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Above it all
There is something compelling about watching the sun set on a city as you’re perched high above, high enough to enjoy a panoramic view of streets, neighborhoods and buildings as they stretch out to the horizon. Once the transformation from daylight to darkness is complete and the city below has puts on a new skin you get a much different perspective.
There are a number of bars and restaurants in Tokyo that offer a bird’s eye view of the metropolis, however, it is difficult to find a better place than so/ra/si/o, 46 floors up at the top of the Caretta building in Shiodome, near Shimbashi and Ginza. Looking out over the city, with its bright lights and neon, toward the Rainbow Bridge and Odaiba, including the colorful Ferris wheel, there is a certain undeniable wow factor. This is accented by so/ra/si/o itself an attractively laid out restaurant, classy in an understated kind of way, with high ceilings and a raised bar area, which is a popular spot from 5 to 7 when the happy hour special means that you can get drinks—and there is a wide selection—for half price. Sipping on some champagne or a cocktail while admiring the view is a seductive combination, consequently you won’t often find that you have the place to yourself. But even with a crowd, the ambience is usually quite relaxed with many people winding down instead of up.
After drinks, the dinner menu is an attractive, albeit expensive choice with dishes like lightly grilled abalone, and Wagyu steak from Yamagata prefecture. Shiodome is also very close to Tsukiji Fish Market, with a large number of good seafood restaurants in the area.
The best time to go is when the bar opens (5 pm on weekdays; 4 pm on weekends), as it gives you a better opportunity to get a good seat. The restaurant is also open for lunch from 11 am.
Whether you stay for a full dinner or to enjoy a few drinks, a visit to
so/ra/si/o offers a superb way to catch a glimpse of the city.
so/ra/si/o
Dentsu Headquarters, Caretta Building, 46f
1-8-1 Minato ku, Higashi Shinbashi
Tokyo
http://www.sorasio.jp
Tel. 3-6215-8055