I Summited Tocho (the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building) Without Oxygen

Diary#

Saturday. The day before, I’d gone out for tonkatsu and eaten a ton of the free-refill rice. So I felt like I had to get some exercise today and burn off the calories.

I had no particular destination, but I had to go outside. It was a bit hot that day, not exactly ideal conditions, but get out of the house I must.

Roll the Chance Gacha: Go Outside on Weekends

So I decided to just follow the Kanda River upstream for as long as I could.

There’s basically a walking path along the Kanda River, but it keeps getting blocked by big roads. After being blocked by a road with the awful name “Shinjuku Tax Office Street,” I was wavering between going back to the river or turning east, so I split the difference and headed south, and then a sign said “Tokyo Metropolitan Government.” And sure enough, there it was, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (Tocho), a 45-story skyscraper in Shinjuku.

That’s when I remembered the DPZ article from the top, and decided to try an oxygen-free ascent myself. (In Japanese, “summiting” and “going to the government office” are both pronounced tōchō, hence “oxygen-free tōchō.”)

Quest Updated. The Lumine inside my heart has awoken.

Oxygen-Free Tocho Ascent Achieved#

For the regulations, I decided that I’d hold my breath from the instant the elevator doors fully closed, and if I could last until the moment they opened, the summit would count as a success.

As a result, I conquered both the South Peak and the North Peak, ascent and descent alike.

In everyday life on the ground, I can easily hold my breath for about a minute and a half, so honestly I’m not satisfied with this result, but I think various factors like the change in air pressure and other people’s eyes were slowly taking their toll.

That’s what the article said, but I didn’t feel any debuff in particular. Then again, I can usually last about 65 seconds, and it did feel just a tiny bit harder than that.

By the regulations, the time required was about 53 seconds on every route, but I got the feeling that if it had gone past 60 seconds, I wouldn’t have made it.

The view from the summit. Maybe it was the time of day, but there was a pretty divine atmosphere.

The Tocho observation deck seems to be hugely popular with foreign tourists, and about 80% of the people there gave off a foreigner vibe. The souvenir corner was also completely aimed at foreigners.

It was kind of funny that Don = 呑.

Once I’d had my fill and was about to head home, the elevator down from the South Peak had a massive line. Bad timing, or maybe I collided with a tour group, I don’t know. I finally got to descend on the 7th batch after getting in line.

Liminal Space Exploration#

It’s Tocho on a holiday, so apart from around the elevators to the observation deck, there’s hardly anyone around (it’s Tocho, so there are security guards at key spots, though). Since I was there anyway, I went on a Liminal Space Hunt.

Apparently you can go to the 2nd floor even on holidays.

You can see the scenery outside through the door, but it probably won’t open thanks to some mysterious force, and it’s probably indestructible.

Outside, someone was giving a speech calling for the exclusion of foreigners. I don’t think doing it on a holiday gets it through to the people they’re supposed to be appealing to, but that’s…

Lying Down on the Grass#

Just as I was thinking of resuming my run, I found a lawn plaza outside. It’s probably the spot where you can watch the Tocho projection mapping, and even though it was still more than an hour before it started, about 8 groups of foreigners had spread out picnic blankets and were relaxing. The plaza itself is huge, so it wasn’t cramped at all like cherry blossom viewing.

Did they bring those just for this? I wondered, but it turns out they lend out picnic blankets for free.

A lone Japanese guy, I spread out a blanket and lay down. And the view turned out to be quite nice.

The fluffiness of the grass comes through the blanket and feels great, and it soothes my tired legs. On top of that, a plane passes overhead every few minutes, which is so emo.

In my head, the Mondstadt overworld BGM was playing.

Whenever this song starts playing before a fight or a teleport, I always pause for a bit and listen, taking in the scenery.

It’s apparently titled Journey of Hope. Jade Moon Upon a Sea of Clouds, #23.

I’m getting toward the end of the Natlan quests, so the title caught on something in me a little (no spoilers).

Afterward#

After lounging around for a while, I decided to run to Shibuya and take the train home from there. My total running distance that day was 16 km. I really pushed myself.

Summary#

• As expected, get outside on the weekends.
• The Tocho observation deck is free to enter. It makes a great resin-free activity. You have to be willing to compromise on the crowds.
  • Especially if you’re on a time limit, you may not be able to get on a down elevator for a while, so watch out.
• Lying down on the grass after exercising feels really good.