Roppongi — Art, Skyline Views and Tokyo's Nightlife

The big complex at the centre of the district, with everything packed into one tower. Up on floor 52 is Tokyo City View, an indoor observation deck about 250 metres up that sees Tokyo Tower and the Skytree together, with Mount Fuji on a clear day. One floor up, on 53, is Mori Art Museum, a contemporary art museum with rotating exhibitions all year round.

A handsomely designed complex across from Roppongi Hills, gathering shops, restaurants, and a wide green park behind the tower. Inside is the Suntory Museum of Art, one of the three points of the Art Triangle, focused on traditional Japanese art. Come winter, the Midtown garden stages an illumination that Tokyoites rate as one of the most beautiful Christmas light displays in the city.

A museum where the building itself is the masterpiece — a wave of curved glass designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa. There's no permanent collection here; instead it's one of Japan's largest spaces for rotating exhibitions. The best part: the building and atrium are free to enter, and you only pay for the ticketed special exhibitions.

The red-and-white Eiffel-style tower that became a symbol of Tokyo sits right beside Roppongi. From around Roppongi Hills it's a 15–20 minute downhill walk to the base, with plenty of spots along the way to catch the tower peeking between buildings. There are two observation decks (Main Deck at 150 m · Top Deck at 250 m), though many people say it's beautiful enough just photographed from below when it's lit up at night.

Come nightfall, Roppongi is Tokyo's most international night district — from rooftop bars with views of Tokyo Tower, to quiet wine bars, to dance clubs that run until morning. Because it borders the embassy quarter, you'll find Japanese and international crowds mixing, with a buzz you won't find in other parts of the city.

Not a single place, but the joining of three major museums you can walk between — Mori Art Museum, Suntory Museum of Art (in Tokyo Midtown), and The National Art Center. The appeal: keep your ticket from one and show it at another and you usually get a discount, which is why so many people plan to see all three in one day.

Roppongi is home to many countries' embassies, which fills the surrounding streets with quality international restaurants — French, Italian, Indian, Mexican — alongside excellent Japanese places and easy-going cafés. It's a district where finding a good dinner, or a quiet lunch, takes no effort at all.