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Roppongi Hills - visionary urban living
Tokyo’s notorious nighttime spot for barhopping foreigners and other dubious characters has received the makeover of a lifetime. Roppongi Hills, the newest edition in Mori Building Company’s series of multi-functional development complexes, is attracting worldwide acclaim from investors, art aficionados and wealthy would-be residents, all wanting to become a part of its new community concept.
Roppongi Hills is an artfully designed integration of offices, residences, retail shops, restaurants and public spaces which are intended to foster a sense of community among its dwellers - whether they are working, playing tennis, attending a public forum or strolling through the art museum.
As cited in a recent article by Henry Stokes entitled “Jewels of Japan,” Roppongi Hills “puts art on top” in every sense. Public sculptures can be seen throughout the complex, and the new contemporary art museum is located atop the Hills’ 53-storey Mori Tower.
Roppongi Hills is not only aesthetically pleasing - it is inspiring. Glass-enclosed atriums, landscaped gardens and natural light abound, producing an abundant, airy spaciousness rarely experienced in traffic-clogged Tokyo. So futuristic and sensibly designed, it induces electric excitement. Double-decker elevators are one obvious example - two compartments are joined together and open simultaneously on two floors.
President and CEO Minoru Mori’s vision of integrating public, office and residential space comes from his conviction that commuting to work seriously downgrades overall quality of life, inhibiting individuals from spending quality leisure time for cultural refinement and fostering healthy social relationships: “People lose up to 70 minutes on average one-way commuting. That’s precious time. It breaks up communities and sometimes families,” Mori says.
Roppongi Hills stands as a visionary model of a new concept in living, in which individuals successfully engage in the balancing act of making one’s livelihood and enjoying it.
by Jennifer Hale
For more information on Roppongi Hills and new attractions in Tokyo, contact G H A Travel via email or call (800) 442-2240.
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