I have visited Japan eight times since 2004. I had not heard or read about the name of Hoku Topia and it observatory lobby on the 17th floor offers free panoramic views of greater Tokyo till this summer when I made my 8th trip to Japan. I read an article from an official Tokyo Travel Guide which I picked up at Hamamatsucho Station. It recommends tourists take ride on Sakura Line(previously Toden Aragawa Line) and explore several unique neighborhoods and attractions along the tracks. Hoku Topia is one of them. The not so well know free entry to observatory lobby on its 17th floor was my reason to visit.
Hoku Topia, a commercial building is next to JR Oji Station and also on Sakura Line's Oji-ekimae Stop. We bought one day pass riding on Sakura Tram and our mission was to see greater Tokyo from Hoku Topia's 17th floor's observatory lobby. Surprisingly we were the only foreigners there. We had plenty of space to meander around and free to stay on the 17th floor lobby till we felt time to leave. The nearest panorama views are Aragawa and adjacent cities. In distance Skytree is one of easy recognized landmarks; old arched bridges; Aragawa River and Sumida River are within the sights.
From high-rise building to watch trains passing, approaching or leaving station was the first time experience in all my trips to Japan, and my greatest pleasure was watching several JR East Shinkansen trains ran on high speeds below my eyes. There were even a few times I saw local trains, regional trains, express trains and Shinkansen trains ran spontaneously on their own tracks. It was an eye-opening experience. And because I had just completed my traveling across Kanto and Tohoku region I could even recognize the names of the train traveled by the colors of their cars.
I love to go off beaten path to find places that are unique and not so touristy, and I found Hoku Topia, it's reachable by JR's JK(Keihintohoku) Line, Toei's Sakura Tram, and Tokyo Metro N line. Around Hoku Topia there are many shops and eateries to explore and dine.