The 2003 development that defined Tokyo’s vertical-city ambitions, with a 54-storey tower, a cinema, a TV studio, apartments and hundreds of shops and restaurants laid over a 12-hectare site. Louise Bourgeois’ bronze spider stands at the plaza, Mori Art Museum and an observation deck crown the tower, and a Japanese garden with a pond survives from a feudal lord’s estate below.
It is easy to get lost in the escalators and bridges, so take the elevator straight to the top first for orientation. Come back down for the garden and the tree-lined Keyakizaka street, then stay for an evening when the whole complex, built for after-dark life, is at its best.
Tips
- The Sky Deck on the roof of Mori Tower is open-air, 270 metres up, and worth the small supplement on a clear day
- Mohri Garden, the Japanese garden tucked behind TV Asahi, is a quiet place to eat a bento away from the crowds
- Keyakizaka's winter illuminations frame Tokyo Tower at the bottom of the street from mid-November