The 10 Best Things To Do In Minato, Tokyo

Welcome to Minato! Minato is another very famous neighborhood or special ward in Tokyo. In this neighborhood, you will find some of the most famous areas and sites in Japan’s capital. Some examples are Roppongi Hills, the Tokyo Tower, and the recently popular Azabudai Hills complex. Want to know more? Then keep reading because I will share the 10 best things to do in Minato, Tokyo in this blog.

MINATO

The name Minato is not very known. However, almost everyone visiting Tokyo has been to this neighborhood since it is home to some of the most famous sites in the city like the famous Tokyo Tower.

Here are some interesting facts about Minato:

In Minato neighborhood you will find the Embassies of many foreign countries and the main holdings of International Companies.
Some of the most popular observation decks in Tokyo are in Minato: Tokyo City View, Tokyo Tower, and Azabudai Hills Observatory.
If you like visiting museums, you will also find some of the best museums in Tokyo here such as The National Art Center or the Mori Art Museum.

THE 10 BEST THINGS TO DO IN MINATO

Let’s get started with the best things to do in Minato. As usual, at the end of this blog, you will find a map in which I have pinned all the places that I will mention in here.

ROPPONGI HILLS AREA

Roppongi Hills complex is like a city within a city with its partially outdoor areas and partially indoor areas. Here you will find something to do no matter what you are looking for. There are shops, restaurants, museums, parks, art and a very lively nightlife.

1. Admire the open-air sculptures in Roppongi Hills

Roppongi is the place to be for art lovers. Not only will you find some of the finest museums in Tokyo but there are several open-air sculptures distributed throughout the building complex. You can even do a Roppongi Public Art Work Tour. If you’re interested in doing this, I have found this website where you can find a list of all the sculptures you can visit.

The most famous sculptures are:

Maman by Louis Bourgeois. Maman is a bronze sculpture of a spider with a sac containing 20 marble eggs.
Rose by Isa Genzken, a sculpture of a long-stemmed rose.
I can’t give you anything but love by Shigeru Uchida. This is a red bench with the title of a famous jazz song.

2. Visit Museums

Continuing with the art theme, in Roppongi you will find several museums that are worth visiting.

Mori Art Museum, a contemporary art museum located on floor 53 of the Mori Tower.
The National Art Center, which shows more classic art pieces.

Due to lack of time, we didn’t have the time to visit these museums but if I ever go back to Tokyo, they will surely be in my list.

3. Go up the Mori Tower and get breathtaking views of Tokyo from Tokyo City View

Mori Tower is a 238-meter-high building in Tokyo that is mostly composed of offices, luxury restaurants, the Mori Art Museum, the Mori Arts Center Gallery, and the famous Tokyo City View observation deck.

Tokyo City View is located on level 52 of the Mori Tower and offers amazing views of Tokyo from above. It is the perfect place to get iconic views of the Tokyo Tower. In the past, it would offer access to the Sky Deck where you could also get views of Tokyo without polarized glass blocking you. However, it has been closed since mid-2023.

Nevertheless, Tokyo City View is still worth visiting. We loved the experience and the views you can get from there. We were also quite surprised that it was not crowded at all.

Practical information

Tokyo City is open daily between 10:00 and 22:00. Last entry is at 21:30.
Tickets are 2000 yen if you buy online and 2200 yen if you buy them onsite. Always check the official website for the latest information on opening hours and ticket prices.
I recommend you buy your ticket online to ensure you have access when you arrive. Buy your ticket to Tokyo City View here.

4. Relax at Mori Garden

In the lower part of Roppongi Hills, you will find Mori Garden, a small Japanese-style garden with a little pond in the middle. It is a perfect and peaceful where you can relax between the skyscrapers.

5. Remember your childhood at the Asahi TV Studios

Asahi TV studios may not mean anything to you. However, if like me, during your childhood, you used to watch Doraemon cartoons, these TV Studios will bring some nice memories back.

On the ground floor of the Asahi TV studios, there are some sculptures of their most famous cartoons like Doraemon, Sin-Chan, and Go-Chan.

This part of the TV studio is free to visit and is open daily between 9:30 and 20:30.

AZABUDAI HILLS AREA

Azabudai Hills is a new and popular building complex in Minato. It consists of three skyscrapers and several lower buildings. Same as with Roppongi Hills, the building complex is full with shops, restaurants, apartments, and much more.

6. Get a closer look at Tokyo Tower

On level 33 of Mori JP Tower, the highest tower in Azabudai Hills Complex and Tokyo with 352 meters, you will find Sky Lobby, the newest observation deck in Tokyo. From here, you will get a closer look at the iconic Tokyo Tower.

Important: The Sky Lobby was initially open and free for the general public to visit to advertise the new building complex. However, since April 2024 it is only possible to access this observation deck if you live in the building, work there, have a reservation at the restaurant Dining 33, or are going to the cafe Sky Room on level 34.

Photo by Leo Okuyama on Unsplash

Photo by Orlando Bernardo on Unsplash

7. Visit the new Teamlab Borderless Museum

Teamlab Borderless is the first digital art museum in Tokyo. It was originally situated in Odaiba until August 2022 when it closed its doors due to some construction works in the area. It opened its doors again in February 2024, now located in the basements of Azabudai Hills.

Practical Information

Teamlab Borderless is open daily between 9:00 and 21:00.
Ticket prices change depending on the day. You can buy your ticket and check prices here.

TOKYO TOWER AREA

8. Visit Tokyo Tower

Tokyo Tower is the most famous tower in Tokyo and one of the most iconic landmarks in the city. Its design was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris and it worked as Tokyo’s main broadcasting antenna until 2011 when it was replaced by Tokyo Skytree.

These days, it is a popular Observation Deck in Tokyo. Visitors to the Tower can choose between accessing the Tokyo Toewr Main Deck at 150 meters high or the Top Deck at 250 meters high.

In our case, since we had already visited Tokyo City View that day, we decided to skip this Observation Deck and just admire the tower from below.

Practical Information

Tokyo Tower is open daily between 9:00 and 22:30 (last admission at 21:30).
When buying your tickets you can choose between the Main Deck or a ticket for both decks.
Ticket price for the main decks is 1200 yen and for both decks is 2800 yen (when bought in advance).
Book your tickets for the main deck here.
Book your tickets for both decks here.
You can check the latest information on opening hours and prices at the Tokyo Tower official website.

9. Visit Zojoji Temple

Zojo-ji Temple is located right across the street from Tokyo Tower. Because of this, you will get a perfect mix of Japanese tradition and modernity. Standing right behind Zojo-ji’s main hall, you will find the Tokyo Tower.

Practical information

The temple is open between 6:00 and 17:30.
The temple is free to visit.

10. Watch sunset at Shiba Park

Right next to Zojo-ji Temple, you will find Prince Shiba Park. This park is the perfect spot to have a picnic while you watch the sun set behind and the Tokyo Tower lights up. From this park, you will also get to see the Azabudai Hills main tower.

We found this park by chance and I have to admit we loved it here. It was the best way to end our first full day in Japan.

HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU NEED TO VISIT MINATO?

This question is always difficult to answer because it really depends on what you want to see and do. If you want to tick off every element in this list, then you will need a complete day or maybe even more time.

We spent in Minato approximately 6 hours and for us, it was the perfect amount of time to get a good feeling of this neighborhood in Tokyo. However, it is important to know that we didn’t visit any of the museums I listed in this blog and we didn’t go up the Tokyo Tower either.

HOW TO GET TO MINATO?

Minato is quite a big neighborhood in Tokyo so it is a bit difficult to explain how to reach it. It will depend on which area of Minato you want to visit.

To reach Roppongi Hills from Tokyo Station, you can take the Hibiya Metro Line which will take you to Roppongi Station. Alternatively, you can also take the Chiyoda Metro line. Both options will take approximately 20 minutes.
To reach Azabudai Hills from Tokyo Station, you can also take the Hibiya Metro Line and stop at Kamiyacho Station. From there, you will have to walk 10 minutes to reach the building complex. The complete journey will be of approximately 25 minutes
Finally, to reach the Tokyo Tower, take the Mita Metro Line until Onarimon Station and then walk for 10 minutes to reach the tower. The complete journey will take you approximately 27 minutes.

EATING IN MINATO

Here are some recommendations of restaurants you have to try in Minato.

Gyopao Gyoza Roppongi. As its name suggests, here you will have some delicious gyozas. It is recommended to make a reservation as it gets quite full.
Burger Revolution Tokyo for delicious Wagyu beef burgers.
Akabekoya for a mouthwatering yakiniku.

ACCOMMODATION IN MINATO

Minato can be a very interesting area to get your accommodation during your stay in Tokyo. It is close to many famous sites in Tokyo and there is a lot of lively nightlife and restaurants.

Here are some recommendations I would make for myself.

MAP WITH ALL LOCATIONS

MINATO INFOGRAPHIC

No time to read the full blog? Here’s an infographic with a checklist of the things you absolutely can’t miss in your next visit to Minato.

And that’s it for this week’s blog. I hope you liked it and found it useful. Let me know what you think in the comments!

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