Roppongi

Stay

Roppongi is another excellent area to stay in Tokyo. This cosmopolitan area is famous for its entertainment, fantastic restaurants, and bustling nightlife. It also contains several art museums, galleries, shopping centers, and theaters.

Roppongi is probably Tokyo’s most international area. Wealthy foreign businessmen come to dine and party there, and the restaurants’ menus are available in English.

Roppongi Hills

Roppongi Hills, considered the heart of the Roppongi area, is an enormous entertainment complex with 220 restaurants, shops, offices, cinemas, a hotel, and an art museum. From the top floor, the “Tokyo City View,” you have fantastic views of Tokyo.

We visited Roppongi Hills in December, and from the Roppongi Observation Deck on the 52nd floor, we could see Tokyo landmarks like Toky Skytree, Tokyo Tower, Odaiba, and Ebisu Gardens.

Things To Do In Roppongi

• Tokyo Tower
  The Tokyo Tower is a copy of the Eiffel Tower, but it is 13 m higher than the real Eiffel Tower in Paris. It was finished in 1958 and symbolized Tokyo’s post-World War II period. You can take the lift up to the main observation deck at 150 m or the “special” deck at 250 m.
• Several Art Museums
  Roppongi has several of Tokyo’s best and biggest art museums and centers like the National Art Center Tokyo, Suntory Museum of Art (lifestyle art like ceramics, weaving, etc.), 21_21 Design Sight, and Musee Tomo (Japanese ceramic art).
• Nogi-jinja Shrine
  The shrine honors General Nogi, the hero of the Russo-Japanese War who committed suicide together with his wife when Emperor Meiji died. Nogi´s black wooden residence is on the same ground as this shrine.
• Teamlab Borderless
  Teamlab Borderless moved from Odaiba to the new MORI building in Azabudai Hills in 2023. This extremely popular digital art museum and interactive exhibition by TeamLab is a must-visit! We love it! The tickets sell out quickly, so you should pre-book your tickets online.
• Zojo-ji Temple
  Zoji-ji is the oldest wooden structure in Tokyo and is most dramatic at dusk, when the Tokyo Tower lights the grounds from behind. Dating back to 1393, it is the most important temple of the Jodo sect of Buddhism (Pure Land). It contains a giant bell that is considered one of the great three bells of the Edo period.
• Atago-jinja Shrine
  This Shinto shrine’s main feature is its giant stone stairway, which leads up to the highest natural spot in central Tokyo. It is most pretty at dusk, when many lanterns light it.
• Keyakizaka Dori Street
  Head to Keyakizaka Dori Street for upscale shopping like Tiffany & Co. and Louis Vuitton.

Where To Stay In Roppongi

Top-end:

The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo
The Ritz-Carlton is one of the premier 5-star luxury hotels in Tokyo! It is located in Tokyo’s highest building (53 floors) and offers spectacular views of the Shinjuku area, the Imperial Palace, and Mount Fuji. The service is excellent, and the rooms are large and elegantly furnished.

As a guest, you can enjoy an indoor pool, sauna, and a well-equipped gym. The hotel has eight (!) restaurants, including the Micheling-starred Azure 45, famous for its French cuisine. You can easily walk from Ritz-Carlton directly to Roppongi Station, which quickly takes you to Shinjuku and Akihabara. The Midtown Galleria Mall, with plenty of shops and restaurants, is located at the base of the building. If you can afford it, Ritz-Carlton is an exceptional place to stay.

Grand Hyatt Tokyo 
Grand Hyatt Tokyo is a 5-star luxury hotel conveniently located inside Roppongi Hills, the center of the Roppongi area. Grand Hyatt is only a 3-min walk from Roppongi Subway Station. The rooms are big (the smallest is 42 sqm), modern, stylish, and comfortable. The beds are super comfortable with very soft sheets.

The hotel has no less than 10 (!) restaurants and bars as well as an indoor swimming pool, gym, and spa. The rooms on the upper floors have an impressive view of Tokyo and Tokyo Tower.

Mid-range:

Roppongi Hotel S
This stylish 4-star boutique hotel is located in the heart of Roppongi, a 7-minute walk from Roppongi Subway Station. The rooms are in modern Japanese style (every room has its unique design), clean, decently sized, and well equipped with a flat-screen TV, air conditioning, and fridge.

The hotel is quite small but has an excellent bar and restaurant on the ground floor and a small and beautifully decorated library. In 5 minutes, you can easily walk to Roppongi Hills with its restaurants and shops.

Hotel Monterey Akasaka
Hotel Monterey has clean and comfortable, albeit small, rooms in an elegant old European style (the smallest rooms are 15 sqm). The location is excellent in a quiet area as long as you don’t mind the slightly uphill five-minute walk from the Akasaka-Mitsuke Subway Station. The breakfast buffet is good, with both Western and Japanese options.

remm Roppongi
A lovely hotel with compact, well-designed modern rooms, where the bonus is a massage chair in every room! Pretty nice after a long day of sightseeing and walking. The hotel is close to two subway stations (a 1-min walk from Roppongi Subway Station), 400 meters from Roppongi Hills entertainment center and shopping mall, and Mori Art Museum. Ask for a room on the higher floors, and you will get a fantastic view of Tokyo. There is a convenient tablet in the room to use for free. This is a good value for money in the Roppongi area.

Candeo Hotels Roppongi
Candeo Hotel has modern and comfortable rooms, although on the smaller side (the smallest rooms are 16 sqm). Some rooms have a balcony. The hotel is non-smoking and has a great location, only 500 meters from Roppongi Hills and close to Roppongi subway station.

The real gem of this hotel is the free rooftop onsen/hot spring with amazing panoramic views of Tokyo from floor-to-ceiling windows – the perfect place to wind down and relax after a day of sightseeing.