR Yamanote or Keihin-Tohoku line to Shimbashi, about 4 to 5 minutes and ¥160 (¥155 with an IC card). The Tokaido line and the Ueno-Tokyo line also reach Shimbashi in about 4 minutes.
From Shinagawa Station (many Tokaido Shinkansen stop here too): the Tokaido line or the Ueno-Tokyo line reaches Shimbashi in about 5 minutes. The Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines take under ten.
From Ueno Station: the Yamanote or Keihin-Tohoku line to Shimbashi takes about 15 minutes, the Ueno-Tokyo line about 10, and the Ginza line also works.
From Shinjuku: the Toei Oedo Line goes straight to Shiodome, about 20 minutes with no change. The station exit is a one-minute walk from the building.
From Shibuya: the Ginza Line to Shimbashi takes about 15 minutes with no change. From Asakusa: the Toei Asakusa Line to Shimbashi takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes, also with no change.
From Haneda Airport there are two ways. You can take the Tokyo Monorail to Hamamatsucho (about 13 to 18 minutes, ¥520) and then one stop on the JR line to Shimbashi. Or take the Keikyu line: some trains run straight through onto the Toei Asakusa line to Shimbashi without a change, in roughly 25 minutes (check the destination sign).
From Narita Airport: some Keisei Access Express trains run through onto the Toei Asakusa line to Shimbashi without a change. Or take the Narita Express to Tokyo Station and change to the Yamanote line.
If you have a lot of luggage, a taxi from Tokyo Station takes around ten minutes.
From the Station to the Door
The official site gives these walking times. From Shiodome Station on the Toei Oedo Line, it is a 1-minute walk from the exit toward Shimbashi. From Shiodome Station on the Yurikamome, 2 minutes from the east exit. From Shimbashi Station on the Toei Asakusa Line, 3 minutes from the JR and Shiodome side gate. From JR Shimbashi, 4 minutes from the Shiodome gate (underground). From Shimbashi on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, 5 minutes from the JR-side gate.
From JR Shimbashi, the underground passage is the easy way, and it keeps you dry.
Two things catch first-time visitors. The theatre has its own entrance on the ground floor, while the lift to the 46th floor is in the basement (B2). And Shiki has other theatres nearby: the JR East Shiki Theatres Haru and Aki and the Jiyu Theatre are in Hamamatsucho and Takeshiba, about a 15-minute walk away. Check the theatre name on your ticket.
As of October 2026, the show playing at Dentsu Shiki Theatre “Umi” is Aladdin.
Special Thing One: The Lift with No Buttons
On B2 you will find the shuttle lift. The official guide labels it as going straight to the 46th floor restaurants.
It is worth pausing for a moment when you step inside, because there are no floor buttons. There is nowhere else this lift goes: it climbs, in one long see-through rush, from the basement to the restaurant floors. The city drops away beneath your feet as you go.
To see which restaurants are on the 46th floor, and where the lift and the shops are, use the 46th-floor guide on the official Caretta Shiodome site.
Special Thing Two: The View from the 46th Floor
SKY VIEW was refurbished in February 2025. It is now a calm, open space, and there is a rest area by the entrance where you can sit or wait for a friend.
Through the glass you can pick out Tokyo Bay, the Hama-rikyu garden, the towers of Ginza, and across the water towards Odaiba and Toyosu. On a clear winter afternoon it is genuinely spectacular, and on the best days you may see Mount Fuji. From the north-facing side you can see Tokyo Station and Skytree.
Daytime is fine, but the best time is as the light begins to go. From late afternoon into the evening the city turns into lights, so if you have an evening performance, a short look at the sunset beforehand is lovely.
Special Thing Three: A Theatre Day Under One Roof
The special thing about Caretta Shiodome is that a show day can happen entirely inside one building.
Next to the theatre entrance on the ground floor is the Shiki Theatre SHOP & CAFÉ, beside the ticket box. It sells Shiki original goods and goods for each show. It is open from 90 minutes before Aladdin starts until the interval ends, and closed on days with no performance, so allow plenty of time if you want to visit before curtain.
Some restaurants on floors 46 and 47 and in the basement offer recommended menus timed for Shiki audiences: an early lunch before a matinée, a tea break afterwards, an early dinner before an evening show. The official site has a page about them.
And the view is free, which means that if you have an hour to fill before the show, it costs you nothing.
Seeing a Shiki Show: Prices and Times
Shiki performances are in Japanese. Here is what the official site shows for Aladdin in Tokyo, which was correct when I checked in October 2026.
Prices depend on the day (Peak, Regular or Value), and include tax. For adults, S seats run from ¥13,000 to ¥15,500, A seats from ¥11,000 to ¥12,500, B seats from ¥8,500 to ¥10,000, and C seats from ¥5,500 to ¥7,000. Some seats have child prices for ages 3 to sixth grade: ¥8,500 to ¥10,000 for S, and ¥6,500 to ¥8,000 for A.
The show runs about 2 hours 45 minutes including a 20-minute interval. Most performances start at 13:00 or 13:30, with some Saturdays at 17:30 and some Wednesdays at 18:30. There are days with no performance on Mondays and Tuesdays, so check the schedule before you fix your travel dates. The ticket box at the theatre is open from 90 minutes before curtain until the start.
Children aged 3 and over need a ticket and cannot sit on a lap. Under-3s are not admitted. Prices and dates change, so book from the official Shiki site.
The Restaurants, and Which Way They Face
Floors 46 and 47 are given over to restaurants, and here is the thing most guides do not tell you: which way a restaurant faces changes what you are paying for.
Facing north (the Imperial Palace, Tokyo Station, Skytree): Kita no Ajikikō to Jizake Hokkaidō (北の味紀行と地酒 北海道) has this side. The view is excellent, and takes in Skytree. I will be honest: the cooking is ordinary. Come for the window, not the kitchen.
Facing south (Rainbow Bridge and the sea): Dynamic Kitchen & Bar Hibiki (響) looks out over the bay. It is the well-known name of the floor and the food is good, so there is often a queue, even for weekday lunch. Go early or be patient.
The floor also has the teppanyaki restaurant Bantetsu (萬鉄), the sushi restaurant Mijishi (美寿思), the Japanese restaurant Mizuiro (水色), and the yakiniku restaurant Toraji PARAM. If the 46th floor is full, there are many more places in the basement.
Weekday lunch sets are markedly better value than dinner for the same view. On a show day, work backwards from curtain time and go in early.
Also in the Building: A Free Museum
In the basement is the Ad Museum Tokyo, a museum devoted entirely to advertising. It is free, open Tuesday to Saturday, 12:00 to 18:00, and closed on Sundays, Mondays and holidays. It is a good use of a spare hour before or after the show. See the Ad Museum Tokyo article.
A Show Day, Planned
For a 13:00 matinée, you might arrive at about 11:00, ride the lift to the 46th floor, and take the view slowly. At 11:30 have an early lunch on the 46th floor or in the basement. Around 12:00, go down to the ground floor, look in at the SHOP & CAFÉ, and take your seat. After the show, go back up for tea and let the evening settle.
For an evening performance, watch the sunset from the 46th floor, eat an early dinner, and then go to the theatre.
All of it is under one roof, so you do not have to find your way around an unfamiliar city with a map in your hand.
Bring Binoculars
This is the one thing I would add. From 200 metres up, the pleasure is in picking out detail — Skytree, the arch of Rainbow Bridge, the aircraft turning over the bay, and on a clear winter day, Mount Fuji. A small pair of binoculars turns a nice view into an hour of quiet entertainment.
They earn their place twice over in this building, too: the same pair works beautifully from the upper seats of the theatre downstairs.
Practical Information
- Name: Caretta Shiodome (カレッタ汐留)
- Free viewing space: SKY VIEW, 46F, about 200 m up
- Hours: Restaurants 11:00 to 23:00 (varies by shop); the deck is described as open the same hours
- Cost: Free, no booking
- Getting up: Shuttle lift from B2 (no floor buttons)
- Stations: Shiodome (Toei Oedo Line 1 minute, Yurikamome 2 minutes); Shimbashi (Toei Asakusa Line 3 minutes, JR 4 minutes, Ginza Line 5 minutes)
- Also inside: Ad Museum Tokyo (basement, free), Dentsu Shiki Theatre “Umi” (1 to 3F), Shiki Theatre SHOP & CAFÉ (1F)
- Best for: Time before or after a show, rainy days, a free high view
The Same Principle, at Street Level
The lunch-versus-dinner rule here is not unique to tall buildings. Restaurant SAKAKI in Kyobashi has its French dinner in the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2026 — and serves a weekday yōshoku lunch, no booking, from the same kitchen. Twenty minutes away on the Ginza Line.
Who Is This For?
Anyone who would like a high view of Tokyo without paying for one; anyone caught in the rain with an afternoon to fill; and anyone who enjoys the particular Japanese pleasure of a building that quietly contains a museum, a theatre and a skyline, and does not make a fuss about any of it.
Note: Opening hours, restaurants and admission arrangements change. Please check the official site before visiting.
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