The building is the brainchild of building tycoon Minoru Mori (1934 ~ 2012). His vision: a city within a city. A place where people can work, live and play without commuting.
(worker in a office in Roppongi hills)
(Roppongi Hills residential buildings have a total of 793 luxurious apartments)
(cafe with a view in Roppongi Hills)
(gardens of Roppongi Hills)
(sakura at Roppongi Hills)
(Louis Vuitton Roppongi Hills)
(Mori Art Museum)
It took Mr. Mori 17 years and over $5 billion dollars to fulfill his dream. He acquired 27 acres of prime land by buying up 400 plots over 12 years in Roppongi (one of Tokyo's most expensive neighbourhoods). Finally, in 2000 construction started.
When Roppongi Hills opened in 2003 it was the toast of the town. It seemed like everyone was talking about it. The building recorded millions of visitors per month in its first year.
Despite overall good reviews. Many visitors complained that the interior of the building is a impossible maze — that people with perfectly good navigation skills found themselves hopelessly lost in the buildings network of corridors. A urban legend persists that this was intentional: building designers aimed to trap shoppers.
Mr. Mori was a brilliant marketer. He ensured that Roppongi Hills was the center of high profile Tokyo events. The well managed gardens of Roppongi Hills are popular for hanami, autumn colors and Christmas lights.
Mr. Mori also made sure Roppongi Hills is photogenic. The building almost seems as if it was designed with photographers in mind.
Roppongi hills is one of the 5 best places to view Tokyo.
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