This article is based on a visit made on Wednesday, 23 November 2016.
Previously on Sekai Ichi,
I visited the Shinjuku district, on the hunt for winter light installations. My next stop on that quest was Roppongi (六本木, lit. 'six trees'), in central Tokyo. Like Shinjuku, Roppongi is famous for its nightlife, especially among foreign ex-pats. In the 2000s, the neighbourhood went through a small economic boom with the construction of two high-rise "cities within a city", Roppongi Hills in 2003, and Tokyo Midtown in 2007. They also host some of the best winter illuminations in Tokyo, as I had read, so I went down there to see them in person.
Since it was closer to my subway stop, the first of the two places I visited was Tokyo Midtown (東京ミッドタウン,
Tōkyō Middotaun). The Tokyo Midtown complex is dominated by the 248-metre (814-foot) tall, 54-storey Midtown Tower. The tower was once the tallest inhabited building in Tokyo (since dethroned by the tower at Toranoano Hills), and is occupied by various offices and condominiums. It is crowned on its upper floors by the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo hotel, where one can find some of the most expensive suites not just in Japan, but in the world. The Presidential and Ritz-Carlton suites can both go for upwards of US$20,000 a night!
(English) For everyone else, you can expect to pay at least $500 a night for the entry-level "Deluxe" rooms. ...Don't look at me; I stayed in a capsule hotel that night!
At the tower's base is the Galleria shopping mall, the Suntory Museum of Art, and multiple green spaces outside. Near the back entrance there was a display of cars from the French brand DS, a spin-off of Citroen, designed in collaboration with the fashion brand Givenchy. I had never even heard of DS cars before this, and I was only vaguely familiar with Givenchy because it was name-dropped in a Beyoncé song ("Formation", if you're wondering). ...Can you tell I'm not in their intended market?
Ah well, just past that is something everybody can enjoy. "Midtown Christmas" is the name of a light installation that Tokyo Midtown puts on every November and December. Its highlight, the "Starlight Garden", is a vast field of animated blue lights.
Of course, there are other varieties of seasonal lighting along the paths encircling Tokyo Midtown. These trees look like they're growing out of champagne glasses.
The other big "city-within-a-city" of Roppongi is Roppongi Hills (六本木ヒルズ,
Roppongi Hiruzu). The centrepiece of this complex is the Mori Tower, seen here, standing 238 metres (781 feet) and 54 storeys. In addition to office and residential space throughout the tower and neighbouring buildings, an art museum and observation deck are on the upper floors. Said observatory, known as Tokyo City View, has 360-degree views of the city from both indoor and open-air sections, the latter opened in good weather.
A popular, if creepy, meeting place for people in Roppongi Hills is this spider sculpture in front of Mori Tower.
It's just standing there... MENACINGLY!!
Roppongi Hills's winter illumination is called "Artelligent Christmas". It doesn't have a grand centrepiece as in Tokyo Midtown, but there are lots of little decorations all about the place. For instance, this tall pyramid of lit-up gift boxes.
Most of the trees and shrubs about the place had lights that changed colours over time, from wintry whites...
...to autumnal oranges. This hue goes perfectly well with how Tokyo Tower, seen rising up in the background, happens to be lit up.
Not having the sense of mind to simply retrace my steps back, I wound up walking through the back of Roppongi Hills and taking the long way out to the next subway station, Azabu-Juban. There was another light installation I would have loved to visit, not that far away in Shiodome, but it was late and I was tired after it all. At least, I got to see this novel installation on the sidewalk. This chair here is not made of ice as it seems, but of a warmer, more permanent plastic. It's called the "Chair [that] disappears in the rain", and its wavy surface is designed to capture that effect, I would imagine.
Well, this will be my last sign-off selfie for a while, but I sure picked a good spot for it, in front of the Starlight Garden at Tokyo Midtown. After all this, I would check in at a capsule hotel. Find out what it was like, next time on Sekai Ichi!
Access: Roppongi Station is served by the Tokyo Metro Hibiya
(H) and Toei Oedo
(E) lines. The Hibiya line platforms are closer to Roppongi Hills, and the Oedo line platforms are closer to Tokyo Midtown. Other nearby stations include Roppongi-itchome (Tokyo Metro Namboku
(U) line), Nogizaka (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda
(C) line), and Azabu-Juban (Tokyo Metro Namboku and Toei Oedo lines).
From Tokyo Station, take the Marunouchi
(M) subway line to Kasumigaseki (M15, 5 minutes), then transfer on the Hibiya line to Roppongi (H04, 5 minutes, ¥170). From Shinjuku Station, simply take the Toei Oedo line from Shinjuku --
NOT Shinjuku Nishi-guchi! -- to Roppongi (E23, 10 minutes, ¥220).
Tokyo Midtown
Hours: Shops are open from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, restaurants until midnight. For 2017, the "Midtown Christmas" light installation is active from 15 November to 25 December, from 5:00 PM to midnight.
Address: 9-7-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tōkyō-to 〒107-0052
Directions: From the Oedo line platform, take exit 7. At street level, turn around and walk down the sidewalk. The front plaza of Tokyo Midtown will be immediately on your right.
From the Hibiya line platform, take exit 4A. At street level, cross the street in front of you and turn left. After the next traffic light, Tokyo Midtown will be on your right.
Website:
(English) (Japanese)
Roppongi Hills
Hours: Shops are open from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, restaurants until 11:00 PM. For 2017, the "Artelligent Christmas" light installation is active from 7 November to 25 December, from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
Address: 6-11-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tōkyō-to 〒106-6108
Directions: From the Hibiya line platform, take exit 1C. This will take you directly in front of the Roppongi Hills complex.
From the Oedo line platform, take exit 4A. At street level, turn right, cross the street, and turn right again. After about 3 minutes, Roppongi Hills will be on your left.
Website:
(English) (Japanese)
Tokyo City View
Hours: Open from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM, or to 1:00 AM on Friday, Saturday, and pre-holiday nights. Sky Deck is open from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
Cost: ¥1,800. The Sky Deck costs an additional ¥500.
Access: Tokyo City View is on the 52nd floor of Mori Tower; Sky Deck is on the 54th. Please see above for directions to Roppongi Hills.
Website:
(English) (Japanese)
