78 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd R o p p o n g i ROPPONGI | NISHI-AZABU | SHIBA-KŌEN | AKASAKA | TORANOMON Neighbourhood Top Five 1 Soaking up the latest 3 Taking in the cutting- 5 Digging some very contemporary art at the edge art and design ideas curvy architecture and sky-high Mori Art Museum at 21_21 Design Sight in top-notch exhibitions at the (p 80 ) in the ginormous Tokyo Midtown (p 80 ). National Art Center, Tokyo Roppongi Hills. 4 Kitsching it up at the (p 81 ). 2 Imbibing, karaoke-ing retro Tokyo Tower (p 82 ) and living it up in the best and then meeting a contem- watering holes (p 85) of plative Buddha at Zōjō-ji Roppongi and Nishi-Azabu. (Zōjō Temple; p 82 ). G Jingū a i Akasaka Kokkaimae Garden gaien e H n Imperial i (Western Style) Meiji- t - H h Residence ri o a kōen t NAGATACHŌ CHIYODA- r i ō u g -d s i m a u r i a Kokkaimae Garden KU -dō s am g ō r h y i (Japanese Style) i i o - - A d d ō ō i r r r i i ō Hibiya-kōen i-d Ko (Hibiya Park) ng k Uchibori-d ri o kai- dō pp dōr a- ) Ro i am St KASUMIGASEKI oy e AKASAKA A 11111 u UCHISAIWAICHŌ tiq Sot 1111 n e o A bor SHIBUYA-11111 i ( in i-d -dōr L i ō to ōri r r KU1111 ot p i K o TORANOMON ō 11111 d o - SL Hiroba L 1111Aoyama Rei-en y ARK o # TOKYO w g Square 11111(Aoyama 3 p a HILLS t Ex urada-d MINAMI-1111 ri MIDTOWN A SHIMBASHI Cemetery) # to i 111115 u dō h Sak AOYAMA - S 1111 i G k NISHI- 11111a Aoyama- ō ROPPONGI ji SHIMBASHI i 1111e kōen e hūō-dōr n S # C 11111- 2 ni Gai 1111sh ROPPONGI en SHIODOME i -h # - ig 2 d HILLS as ka h ō i- # a d r 1 ō i z ri MINATO- dōri - - Ke Hibiya-dori Roppongi i yakizaka AZABUDAI 4# KU SHIBA r NISHI- ō Torii KŌEN d AZABU - ROPPONGI AZABU- HIGASHI- i Shiba- h 6-CHŌME JŪBAN a AZABU kōen s A a k Sh # SHIBA V V MOTO- a uto E 4 z xp T w Kyū- MINAMI- i- i y Lo DAIMON AZABU r op L m in Shibarikyū AZABU ō e a d Onshi-teien y - a a r Arisugawa d u a 01km Memorial K r e# Park u 00.5miles HIRŌ-O k a S SHINAGAWA-KU For more detail of this area, see Map p 288 A 79 Best Places Explore Roppongi 5to Eat One of Tokyo’s prime nightlife districts, Roppongi (and Tofuya-Ukai (p 85 ) its surrounding neighbourhoods) has a wealth of day- H a y a s h i ( p 8 5 ) time culture-vulture attractions that can take up a day I n a k a y a ( p 8 4 ) or two of touring. Shabu-zen Roppongi Start at Roppongi Station and head west along (p 84 ) Roppongi-dōri (topped by an expressway) to Roppongi Hills, taking in the lofty Mori Art Museum and its views For reviews, see p 83 A of the city. Head back east to explore the area around Rop- pongi Crossing, which becomes an international cross- roads of drinkers and touts at night, and hit the sights Best Places of Tokyo Midtown including the Suntory Museum of Art. 6to Drink When it’s time to relax, the area north and south of the A g a v e ( p 8 5 ) crossing has excellent dining and drinking options, but T h e s e ( p 8 8 ) there are also some unique spots back down Roppongi- Mistral Bleu/Train Bar dōri in Nishi-Azabu, a 10- to 15-minute walk away. ROPPONGI Start day two by eyeballing the rather Stalinist ar- (p 88 ) chitecture and taking a tour of Japan’s parliament – the Heartland (p 88 ) National Diet. Nearby Hie-jinja (Hie Shrine), an impor- For reviews, see p 85 A tant Shintō sanctuary, is part of the Akasaka business district, which has its own share of nightlife, though it’s decidedly tamer than Roppongi’s. From Akasaka, a short Best ride on the Ginza Line subway takes you to Toranomon 6Nightlife Station for the nearby Musee Tomo and, a 20-minute walk south, the Shiba-kōen (Shiba Park) area. Here you E l e v e n ( p 8 8 ) can climb the 1950s-vintage Tokyo Tower and take in S u p e r d e l u x e ( p 8 9 ) the grand Buddhist temple of Zōjō-ji. Nearby, excellent M u s e ( p 8 8 ) Tofuya-Ukai tofu restaurant is superb at sunset. B u l - L e t ’ s ( p 8 8 ) For reviews, see p 85 A Local Life Eating Slurp some noodles after a long day off hitting the sights (p 84 ). Crooning You’ll sing in the shower. Why not in the bath at Lovenet (p 89 )? Late nights Miss the last train (p 85 ) and party till the next morning. Getting There & Away R o p p o n g i Subway The Hibiya and Ōedo Lines run through Roppongi, though the latter is signifi cantly deeper underground. The Hibiya Line is thus closer to Roppongi Crossing, Roppongi’s main intersection. Akasaka Subway The Yūrakuchō, Hanzōmon, Namboku, Chiyoda, Marunouchi and Ginza Lines all converge in Akasaka. Akasaka-mitsuke is the most central station; nearby are Nagatachō, Akasaka and Tameike-sannō..