Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Once a month, there's a good antique flea market here, and the interesting Gallery MA
(see p.93) sits just on the other side of the main road.
Roppongi Hills
8-11-27 Akasaka, Minato-ku •
W
roppongihills.com • Roppongi station
Originally billed as an “Urban New Deal” for Tokyo,
Roppongi Hills
is the development
that spearheaded Roppongi's partial evolution from sleaze to sophistication. The
overhead utility cables that plague the rest of Tokyo have been banished here, and
there's a good dose of open space and greenery, so unusual in this land-starved city. A
Japanese garden and pond, a liberal sprinkling of funky street sculptures, an open-air
arena for free performances, several roof gardens and even a rice paddy on the roof
above the multiplex cinema are all part of the mix. Louise Bourgeois'
Maman
, a giant
bronze, stainless steel and marble spider, squats at the base of the 54-storey, Kohn
Pedersen Fox-designed Mori Tower, home to
Mori Art Museum
. If you approach
Roppongi Hills through the main Metro Hat entrance from Roppongi Station, you'll
see this iconic sculpture at the top of the escalators.
Mori Art Museum
ඒज़ؗ
, Mori Bijutsukan • 53F Mori Tower, Roppongi Hills • Museum Mon & Wed-Sun 10am-10pm, Tues 10am-5pm; Tokyo City View
daily 9am-1am, last entry midnight • ¥1500; access to the roof ¥300 extra •
T
03 6406 6100,
W
mori.art.museum
The “Museum Cone”, a glass structure enclosing a swirling staircase, forms the entrance
to the
Mori Art Museum
. This large gallery space, which occupies the prime top floors of
the Mori Tower, puts on exhibitions of works gathered from around Japan and abroad,
with a particular focus on Asian artists. Entry to the museum also includes the
Tokyo City
View
observation deck; if the weather is fine, it's possible to get out on to the tower's roof
for a slightly higher, alfresco view of the city. On some evenings the café inside morphs
into the sophisticated
Mado Lounge
, hosting DJ events, launch parties and the like.
8
To k yo To we r
౦ژλϫʔ
• 4-2-8 Shiba-kōen • Daily 9am-10pm • Main observatory ¥820, top observatory ¥600 extra •
T
03 3433 5111,
W
tokyotower.co.jp • Akabanebashi or Kamiyachō stations
You can't miss
To k yo Towe r
, a distinctive red-and-white structure rising high above the
Roppongi area. Built during an era when Japan was becoming famous for producing
cheap copies of foreign goods, this 333m-high replica of the Eiffel Tower, opened in
1958, manages to top its Parisian role model by several metres. At the tower's base a
plethora of the usual souvenir shops, restaurants and other minor attractions, most
incurring additional fees and none really worth seeing in their own right, have been
added over the years. There are good views of Tokyo Bay from the uppermost
observation deck but, at 250m, it's no longer the city's highest viewpoint.
Zōjō-ji
૿্ࣉ
• 4-7-35 Shiba-kōen • 24hr • Free • Akabanebashi, Onarimon or Shiba-kōen stations
The main point of interest at
Shiba-kōen
park (
ࣳެԂ
) is
Zōjō-ji
, the family temple of
the Tokugawa clan. Dating from 1393, Zōjō-ji was moved to this site in 1598 by
Tokugawa Ieyasu (the first Tokugawa shogun) in order to protect southeast Edo
spiritually and provide a waystation for pilgrims approaching the capital from the
Tōkaidō road. This was once the city's largest holy site, with 48 sub-temples and over
a hundred other buildings. Since the fall of the Tokugawa, however, Zōjō-ji has been
razed to the ground by fire three times, and virtually all the current buildings date from
the mid-1970s - some find it all rather lacking in charm.
San-gadatsu-mon
One ancient element still standing at the temple is its imposing
San-gadatsu-mon
,
a 21m-high gateway dating from 1612 - it is the oldest wooden structure in Tokyo
