Azabudai Hills Launches in Central Tokyo
Thirty-five years in the making, Mori Building's 8.1-hectare district pairs Japan's tallest tower with a Heatherwick-designed landscape, a digital art museum and Aman residences.
Mori Building celebrated the official launch of Azabudai Hills on 23 November 2023, ahead of its public opening the following day in Tokyo’s Minato ward. The 8.1-hectare district has been developed over about 35 years with some 300 landowners, and is centred on Mori JP Tower, which at 330 metres is the tallest building in Japan.
The tower was designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners, while Heatherwick Studio shaped the lower buildings and their sculpted, walkable landscape. Around 24,000 square metres of greenery, including a 6,000-square-metre central square, run through the site. “By combining cultural and social facilities with an extraordinary three-dimensional, explorable landscape, it’s been possible to offer visitors and the local community somewhere to connect,” said Thomas Heatherwick.
The numbers are large: 861,700 square metres of floor space, about 1,400 homes, office floors for roughly 20,000 workers and about 150 shops, including luxury brands. Mori Building expects around 30 million visits a year once the district is fully operational, and says it runs on 100% renewable electricity.
For visitors, the draw lies in its cultural and hospitality mix. The Azabudai Hills Gallery offers 9,300 square metres of exhibition space, and Mori Building Digital Art Museum: Epson teamLab Borderless was scheduled to move in in early February 2024, followed by Janu Tokyo, the 122-room hotel with a 4,000-square-metre wellness facility. Aman Residences Tokyo comprises 91 homes. The 4,000-square-metre Azabudai Hills Market food hall was due in late January 2024.
The district also houses The British School in Tokyo and the Keio University Center for Preventive Medicine. “Cities are among the greatest inventions of mankind and Azabudai Hills has propelled their evolution forward dramatically,” said Fred Clarke of Pelli Clarke & Partners. Details are available from Mori Building; for more on the city, see our Tokyo guide.
