Roppongi 六本木 | |
|---|---|
District | |
 Roppongi at night, withTokyo Tower in the background | |
  Roppongi Location of Roppongi within Tokyo Show map of Special wards of Tokyo Roppongi Location of Roppongi within Tokyo Bay Show map of Tokyo Bay and Bōsō Peninsula | |
| Coordinates:35°39′36″N139°43′48″E / 35.66000°N 139.73000°E /35.66000; 139.73000 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Kantō |
| Prefecture | Tokyo |
| Ward | Minato, Tokyo |
| Established | - |
| Elevation | 16.0 m (52.5 ft) |
| Population (January 1, 2016) | |
• Total | 12,111[1] |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (JST) |
| Postal code | 106-0032 |
| Area code | 03 |
Roppongi (Japanese:六本木,[ɾo̞ppõ̞ŋʲɡʲi]ⓘ,lit. 'six trees') is a district ofMinato,Tokyo, Japan, famous for theRoppongi Hills development area, an upscale commercial and residential complex, and night club scene. Several foreignembassies are located in or near Roppongi. The district is in central Tokyo, situated south ofAkasaka and north ofAzabu and is noted for itsnight life, attracting both local residents and visitors from abroad.
The nameRoppongi, which appears to have been coined around 1660, literally means "six trees". According to one account, the name comes from six very old and largezelkova trees that used to mark the area; the first three were cleared, and the last were destroyed duringWorld War II.[2] Another legend has it that the name comes from the fact that sixdaimyōs lived nearby during theEdo period, each with thekanji character for "tree" or a kind of tree in their names. Roppongi was not extensively populated until after theMeiji Restoration, although the area was trafficked for centuries and served as the site of thecremation of ShōgunTokugawa Hidetada's wife in 1626.[3]
In 1890, the Third Imperial Guard of theImperial Japanese Army was moved to a site near Roppongi (now home to the Pacific bureau ofStars and Stripes). The influx of soldiers led to the area's rise as anightlife district, briefly interrupted by theGreat Kanto earthquake which flattened the area in 1923.[3] Roppongi was administratively part ofAzabu Ward from 1878 to 1947.
AfterWorld War II, during which the area was again destroyed, this time by aerial bombing raids, theUnited States Army andAlliedgovernment officials occupied several facilities in the area, beginning Roppongi's reputation as a neighborhood with large numbers ofnon-Japanese. Several large US military installations were located in the nearby area, withHardy Barracks probably the most significant (the US Embassy Housing Compound andAkasaka Press Center including Hardy Barracks Recreational Lodging,Stars and Stripes office and heliport are still there). Surrounding the military installations were many Japanese-owned restaurants, pool halls, bars, and brothels which catered to US military personnel but were also often frequented by Japanese customers.
Starting in the late 1960s, Roppongi became popular amongJapanese people andforeigners alike for itsdisco scene, which attracted many of Tokyo's entertainment elites. Contributing to the international scene was the location of several foreign embassies and foreign corporate offices in the Roppongi area. However, many dance clubs shut down in therecession following themarket crash of 1989.
The Roppongi area received a major economic boost in 2002–2003 when theIzumi Garden Tower and theRoppongi Hills high-rise complexes were completed. These projects brought high-end office and condominium space to Roppongi for the first time. TheTokyo Midtown project in neighbouring Akasaka, which was completed in 2006, and includes the first TokyoRitz-Carlton Hotel, continued this trend.
The area features numerous bars, nightclubs, strip clubs, restaurants, hostess clubs,cabarets, and other forms of entertainment. Among theexpatriate community, the area tends to be favored by business people, students, and off-duty US military personnel. Overall, the neighborhood caters to a younger crowd.
Clubs can range from large, multi-level establishments, to smaller one-room clubs located in upper levels of buildings.In more recent times some of the larger venues with knownyakuza connections have closed.[4] Around Roppongi crossing are a number of clubs which feature foreign performers. There are also a number of both foreign- and Japanese-operated bars catering to different crowds. Recently, Roppongi has enjoyed a growing reputation for its organized events such as art festivals, dart and billiard tournaments, pub crawls,[5] robot exhibitions, beauty pageants, and so on.
Restaurants in Roppongi vary from upscale Japanese fare to popular international restaurants.
Roppongi is home to many important art galleries and museums in Tokyo, serving as a center hub for culture. This includes prestigious institutions such as theMori Art Museum,Kotaro Nukaga,Galerie Perrotin, andThe National Art Center, Tokyo.
Mori Building Company andThe Pokémon Company have their headquarters in theRoppongi Hills Mori Tower.[6][7][8]
Companies based in Roppongi include:
Public elementary and middle schools are operated by the Minato City (the Minato Ward) Board of Education.[14]Roppongi Junior High School [ja] is located at Imoarai-Zaka, in Roppongi.
Roppongi 1-chōme, 3-chōme, and 4-chōme, as well as 1-8 and 15-18 ban of 5-chōme, and 1-22 ban of 7-chōme, are zoned toAzabu Elementary School [ja]. 2-chōme is zoned toAkasaka Elementary School [ja]. 9-14 ban of 5-chōme and 6-chōme are zoned toNanzan Elementary School [ja]. 23-ban of 7-chōme is zoned toKōgai Elementary School [ja].
The majority of Roppongi is zoned to Roppongi Junior High School. However, 2-chōme is instead zoned toAkasaka Junior High School [ja]. Roppongi 7-chome 23-ban is instead zoned toKoryo Junior High School [ja].[15]
Public high schools are operated by theTokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.Roppongi High School is located in Roppongi.[16]
Toyo Eiwa Jogakuin is private girls school, also located at Torii-Zaka in the district.
The American School in Japan Early Learning Center is in Roppongi Hills.[17][18]
Minato City Library operates Azabu Library in Roppongi.[19]
In the past, Roppongi had a reputation as an area with highyakuza presence, whether as customers at Roppongi establishments, conducting business, or managing or owning clubs and bars in the area. Although still exerting some influence in Roppongi, in recent times they appear to have shifted much of their presence to other districts in the Tokyo area.[20][21]
In 2006,Nigerian immigrants to Japan began opening a number of bars and nightclubs in the area, following an earlier group of innovators who had been in business in Roppongi for many years. The Nigerians were noted for using visible, high-pressure tactics to draw customers to their bars. In 2009 and 2010 a series of drink-spiking incidents, in which customers reported being drugged and robbed, were linked to Nigerian-owned bars. The incidents resulted in the United States embassy in Japan warning US citizens to avoid certain bars and clubs in Roppongi. An investigation byThe Japan Times in July 2011 found that though drink spiking occurred, most of the incidents did not involve criminal activity. Many customers claimed unusually severe hangovers after nights spent in Nigerian-run establishments. Similar complaints are often made about non-Nigerian bars in Roppongi that offer unlimited drink packages and often lace drinks with hard liquor to minimize customer consumption and increase profit.[22][23][24]
5-12-24 Roppongi, Minato City, Tokyo 106-0032
35°39′36″N139°43′48″E / 35.66000°N 139.73000°E /35.66000; 139.73000
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