Roppongi Street Scene
The view down Gaien-Higashi-dori at Roppongi. The area has renown as a place where 'east meets west'. There is certainly a great mix of people, attracted by the restaurants and nightclubs. I like Roppongi. My entry was not auspicious. I'd booked a hotel and on arrival discovered it was a construction site - a really big hole in the ground. The hotel company hadn't said that they had booked me into a better hotel - which at least made up for the hour spent walking around the site unbelievingly.
Roppongi has been completely transformed by the Mori Tower and Tokyo Midtown complexes which are entire communities by themselves. The older locals occasionally complain that the whole area has been built out, and it has lost much of its character because there is no shadow. I think the change is partly Roppongi's emergence as a business area, even the business of art; there is no lack of character.
Roppongi grew from army barracks during the Meiji wars, which were taken over by Americans who left the area in 1959. The area grew during the pre-Olympic years as television stations moved here, and pizza and dancing attracted a younger crowd.
According to Martin and Martin, the name Roppongi means 'six trees' after six Tokugawa daimyo who once had estates in the area. In the photo, the landmark at centre is Tokyo Tower.
Roppongi Street Scene
The view down Gaien-Higashi-dori at Roppongi. The area has renown as a place where 'east meets west'. There is certainly a great mix of people, attracted by the restaurants and nightclubs. I like Roppongi. My entry was not auspicious. I'd booked a hotel and on arrival discovered it was a construction site - a really big hole in the ground. The hotel company hadn't said that they had booked me into a better hotel - which at least made up for the hour spent walking around the site unbelievingly.
Roppongi has been completely transformed by the Mori Tower and Tokyo Midtown complexes which are entire communities by themselves. The older locals occasionally complain that the whole area has been built out, and it has lost much of its character because there is no shadow. I think the change is partly Roppongi's emergence as a business area, even the business of art; there is no lack of character.
Roppongi grew from army barracks during the Meiji wars, which were taken over by Americans who left the area in 1959. The area grew during the pre-Olympic years as television stations moved here, and pizza and dancing attracted a younger crowd.
According to Martin and Martin, the name Roppongi means 'six trees' after six Tokugawa daimyo who once had estates in the area. In the photo, the landmark at centre is Tokyo Tower.