The sights
Tokyo Tower
Completed in 1958 and, at 333 metres, a few metres taller than the Eiffel Tower that inspired it. The Main Deck is at 150 metres; guided Top Deck Tours continue to about 250 metres. Its orange-and-white lattice, lit every night, remains the city’s most loved landmark.
ℹ️ Usually open 9:00–23:00. Main Deck tickets cost less than most other observatories; the Top Deck Tour is timed and costs more. Nearest stations: Akabanebashi, Kamiyacho, Onarimon. Allow 1–1.5 hours.
Roppongi Hills & Mori Art Museum
A city-within-a-city around the 238-metre Mori Tower. Tokyo City View on the 52nd floor is an indoor deck with floor-to-ceiling windows; the Mori Art Museum above it stages changing contemporary shows. Outside stands Louise Bourgeois’s giant spider, Maman.
ℹ️ Deck and museum typically open 10:00–22:00 (the museum closes earlier on Tuesdays). Separate or combined tickets. Directly connected to Roppongi Station. Allow 1.5–2 hours.
Azabudai Hills
Opened in November 2023 with undulating, garden-covered buildings by Heatherwick Studio around a central green. Its Mori JP Tower, at about 330 metres, is the tallest building in Japan. Shops, a food market and galleries fill the lower levels.
ℹ️ Public areas free; shops open roughly 11:00–20:00. Access to the tower’s upper floors is restricted, so do not count on a free viewing deck. Kamiyacho or Roppongi-itchome stations. Allow 1 hour.
teamLab Borderless
The “museum without a map”: dozens of digital artworks that flow out of their rooms, react to visitors and merge with one another — waterfalls of light, drifting lanterns, infinite mirrored spaces. It reopened in Azabudai Hills in February 2024.
ℹ️ Timed tickets, sold online in advance; prices vary by date. In the basement of the Garden Plaza, near Kamiyacho Station. Allow 2–3 hours.
Zojo-ji
The family temple of the Tokugawa shoguns, six of whom are buried here. Its massive Sangedatsumon gate of 1622 is one of the oldest wooden structures in Tokyo, and the main hall with Tokyo Tower directly behind is a classic photograph.
ℹ️ Grounds free and open daily; the mausoleum and treasure gallery charge a small fee. Five to ten minutes’ walk from Tokyo Tower. Allow 30–45 minutes.
National Art Center & Tokyo Midtown
Kisho Kurokawa’s rippling glass building has no permanent collection but hosts major temporary exhibitions; the atrium and cafés are free to enter. Nearby Tokyo Midtown has the Suntory Museum of Art, 21_21 Design Sight and a garden.
ℹ️ National Art Center: usually 10:00–18:00, closed Tuesdays; exhibition prices vary. Nogizaka Station is directly connected. Allow 1–2 hours.
