ROPPONGI, Roppongi Hills

The spectacular Roppongi Hills is one of the largest real estate developments in Japan. It was conceived in 1986 by the industrialist Minoru Mori, whose intention was to incorporate offices, homes, stores and entertainment venues in a single area in order to eliminate commuting for workers, so they could enjoy more leisure time and a better quality of life.

The huge development, which cost more than four billion dollars, also comprises cinemas, a museum, a hotel, an important TV studio, an open-air amphitheater and a number of parks. It was opened to the public on April 25th, 2003, seventeen years after it was planned, and occupies an area of 109,000 square meters.

The centerpiece is the massive Mori Tower, a skyscraper with 54 floors designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, which contains an art museum, restaurants, cafés, clinics, stores and the offices of important companies such as Barclays, Ferrari, Goldman Sachs, BASF and Google.

The first six levels of the Mori Tower contain stores and restaurants, while the top six are home to the Mori Art Museum and the unmissable Tokyo City View.

The entrance to the underground station located below the tower is particularly spectacular, with a glass atrium packed with large TV screens and escalators, as well as a number of stores and restaurants....