MangoVine - Roppongi Hills - Art, Entertainment and Luxury Urban Landscaping

20 May, 2009
Wednesday

Roppongi night life basically sounds like a den of sin, the unabashed hedonism capital of Tokyo, with lots of money spent and drink drunk. It's the place to while away the wee hours of the night if you want to be within walking distance of the nearby Tsukiji Fish Market for an early morning visit.

Roppongi day life was transformed in 2003 with the opening of the fabulous Roppongi Hills complex, which intelligently blends art and entertainment with luxury urban landscaping.

It seemed like an antidote to simple upward expansion and made for an interesting, if initially confusing exploration through an organic architectural blend of five physical areas that group shopping and dining, galleries and museums, and offices and residential facilities.

Roppongi Hills is arguably Tokyo's most arresting sight with unusual architectural lines both inside and out. We did expect more shops, but in fact, they're tastefully spread out so that the complex didn't feel like a sprawling retail shopping space.

Upon arriving, we found ourselves directly in the basement of the North Tower which is the location for a whole host of eateries - the quick gourmet dining area - but we'd already had breakfast.

Further on, luxury brands and fashion stores were collected in two distinct areas (West Walk and the smaller Metro Hat) and there's even a block dedicated to beauty at the Hollywood Beauty Plaza. We probably spent most time ambling around the former two.

We avoided the Keyakizaka area since this contained most of the residential blocks, but were happy to check out the simpler named Hillside.

As the art and lifestyle space, the Hillside housed the Mori Art Museum, a cinema, an arena for outdoor performances and the Mohri Gardens as well as restaurants and even more retail opportunities.

Linh and I only spent half an afternoon at Roppongi Hills but it strikes me as a place that I'd love to work and spend time in, particularly with the variety of places to eat there.

More photos of Roppongi Hills

More photos of Roppongi Hills Gardens

This entry posted in : Japan. Shopping.

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Roppongi Hills - Art, Entertainment and Luxury Urban Landscaping

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