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Photographing Tokyo Tower in MISAMO Colors

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Photographing Tokyo Tower in MISAMO Colors

February 7, 2026, was the day Tokyo Tower lit up in MISAMO colors.

The special illumination was part of a collaboration between MISAMO and the All-Japan Towers Federation celebrating the release of MISAMO’s first Japanese album, PLAY. Since I was already going to photograph the lights, I decided not to stop there: I’d go up Tokyo Tower and start the All-Japan Towers Stamp Rally too. With that plan in mind, I grabbed my camera and headed out.

I hadn’t been up Tokyo Tower since before elementary school, nearly 40 years ago. That thought alone made me a little excited on the way there.

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Back at Tokyo Tower after nearly 40 years

Every time Tokyo Tower came into view along the way, a little closer than before, I stopped for a photo.

First it was a red tower framed by trees. Then, once I reached the base, its steel framework loomed overhead. The same tower could look completely different just by changing where I stood and how far away I was.

Tokyo Tower standing at the end of a path surrounded by trees
Tokyo Tower through the trees. The closer I got, the more excited I became
Tokyo Tower's red steel framework with Azabudai Hills behind it
The red steelwork overhead, with a skyscraper beyond it

When I arrived, MISAMO songs were already playing outside.

The illumination hadn’t even started, but it already felt like the event was underway. Hearing those familiar songs at the foot of Tokyo Tower got me excited.

Looking out over Tokyo

First, I went inside and headed up to the observation deck.

From that high up, the sheer density of Tokyo’s buildings was striking. There were so many unusually shaped skyscrapers that something caught my eye wherever I pointed the camera. I usually look up at the city from street level, so photographing it from above was a lot of fun.

Skyscrapers and the Tokyo cityscape seen from Tokyo Tower's observation deck
Buildings of every shape packed tightly into the Tokyo cityscape
Clear Tokyo Tower-shaped bottles displayed in a shop
Tokyo Tower-shaped water bottles I spotted in the shop
Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Bay seen from Tokyo Tower's observation deck
Rainbow Bridge stretching out across Tokyo Bay

I could see all the way to Rainbow Bridge, with the city stretching far into the distance.

From the observation deck, I took another elevator to an even higher floor. Partway up, it lurched with a loud clunk. That was seriously scary. Knowing the elevator was carrying me even higher did my nerves no favors.

A gold sign reading TOKYO DIAMOND TOUR
A TOKYO DIAMOND TOUR sign I passed on the way to the higher floor

My first stamp in the rally

Once I’d enjoyed the view, I bought a stamp rally booklet.

The All-Japan Towers Stamp Rally covers 20 towers across Japan, and I collected my first stamp at Tokyo Tower.

The MISAMO collaboration was what got me started, but this was the beginning of a real journey to towers around the country. At the time, it hadn’t quite sunk in that my first visit to Tokyo Tower in nearly 40 years would become the starting point for the trips ahead.

Photographing Tokyo Tower in MISAMO colors from Mita

By the time I made it back down, the sky was beginning to darken.

The tower’s lights were starting to stand out, but I thought the whole structure would look better from farther away. So I walked through Shiba Park toward Mita.

Tokyo Tower's lights beginning to show against the twilight sky
Tokyo Tower’s colors coming into view as the sky grew darker
Tokyo Tower illuminated in orange, green, blue, purple, and pink
Tokyo Tower lit up in the three MISAMO members’ colors

That brought me to the Mita 2-chome intersection, a well-known spot for photographing Tokyo Tower.

Straight down the road, Tokyo Tower stood wrapped in orange, green, blue, purple, and pink light. With the city lights and car headlights in the frame too, the scene looked completely different from a close-up taken at the base.

Tokyo Tower in MISAMO colors beyond nighttime traffic on a street in Mita
Tokyo Tower at the end of a street filled with car lights
Tokyo Tower in MISAMO colors seen straight ahead from the Mita 2-chome intersection
The illuminated tower straight ahead from the Mita 2-chome intersection
Tokyo Tower glowing in several colors beyond the nighttime city streets
Tokyo Tower in MISAMO colors among the city lights

Beer and gyoza after the shoot

By the time I finished taking photos, all that walking had left me thirsty.

I stopped at 82 Mita, where I ordered jalapeño fries and a craft beer. The beer hit the spot after the shoot, and the fries had just the right kick.

That one beer, though, woke up my appetite.

A craft beer on the counter at 82 Mita
The craft beer I had after finishing the shoot

From there, I went straight to Nikujiru Gyoza no Dandadan (Tamachi branch).

Once a row of golden-brown, juicy gyoza arrived, my earlier plan to stop for “just one beer because I was thirsty” no longer seemed to matter. I ended the day’s photo walk with a proper serving of gyoza.

Juicy gyoza on a hot plate with rice, soup, and side dishes
That beer woke up my appetite, so I followed it with plenty of juicy gyoza

Looking back

I’d set out to photograph Tokyo Tower in MISAMO colors, but the day turned into much more. I went up the tower for the first time in nearly 40 years, looked out over Tokyo from the observation deck, and collected the first stamp in my rally booklet.

I sometimes travel a little farther from home to take photos, but I don’t actually spend that much time walking around and shooting within Tokyo. From the foot of Tokyo Tower to the intersection in Mita, this turned into a photo trip that felt a little different from my usual outings.

The stamp rally I started here continued later with a weekend visiting four towers around the Kanto region.