ARTICLES AND INSIGHTS
Living in “Toranomon,” a town that is continually changing, eight years after the completion of Toranomon Hills Mori Tower
Tokyo is a city that is changing rapidly, and one area that is currently developing remarkably is the Toranomon area, typified by Toranomon Hills Mori Tower, which opened in 2014. Not only Toranomon Hills, but the surrounding area also continues to develop rapidly, Toranomon being a town that will keep evolving. I have thought about what it means to live there.
The opening of the Business Tower has added diversity to the people in the town
Since the opening of Toranomon Hills Mori Tower in 2014, the surrounding areas has continued to change. The Business Tower came about in 2020. In the same year, “Toranomon Hills” Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line was provisionally opened, and in 2022, the third residential tower of Toranomon Hills was completed.
The tallest building at the center is the Station Tower.
Taichi Tsukamoto (Business Promotion Unit) explains that with the increase in buildings and the number of people, the Toranomon area clearly changed.
“When Toranomon Hills came about, there weren't many spots to go to after eating, for example. Because it was an area under development, even if we knew that it would change in the future, it was difficult to imagine it realistically, so it had a somewhat lonely impression. However, as various town revitalization events were held mainly on Shin-Tora Street, the number of visitors gradually increased, and I feel that the town has risen since then. I think there was also an interest in seeing a town that was in the process of change. After that, with the provisional opening of Toranomon Hills Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line in 2020 and the opening of the Business Tower, not only did the number of passers-by increase, but the landscape changed drastically.”
It has many stores that go way back, so it feels like a place where old and new intersect, very suitable for the Toranomon area.
There is a saying in Japan that it a decade ago is a long time ago, but Toranomon has undergone a great transformation in less than a decade.
Buildings have been built, the greenery has become lusher, and in addition, the number of young people has increased at Toranomon, once a town for relatively older businesspeople. This is because companies from a diverse range of industries, large and small, such as the new development departments of large companies and start-up companies, have entered the Business Tower, and so people with various working styles are coming and going. You might say that the whole town has undergone rejuvenation.
The establishment of the new gourmet spot “Toranomon Yokocho” on the third floor of the Business Tower also contributes to the diversification of the town. Young people, groups of women, couples, and others who previously did not visit Toranomon are now attracted by the charm of delicious things.
New functions were added to the town with the opening of the Residential Tower
With the opening of the Residential Tower, local residents are becoming a new addition to the Toranomon area.
“In addition to the 172 units at Toranomon Hills Residence, nearly 550 new housing units have been supplied. It is expected that this town, which used to be worker-centered, will have the added functionality of ‘living' and that we will see more of people who used to be uncommon there, such as children and older adults. People walking with their pets, people running before work, people pushing strollers, and so on will come and go, and the cityscape will change dramatically.”
This also includes 160 serviced apartments. Serviced apartments equipped with furniture, kitchen facilities, home appliances, tableware, Wi-Fi, and other features necessary for everyday life are characterized by high resident turnover, unlike other residential units. The cityscape will change further if a wide variety of people from Japan and abroad come and go in residences ranging from single rooms of 30 m² to two bedrooms exceeding 100 m². This will only enhance the charm of the Toranomon Hills area, the international new city center.
61.32 m2, single-bedroom (1BR-A2 type) serviced apartment as seen from the living room to the kitchen. Furniture, home appliances, kitchen equipment, tableware, and so forth are available, as of course is Wi-Fi.
The same apartment as seen from the living room to the balcony. Not only is it just what you need, but there are also items that enrich your life, such as paintings hanging on the walls.
There are light fixtures and side tables as well as a TV in front of the bed.
There is a table with stools in front of the kitchen, made so that you can cook while conversing with your family
A fully equipped kitchen with a 4-plate stove, oven, dishwasher, water purifier, and other equipment. It should even satisfy those who love to cook.
Floor plan of the 1BR-A2 type. Living room, dining room, and kitchen, with not only the bedroom but also the powder room and bathroom with spacious floor plans for easy relaxation. Also, note the ample storage space including the shoe closet.
Example of serviced apartments
The Station Tower will be completed in the summer of 2023, and the situation will continue to change after that.
Following the Residential Tower, the Station Tower currently under construction is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2023. When it is, Toranomon Hills Station will also be fully operational.
The construction progress can be seen from the surrounding area, with some people having fun observing the progress on a daily basis.
Toranomon Hills Station Tower is located in the center of the Toranomon Hills area and is being advanced in parallel with the development of Toranomon Hills Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line. When the Station Tower is completed, a station plaza where the station and the town are integrated and a pedestrian network linking the surrounding development will be built, greatly contributing to the ease of use and bustle of the Toranomon Hills area. Of course, it goes without saying that the business communication bases, offices, and hotels planned in the Station Tower will add depth to the local business scene.
With the completion of the Station Tower, Toranomon Hills itself will be completed, but the interesting thing about the Toranomon area is that there are several changes taking place outside of the Hills.
“The completion of the station and the Station Tower development won't be the end of the story. The road built along Shin-Tora Street has increased the momentum for development, and there have been and will continue to be many plans for the future, and the same is true for the area leading up to Toranomon Station. Changes have spread around Toranomon Hills, and things will keep moving in the future.”
View of Toranomon Hills Mori Tower from near the start of Shimbashiyanagi Street. The greenery has increased, and some of the buildings that were facing away from the street have been renewed, creating a lusher town compared to when the Mori Tower was completed
In fact, along Shin-Tora Street, the reconstruction of buildings that used to be facing away from the street is progressing, and there are places that are still under construction, with increases of not only offices but also condominiums. There appears to be a lot of land tentatively used as parking lots, so even if the buildings within Toranomon Hills are completed, the change should continue.
Moreover, if the number of new residents increases with the completion of the Residential Tower, it is expected that the number of services and facilities for those people will increase. If this happens, it is conceivable that the changes in the future will be more diverse than those of the past eight years. A variety of expressions will be added to the Toranomon area, which was once no more than an office area.
Expectations for interactions between the Toranomon and Azabudai projects
At the same time as the opening of the Station Tower, the Toranomon and Azabudai projects will also see action. In April 2022, Block A will have gone through the initial construction, with the completion being scheduled for 2023. This project is an urban revitalization project that Mori Building Co., Ltd. has been working on for 30 years, and the overall concept is “a city wrapped in greenery and like a ‘plaza' that connects people. - Modern Urban Village-”
The planned site is a vast area of approximately 8.1 hectares, and the greening area including the central plaza of approximately 6,000 m² is approximately 2.4 hectares. It is very difficult to create such a large-scale greening space in a finished urban area so centrally, but this vast open space is realized by consolidating land and building higher. When it is completed, it will mean the creation of a town for experiencing nature centered on the square, something that it is rare in Japanese city centers, and the region will change greatly. Expectations are high as the buildings grow higher every day.
The Toranomon and Azabudai projects have become recognizable even from a distance. You can see the vastness even if you look at it from the street level, but it becomes much more impressive when you look at it from a slightly elevated vantage point, such as a pedestrian bridge or one of the surrounding buildings
Living in a verdant town that is evolving
Considering how the Toranomon and Azabudai areas used to be, both areas have already undergone major transformations. One of the major changes is that not only have low-rise dilapidated buildings disappeared and been transformed into high-rise buildings, but wide, open spaces covered in greenery have been created. Compared to when Toranomon Hills Mori Tower opened, the scenery and amount of greenery seen from the upper floor have changed considerably.
This is also a place of relaxation for people who work nearby, making you really feel that greenery is necessary in a city
It is also decorated with various plants, with the local green area growing with the completion of the building
The planned site is a vast area of approximately 8.1 hectares, and the greening area including the central plaza of approximately 6,000 m² is approximately 2.4 hectares. It is very difficult to create such a large-scale greening space in a finished urban area so centrally, but this vast open space is realized by consolidating land and building higher. When it is completed, it will mean the creation of a town for experiencing nature centered on the square, something that it is rare in Japanese city centers, and the region will change greatly. Expectations are high as the buildings grow higher every day.
In addition to constantly changing public green spaces, terraces, parks, and so forth at both the Mori Tower and the Business Tower, the surrounding buildings rich with plants and greenery are becoming more connected. Various tree species are also prepared for the newly completed Residential Tower, and from there, a continuous green network extends into the adjacent Mt. Atago and Atago Green Hills, creating an environment where you can feel nature even in the city. Once the Station Tower is completed, the amount of green in the area will increase still further.
It is not a dry city with just buildings; rather, urban development is being carried out to simultaneously create spaces with greenery
When the Toranomon and Azabudai projects, which have vast greenery at the center of the site, are completed, the image of this area itself will change. It becomes more convenient every day, while at the same time becoming increasingly verdant.
When looking for real estate, it is often said that convenience and a good environment are mutually exclusive, but despite being in the city center, this area does not have that contradiction. You can get these two things that you seek in your daily life and enjoy the ongoing changes. You could say that life in the Toranomon area gives you a taste of the dynamism of the city itself, with its changes and evolutions.
Hiroko Nakagawa
For more than two decades, Nakagawa has been involved in editing magazines, books and websites on living-related issues such as purchasing, leasing and building. Nakagawa has lived in Omotesando for many years, and is keenly aware of the comfort of living in central Tokyo.
Nakagawa is the author of an All About Guidebook titled Sumiyasui Machierabi: Shutoken (Finding a livable town: Tokyo metropolitan area).