WHAT MIGHT THE CITIES OF
TOMORROW LOOK LIKE?

What might the cities of tomorrow look like? Tokyo, a showroom of possible futures, offers a sneak peek into what the world can expect.

Perhaps travellers will be inspired by Azabudai Hills, located in the city’s dynamic Roppongi neighbourhood and the latest of Tokyo’s ‘work, live and play cities within the city’. It boasts state-of-the-art office spaces and residences, of course, but also a centre for preventative medicine, an international school and the first large-scale venture capital hub in Japan. The ground levels, meanwhile, feature ample green space—designed by award-winning British firm Heatherwick Studio—to be enjoyed year-round by the public. In line with Tokyo’s push towards achieving net-zero emissions, the whole complex will be powered by renewable energy.

Azabudai Hills will also be the new home of digital art museum teamLab Borderless, previously located on the waterfront in Odaiba. Scheduled to open in January next year, this new iteration of one of Tokyo’s hottest attractions in recent years will feature spectacular new works including several light sculptures that are a clever play of light and colour. Described as “a world of artworks without boundaries, a museum without a map", the Guinness World Record-breaking teamLab Borderless, through an immersive experience, invites visitors to lose themselves in the vast, three-dimensional world, as they seek to explore the intersection of art and technology, and the relationship between the self and the world.

Azabudai Hills, Tokyo © DBox for Mori Building Co., Ltd
teamLab Borderless © teamLab
teamLab, Universe of Water Particles, Transcending Boundaries / Flowers and People, Cannot be Controlled but Live Together © teamLab

TEAMLAB

Come January 2024, the highly anticipated iteration of digital art museum teamLab Borderless will reopen its doors in Azabudai Hills, welcoming visitors back for an immersive and interactive experience. The line-up of installations will feature some familiar favourites, but new works including several three-dimensional light sculptures are to be expected as well.

As digital art continues to evolve by leaps and bounds, Tokyo has positioned itself as a leading destination to experience this emerging art form, in exhibitions settings and also at events like Roppongi Art Night, where the neighbourhood comes alive after dark to celebrate the artistry of local and international talents alike. From evening to dawn, the all-night festival curates a thoughtful line-up of art installations and performances, using the streets, galleries and museums of Roppongi as an innovative backdrop. Spaces like teamLab Borderless and the nearby Mori Art Museum also stay open later into the evening, perfect for travellers on a business trip who might only be able to spare a weekday evening.

For those wishing to stay in the neighbourhood,: the first Janu property from luxury hotelier Aman is set to open in the area later this winter (as of Nov 2023). Janu, translated as “soul” in Sanskrit, will offer a sense of connectivity amid Tokyo’s hustle and bustle, where visitors can take a moment to themselves to recharge. In addition to 122 light-filled suites and rooms, Janu Tokyo will boast a cutting-edge wellness facility that includes a heated lap pool, a lounge pool, two spa houses, a gym and multiple movement studios offering exercise classes such as boxing, yoga and simulation golf. At over 4,000 square metres, Janu Wellness is one of the largest of its kind in a hotel in Tokyo, and strives to give traditional practices a contemporary spin.

©DBOX for Mori Building Co., Ltd

Janu Tokyo

 

Janu Tokyo

 

Janu Tokyo

WORK AND PLAY, PLAY AND WORK
Like Roppongi, Shibuya was an early incubator of Tokyo’s startup scene, and is today one of Tokyo’s most dynamic districts. Most famous for its vibrant street life—especially its famously busy intersection, Shibuya Scramble—and always on the pulse of trends, new developments are fittingly constantly in the works at every corner in the neighbourhood.
For example, just by the train station is Miyashita Park, a mixed-use complex that houses the trendiest shops and restaurants, with a rooftop park spread across two city blocks. Occupying the first floor is Shibuya Yokocho, which reimagines a classic Tokyo dining alley for the contemporary era. Here, visitors can take their pick from a wide selection of local cuisine and fresh produce from all over the country, allowing them to sample each prefecture’s specialty as they move from stall to stall—19 in total. Such alleys, typically free of cars and lined with small bars and restaurants, have long been part of the fabric of the city, a place to gather after work, unwind and connect.
Also by the train station is another recent opening:, the observation deck Shibuya Sky, which offers a birds-eye view over Shibuya’s streets and beyond. Sitting atop Shibuya Scramble Square, where many leading Japanese IT companies have office space, the deck reinforces the Tokyo’s ‘work, live and play within the city’ concept.
More spectacular skyline views can be observed from Ce La Vi—a rooftop bar atop recently renovated shopping centre Tokyu Plaza Shibuya—and from the outdoor terrace of the new Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya, the newest addition to IHG Hotels & Resorts in Japan, which opened its doors this summer. Both are similarly a stone’s throw away from Shibuya station, as well as the Shibuya crossing.

Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya

Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya

Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya

In the hip Tomigaya enclave of Shibuya, where it is largely residential, though studded with fashionable boutiques and cafes, is an independent boutique hotel that opened its doors in September: TRUNK (HOTEL) YOYOGI PARK. Its all-day indoor-outdoor ground floor restaurant, with a pet-friendly terrace space, is sure to be a welcome addition to the neighbourhood; the rooftop pool and lounge, meanwhile, is exclusive for guests. Designed with the concept of “urban recharge” in mind, visitors can seek solace in this quiet, revitalising pocket of space in the heart of the city.

TRUNK (HOTEL) YOYOGI PARK | Courtesy of TRUNK

TRUNK (HOTEL) YOYOGI PARK | Courtesy of TRUNK

TRUNK (HOTEL) YOYOGI PARK | Courtesy of TRUNK

The promise of relaxation extends to across the street, where the district’s biggest green space can be found. While far from the manicured lawns of the city’s traditional landscape gardens, Yoyogi Park is beloved by locals, who use the park for early morning jogs and dog walks.
From here, through the park, it’s an easy walk to Meiji Shrine, which abuts it. The shrine is set among larger grounds, a forest planted over a hundred years ago—showing that Tokyo has always been a city committed to green space. Visit first thing in the morning—it opens at dawn—before the crowds, then continue strolling down Omotesando; originally designed as the shrine’s approach, today the tree-lined boulevard is among the best places in the city to see works from Japan’s leading contemporary architects.
SHIBA PARK
Tokyo may be a city of tomorrow, but history is just as abound here. Look no further than Shiba Park as an example: not only is it one of Tokyo’s oldest parks, it’s also home to one of Tokyo’s oldest wooden buildings—Sangedatsu-mon—that marks the entrance to Zojoji, a Buddhist temple that dates back to beyond the city itself. Visitors can reach the park via Shibakoen station on the Mita Line or Daimon Station on the Toei Asakusa and Toei Oedo lines, both within a short walking distance.
A GREEN CITY
In another part of town, historic Shiba Park is joined by another city landmark, Tokyo Tower. Shiba Park is one of the city’s oldest public parks, dating from 1873, and a fascinating place to explore. It’s home to Tokyo’s oldest wooden structure: Sangedatsu-mon, a monumental gate, built in 1622 and marking the entrance to Zojoji, an important Buddhist temple—and older than the city itself. Elsewhere in the park, there are other historic structures, plum and maple groves, plus strolling paths lined with mature camphor, zelkova, and ginkgo trees.
In this prime location is The Prince Park Tower Tokyo; the hotel being inside a park makes it an ideal location for recharging. To complement the continuity of greenery and integrate with the park, a large portion of the building is underground and the upper portion is greened. Pale celadon tiles are used for the exterior walls, and clear glass is used for the guest room balconies so that the sky and the park’s greenery can be reflected throughout the hotel. Some rooms have balconies overlooking the greenery, or even have private Japanese-style gardens.

The Prince Park Tower Tokyo

The Prince Park Tower Tokyo

The Prince Park Tower Tokyo

TOKYO HAS ALWAYS INVESTED
IN AND PRIORITISED GREENERY

Tokyo has always invested in and prioritised greenery, so as to facilitate a relaxed and enriched way of life, evident in the many urban green spaces in the city. A relatively short 17-minute walk from The Prince Park Tower Tokyo is Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden, one of Tokyo’s well-preserved, feudal-era strolling gardens, complete with a large central water element inspired by a famously beautiful lake in China. Nearby is another garden of similar vintage, Hama Rikyu Garden; here, the central pond—actually a tidal pool—has an island upon which sits a small teahouse, where visitors can sit with a cup of matcha.

And while new developments, like Azabudai Hills and Miyashita Park, are reimagining what public green space can look like, so, too, are digital artists: for example, Sakura Night Garden, produced by digital art collective Naked, this year (2023) featured digital projections in a former imperial garden for an enchanting, contemporary take on traditional hanami (cherry blossom viewing) gatherings.

LOOKING AHEAD TO A FUTURE TOKYO

As a city always innovating and ahead of its time, Tokyo constantly offers a wealth of new experiences to all visitors, who can look forward to more in the decades to come as ‘Future Tokyo’ plans are set in motion.

New initiatives on the horizon include Innovation Base Tokyo, a startup support base modelled after France’s Station F, and SusHi Tech Tokyo (which stands for Sustainable High City Tech Tokyo), an umbrella term for initiatives showcasing the city’s vision for a sustainable future. The three-part SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024 event—comprising the global startup programme, the city leaders programme and the showcase programme (an experimental exhibition aimed at sharing future urban models through a Japanese festival-style hands-on experience)—will symbolise what drives Tokyo as a city and society: the innovative combination of cutting-edge technology and cultural practices to address today’s urban challenges. For a glimpse of what’s to come, look no further than Azabudai Hills and its embodiment of Tokyo’s ‘work, live and play cities within the city’.

SusHi Tech Tokyo Japanese Festival in the Ariake Arena

The Tokyo of today is on track to be the Tokyo of tomorrow, harnessing the power of smart technology to achieve a resilient city, rich in diversity, cultural attractions, and an unparalleled quality of life.

Haneda Airport, the gateway to Tokyo’s wonders

Haneda Airport is Tokyo’s most convenient airport—just 30 minutes from the city centre, thanks to the Tokyo Monorail and Keikyu Railway—and one that regularly ranks number one in on-time departures, globally. The airport is about to get even more convenient, with the opening this fall of Hotel Metropolitan Haneda, which promises easy access, a variety of rooms—with either river or airport views—plus a rooftop observation deck, restaurant, gym, and more.

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The Official Tokyo Travel Guide, GO TOKYO Apart from the major tourist attractions, Tokyo is full of attractive hidden local shopping streets! Check it out on the GO TOKYO website! (Open in other window)The Official Tokyo Travel Guide, GO TOKYO Apart from the major tourist attractions, Tokyo is full of attractive hidden local shopping streets! Check it out on the GO TOKYO website! (Open in other window)

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