Roppongi Hills, Tokyo

when I went to Tokyo nearly 3 years ago this was one of the newest developments.....but in Tokyo places are constantly evolving and new shopping centre built so at time of writing this may not be the most popular.

Shopping is a national passtime in this country and I saw many families and couples (I can't imagine my other half wanting to do this every weekend!) wandering around the very high class shops....i am talking Louis Vuitton, Burberry (they can keep it!), Chanel etc. Here there seems to be no such word as 'too expensive' - in fact the more expensive and exclusive the better!

Don't you miss the chance to have a view of Tokyo City View at Roppongi Hills Observation Deck at Mori Tower which is at 250m above sea level. I went there at night and the view was amazing! a great way to see Tokyo at night. Adult entrance costs 1,500 yens

1 more image

In addition to the observation point and the Mori Art Museum, Roppongi hills is an interesting place to visit, plenty of places to eat, shop if you have a substantial budget, and just simply walk around.

There's a nice Japanese garden there as well. Worth a look.

Roppongi literally means "six trees".. Long ago the area was for the residential fedual lords during the Edo period. Even today it remains an upmarket place to live with many embassies located in the area.

Also the opening of Roppongi Hills which by the way is NOT A HILL but a huge building....in the spring of 2003 has given a boost to the image of the area with many famous Japanese celebrities living in the expensive high rise apartment complexes which offer fantastic views of Tokyo Tower, and tokyo skyline with rents starting at around $6000 a month....

Inside the building there are restaurants, business offices, and even a museum. It would take you a long time to actually cover everything that this building has within it. Surrounding the building there are more shops, a modern movie theater, an amphitheater for live performances, a luxury hotel, cafes and restaurants.

You will definitely have to see all it has to offer to believe it for yourself.

But remember that Roppongi Hills is not developed for budget travellers, a 10 minutes parking will cost 100 yen....:(.

Most restaurants aren't cheap either but most have a lunch special for around 1,000 yen

You can purchase a ticket to go to the 52nd floor observation point, which gives you a great view of the Tokyo. On a good day, you'll be able to see Mt. Fuji as well.

It's a bit hard to make out, but if you look closely, you'll see Fuji in the background of this photo.

2 more images

If you want to have a complete view of Tokyo, now you have a different option to old Tokyo Tower. If you go up Roppongi Hills Tower, you can see Tokyo from a trendy 52nd floor. Views are impressive, you can have a nice coffe or cocktail and spend there about an hour. Nearby there is a wonderful bookshop open 7/24 called Tsutaya Tokyo Roppongi. Please enjoy a couple of night views I took.

2 more images

My first evening was spent at Roppongi Hills, a trendy new development opened in 2003.The Mori Tower with its 54 floors dominate the skyline & houses an Art Centre. Adjacent to the Mori Tower are a few more buildings occupied by shops and restaurants, as well as the luxury Grand Hyatt Hotel (see second pics).

I was there in the evening & had coffee & ice-cream at the Mori Garden, a traditional Japanese garden given a modern touch. Just next to the garden is the TV Asahi building & it was there that I bumped into the famous TV star Doraemon, who’s one of my children’s favourite TV personality. (see third pics)

Behind the Mori Tower runs the Roppongi Keyakizaka Street with more cafes and luxury brand shops such as Louis Vuitton.

Adjacent to the Mori Tower stand a few more buildings filled mostly with shops and restaurants, as well as the luxury hotel Grand Hyatt Tokyo, a Virgin Cinemas complex and the Mori Garden, a modern version of a traditional Japanese landscape garden.