Three large developments define this part of Minato ward. Roppongi Hills (2003) brought the Mori Tower, with an art museum and observation deck on its top floors. Tokyo Midtown (2007) added the Suntory Museum of Art and a design museum beside a park, a few minutes from the wave-fronted National Art Center. And Azabudai Hills, opened in late 2023, is home to Japan’s tallest building and to teamLab Borderless, the immersive digital-art museum that moved here from Odaiba.
A 15-minute walk east stands Tokyo Tower, the 333-metre Eiffel-inspired landmark of 1958, with the temple of Zojo-ji at its foot. After dark Roppongi is still one of the city’s main bar and club districts, popular with visitors and expatriates — fun, but the one area besides Kabukicho where you should keep your wits about you.
Highlights
- Wandering the rooms without walls at teamLab Borderless
- Tokyo Tower by night, and the view from its decks
- The skyline from Tokyo City View on the 52nd floor of Mori Tower
- Contemporary exhibitions at the Mori Art Museum, open late
- Zojo-ji’s temple roofs with the tower rising behind
- Winter illuminations on Keyakizaka and at Tokyo Midtown
Roppongi & Azabudai in pictures
How long to stay and where to base yourself
How long: half a day for teamLab Borderless and Tokyo Tower; a full day if you add a museum or two and an evening view.
Where to base yourself: Roppongi has some of Tokyo’s best luxury hotels, high in the towers, and a wide choice of international restaurants. It is central but not on the Yamanote Line, so you will rely on the subway. The streets around Roppongi Crossing are noisy until dawn at weekends; Azabudai, Azabu-Juban and Toranomon are calmer. See where to stay in Tokyo.
