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It’s Happening in Tokyo! - Modern Tokyo

By Sandy Zimmerman

“Tokyo ni yokoso” Welcome to Tokyo! Tokyo beams with skyscrapers and the latest innovations known to man, yet the city has the flavor of an ancient society. Do you want to see Tokyo’s ancient side or their ultra-modern city?

Roppongi Hills is today’s answer to crowded urban living and a model for the world to see! Builder Minoru Mori created a city-within-a-city, a 54 story cultural, entertainment, residential, and business center. This vertically designed 27-acre complex utilizes space wisely with over 115 stores, 70 one-of-a-kind restaurants, 9 cinemas, 880 apartments, 390 room Grand Hyatt Tokyo Hotel, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo City View observation decks, television station, outdoor performance area, and their own self-sufficient energy plant.

Even though Roppongi Hills brings a dynamic mega high-rise look, the developers considered improving the quality of urban life by providing an oasis of greenery, roof gardens, and parks. With beautiful 17th century Mori Gardens at the entrance to the complex, sit by waterfalls in a traditional Japanese garden of the Edo period. There are roof gardens around the world, but Roppongi Hills has defined the roof gardens of the future. Imagine seeing a rice paddy on the top of the seven-floor cinema complex! It has actually produced 132 pounds of organically grown rice. Each of the 13 rooftops is different with a fusion of oriental with occidental gardens. Garden designer Dan Pearson explains, “I position many plants so the wind can play with them, just as in the wilderness. Foliage rustling in the wind can sound truly mesmerizing.” Only one year old, the majestic Roppongi Hills dwarfs all of the other buildings in Tokyo.

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The Yanaka Rice Crackers business started at the beginning of the Taisho Era, about 90 years ago. The hard type round cracker that is toasted and seasoned with a proprietary recipe is very popular.

The Isetatsu Yanaka Store dates back to the Edo era and sells Edo style paper with colorful figures or patterns and Edo style carton Pierre, a kind of papier-mache, imitative of stone or bronze. There are over 1,000 different designs, which represent life and fashion during the Edo era.

The Takehisa Yumeji Museum has 2,800 works of popular romantic poets and artists 1884-1934).


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(Sample menus and prices are listed in Details Section.)

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TOKYO

KAMAKURA


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Tourist Information

The Japan National Tourist Organization JNTO) says, “don’t miss the modern and ancient sights because they are ALL Tokyo!” The JNTO arranges visits to Japanese homes, free Goodwill Guides, and free information about Japan. Los Angeles: 213-623-1952, http://www.jnto.go.jp/.

See Japan, Part #1, for the ancient Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, attractions, traditional Tokyo, food theme parks, museums, cruises, side trips, Minshuku Guest Homes, Ryokan or Japanese Inns, night clubs/ discos, airlines, tourist information, American Embassy, hospitals, doctors, etc.)