Tokyo is one of the most interesting and vibrant cities in Asia. It is an exciting and wonderful blend of old tradition and cutting edge modernity. Leading the way in New Tokyo is Mori Building. Mori Building started with just one structure in 1955 and has over the years been instrumental in the building of modern Tokyo. Today, Mori Building has over 100 major structures located in key locations around the city. Mori Building has been visionary in urban design. It leads the way in urban communities that combine business centers, entertainment districts, conferences centers, and residential areas. These planned cities are self-contained and have all the requirements of modern life. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit some of these new communities and would like to take this opportunity to tell you of the marvelous opportunities that await you in these new urban centers in Tokyo.
I flew into Narita from Seoul Korea and was taken to the Grand Hyatt in the Roppongi district of Tokyo. The trip took about 60 minutes by car; however, other mass transportation options to this Hotel are also available. The Grand Hyatt, Roppongi is just one of the many fabulous Mori Building properties. Upon arrival I was greeted by a friendly professional staff and checked into a state of the art spacious comfortable room. After getting settled, select invitees and I got to meet the Grand Hyatt general manager and some key Mori Building personnel that we would be dealing with over the next few days. After the cocktail reception and ice breaker, a few of my conference attendees and I went out in the local area to enjoy the beautiful holiday lights in this part of Tokyo. After a long day traveling I really enjoyed a restful night in the Grand Hyatt, Roppongi.
I woke up after a wonderful nights rest and proceeded to the breakfast buffet at one of the many dinning venues in the hotel. After getting our food from the buffet we adjourned to a private meeting room where we ate and discussed our itinerary for the next few days. The Grand Hyatt’s facilities were first rate and ideal for conducting business in a friendly efficient atmosphere.
Following breakfast our group went on a tour of the convention facilities available at the hotel. The Grand Hyatt was designed as an integrated one stop location for conventions, parties, weddings, and any other type event you could imagine. As an example, for weddings they had Christian and Shinto venues for conducting the ceremonies, hair and makeup salons to prepare the guests, indoor and outdoor venue options, and large and small locations for all type of receptions. The same is true for a business conference. Your have all the meeting space, media support, dining, lodging, recreational activities required to conduct a productive and successful business conference. They also have large spaces for indoor and outdoor exhibitions such as car shows, trade shows and other type business exhibitions.
Next to the Grand Hyatt is another Mori Building called the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower. In this building on the 49 th and 50 th floors is located Academy Hills. This facility contains an additional ten meeting rooms of various sizes. This facility also offers the largest observation deck in Japan and has a panoramic view of Tokyo. Academy hill offers cutting edge facilities and blends functionality with hospitality. The rooms are ideally suited for exhibiting products, holding business negotiations , or just having a party or get together in a breathtaking atmosphere. All rooms offer all necessary meeting support and are a valuable supplement to the facilities available in the Grand Hyatt next door. Both the Grand Hyatt and Academy Hills are truly outstanding locations for any need.
After our tour of the Grand Hyatt, our group proceeded to Mori Building’s new Andaz Hotel in the Toranomon Hills area of Tokyo. The Andaz Hotel is new and just opened in June 2014. The Andaz Hotels is a new brand by Hyatt and have the same high quality faculties and services. Upon arriving at the hotel, we proceeded to the fifth floor of the facility where the Toranomon Hills Forum is located. This location is ideal for business or pleasure. It is located between the Imperial Place and the Tokyo Tower and is one of the largest conference facilities in Tokyo. The facility offers a tremendous view of the city. The facility has three large conference halls supplemented by four meeting rooms. The facilities occupy the fourth and fifth floor of the hotel. The facilities are ideal settings for meetings, incentive tours, conferences/conventions and exhibitions (MICE); general assemblies, seminars, symposiums and business events. All these facilities are state of the art and ideally located.
During the tour of the facilities, we were treated to a surprise Japanese performance called a Kabuki show. This gave us appreciation of Japanese culture and is an example of the type of entertainment that can be arranged for your conference or meeting. This type show can also be used as an incentive for an organization’s top performers. The Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills Forum is also very conveniently located to Haneda airport. In fact, on my return trip to Seoul, it only took 30 minutes for me to travel from the Andaz Hotel to Haneda airport by car.
Following our informative tour of the convention facilities we went to lunch at the Bebu Restaurant located on the first floor of the Andaz Hotel. This is just one of many excellent dinning venues located in the Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills complex. This restaurant in particular featured casual style dining with western style cuisine. It is always nice to have a good hamburger, tapas, or other grilled specialties when you’re on the road. My burger was great. After lunch we went by car to Ark Hills Mori Building for an exciting helicopter ride.
The helicopter ride illustrates one interesting way for organizations to reward their top performers. If your organization is holding an event at the Toranomon Hills Forum, you could arrange (for a cost) for selected personnel to receive a helicopter ride over Tokyo. This is one of the reward type events we participated in. We drove to Ark Hill (another Mori building) and boarded modern helicopter for a ten minute ride over and around the city of Tokyo. The ride was breathtaking and something I will remember forever. After the helicopter ride, the staff of the Ark Hill gave us a demonstration of how to wrap gifts Japanese style. Once our transportation arrived, our group returned to the Andaz Hotel.
Upon return to the hotel we went up to the 52 nd floor where they have a great roof top bar with the best view of Tokyo I have ever seen. The bar has both indoor and open air seating. It has an unlimited choice of beverages and snacks. After drinks, we checked into our rooms. The rooms were very modern, roomy, and comfortable. The rooms are boutique style and beautifully decorated. Rooms are located on floor 47 to 50. This gives each room a great view of the Tokyo skyline. Some rooms have a view of the Tokyo Skytree while others have a view of Mount Fuji (weather permitting). Each room has a deep soaking tub for bathing similar to a Japanese bath house. I spent two nights in my room with a view of the Tokyo Skytree. I slept well each night and greatly enjoyed the stay with special emphasis on the great tub.
After we checked into our rooms we then proceeded to dinner at Izakaya (Japanese style restaurant) located in the Shinbashi area of Tokyo near the hotel (10 minutes’ walk). The meal was served Japanese style and I really enjoyed the fresh chicken and vegetables. This particular restaurant raises their own chicken and vegetables to ensure quality and freshness and this was clearly evident in the excellent meal. After dinner we returned to the Andaz Hotel for a good night’s rest.
The next morning we had breakfast in the hotel. It was another great meal with a view of the city. We then took a 10 minute walk to Seisyo-ji temple for Zazen experience. Here members of our group were shown how to meditate. We then practiced this meditation for about forty minutes. This allowed us to relax and clear our minds from the troubles of the day and the bustling of the city. This is another unique experience that could be offered as a cultural experience for your convention or meeting. Meditation sessions are held every Wednesday; however, reservations are required. After the temple we walked over to the Atago Shinto Shrine build in 1603 (here we had a brief presentation on local beliefs). It is amazing that place like the temple exist in the heart of a major city like Tokyo. We then proceeded to another Japanese style lunch in one of the many Mori buildings.
After lunch we went back to the Andaz Hotel Toranomon Forum for a presentation by the Tokyo Convention and Visitor Bureau. The presentation told us Tokyo was ranked as the number two livable city in the world by Monocle Magazine’s 2014 quality of life survey. The presentation emphasized that success in Tokyo is measured by the quality of life. You will never be bored in Tokyo because of the city’s overall hospitality, cleanliness, and the ease of getting around using the superb mass transportation system.
There are numerous excellent convention venues in Tokyo to include but not limited to the already mentioned Toranomon Hills. Additionally, the Tokyo International Forum and Tokyo Big Sight are also superb facilities in Tokyo. In addition to convention locations, Tokyo offers cruises on Tokyo Bay, Happo-en Tea Ceremonies, and the aforementioned convention complex at Roppongi Hills. Tokyo has a lot to offer. After this presentation we attended the International Meeting Exposition.
The exposition was held at the Tokyo International Forum Exhibition Hall. The exposition consisted of exhibitors promoting their locations and services throughout Japan and the Pacific Rim. This was followed by a visit to the Ginza where we shopped and enjoyed the holiday decorations. We then returned to Toranomon Hills for cocktails at the Presidential Suite. This concluded the trip.
It must be noted that Mori Building is redefining the city of Tokyo. There concept of integrated urban centers with all the requirements’ for a quality life is truly visionary. There high rise building incorporate office space, living space, shopping areas, restaurants, entertainment venues and even green space. This will allow people to live near working saving them from difficult commutes. These urban centers are seamlessly integrated into the city as a whole making them part and not separate from the city to that they belong to.
The next morning we had a quick 30 minute drive from the Andaz Hotel to Haneda Airport for my return flight to Seoul. It was a very enjoyable trip to Tokyo.
