A meal with a view

Your homework is done, you have cleaned your room, none of your games seem appealing, your housemates are either sleeping or out exercising, working or studying. What do you do?

You decide to go buy a book, take the train to Shinjuku, get out of the wrong exit, think you can find your way back to the right exit, be lost for two hours, think "Screw this" and change your plans to visit the observatory deck of the Shinjuku Metropolitan government building.

I have always wanted to get another view over Tokyo but feel that after the third time paying to get to the top of Tokyo tower it's not really worth it. So when I heard that the SMGB (as I will call it from now) let visitors in for free I thought I could at least see some of Tokyo from there. From the 45th floor?! That's pretty darn high! 202 meters according to Wikipedia.

When you first enter the SMGB you will go through a small visitation of your bags before being lead by very friendly staff to the elevator that will send you over 200 meters into the air. I think the ride took less than half a minute and you could really feel the air pressure change half way.

It feels humbling to see tall building tower over you and it feels even more humbling knowing that any of the tiny dots could be you being observed by someone looking out the window. What feels less humbling is that most of the space is occupied by a souvenir shop seeling overpriced Disney toys. 

But there is a small restaurant that lets you grab something to eat. I could choose between three set meals such as a curry plate, salad or something with more meat. With a price range between 1000 yen and 1300 yen you get wonderful lounge music, an amazing view and a decent meal.

I chose the cheapest set meal, a curry plate, a side salad and ginger ale which was a mere 1000 yen. The food itself wasn't as impressive as one could expect for that price but the atmosphere and the view made well up for it. How to compare it? Like a poor man's reenactment of the bar scene in "Lost in translation". Which reminds me, I need to find a nice smoky jazz bar, drink whiskey and be all broody.

This was on a Saturday and not parrticularly cloudy letting me get a great view over Tokyo. Realzing how insanely huge the area covered by buildings is almost unfathomable. One person builds one house and that impressive. The ocean of concrete squares with different shapes and sizes is art in itself. I wish I had a giant hand so I could drag it along the ground just to feel the texture of the city.

Expenses

• 1000 yen for a curry meal with a view