Roppongi
Roppongi
六本木 | ||
---|---|---|
District | ||
Zip code 106-0032 | ||
Area code | 03 |
Roppongi (
History
The name Roppongi, which appears to have been coined around 1660, literally means "six trees". Six very old and large
In 1890, the Third Imperial Guard of the
After
Starting in the late 1960s, Roppongi became popular among Japanese people and foreigners alike for its disco 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 the recession following the market crash of 1989.
The Roppongi area received a major economic boost in 2002–2003 when the
Nightlife
The area features numerous bars, nightclubs, strip clubs, restaurants, hostess clubs, cabarets, and other forms of entertainment. Among the expatriate 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 known yakuza 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.
Economy
Mori Building Company and The Pokémon Company have their headquarters in the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower.[6][7][8]
Companies based in Roppongi include:
- TV Asahi[9]
- Google Japan[10]
- Being Inc.[11]
- Wrestling New Classic[12]
- NJPW World[13]
Rail and subway stations
- Roppongi Station (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line (H-04) & Toei Ōedo Line) (E-23)
- Roppongi-itchōme Station (Tokyo Metro Namboku Line) (N-06)
- Nogizaka Station (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line)
Education
Public elementary and middle schools are operated by the Minato City (the Minato Ward) Board of Education.[14] Roppongi Junior High School is located at Imoarai-Zaka, in Roppongi.
Roppongi 1-
The majority of Roppongi is zoned to Roppongi Junior High School. However, 2-chōme is instead zoned to Akasaka Junior High School . Roppongi 7-chome 23-ban is instead zoned to Koryo Junior High School .[15]
Public high schools are operated by the Tokyo 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.
Minato City Library operates Azabu Library in Roppongi.[19]
-
Partially lit Mori Tower from a low view
-
Roppongi crossing
-
US Army heliport and Stars and Stripes office in Roppongi-Nanachōme
-
Roppongi Junior High School
Controversies
In the past, Roppongi had a reputation as an area with high yakuza 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 by The 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]
Notable residents
- Terry Farnsworth (born 1942), Canadian Olympic judoka
References
- ^ 町丁目別人口・世帯数(麻布地区総合支所管内) Archived 2020-01-09 at the Wayback Machine 港区
- ^ "Tokyo Weekender – Weekender Archives: Roppongi – A history of our favorite watering hole". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
- ^ a b Gary Cooper, Good ol' six trees—the way it was Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Tokyo Weekender
- ^ "Site of notorious gangster playpen in Roppongi now vacant". Tokyo Reporter. 24 August 2008. Archived from the original on 2010-10-21. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
- ^ "On a pub crawl, every drink is one for the road". 31 December 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-01-03. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
- ^ "Company Profile Archived 2016-10-05 at the Wayback Machine." The Pokémon Company. Retrieved on December 14, 2011. "Head office Roppongi Hills Mori Tower 18F, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-6118"
- ^ "Company Profile Archived 2011-12-18 at the Wayback Machine." Mori Building Company. Retrieved on December 14, 2011. "Headquarters Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-6155, Japan"
- ^ "会社プロフィール Archived 2011-12-28 at the Wayback Machine." Mori Building Company. Retrieved on December 14, 2011. "〒106-6155 東京都港区六本木6丁目10番1号 六本木ヒルズ森タワー"
- ^ "TV Asahi Head Office". Archi Designer Japan. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ^ "Google offices". Archived from the original on 2010-12-20. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
- ^ "Being Inc. "About us"". Being Inc. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ^ 会社概要. Wrestling New Classic (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 1, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
- NJPW World (in Japanese). Archivedfrom the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ "Minato Board of Education". Archived from the original on 2007-11-16. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
- ^ "港区立小・中学校通学区域一覧表(令和4年4月以降)" (PDF). City of Minato. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
- ^ "東京都立六本木高等学校". Archived from the original on 2007-05-20. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
- The American School in Japan. Retrieved on May 28, 2014. "Early Learning Center 6-16-5 Roppongi Minato-ku Tokyo 106-0032 Japan"
- The American School in Japan. Retrieved on May 28, 2014. "Location: Campuses in Roppongi and Chofu, Tokyo"
- ^ "Azabu Library". Minato City Library. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
5-12-24 Roppongi, Minato City, Tokyo 106-0032
- ISBN 0-375-72489-3
- ^ "Feature: Dark Matter Archived 2006-11-21 at the Wayback Machine," Metropolis, March 10, 2006.
- ^ "Trying to tame Tokyo's adult playground". Los Angeles Times. January 26, 2010. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
- ^ Richard, Dreux, "Japan's Nigerians pay price for prosperity Archived 2012-07-13 at archive.today", The Japan Times, 19 July 2011, pp. 10-11.
- ^ Richard, Dreux, "'Something My Spirit Wanted' Archived 2016-05-02 at the Wayback Machine", Metropolis, #905, 29 July - 11 August 2011, pp. 14-15.
External links
- Roppongi-Azabu Maps Archived 2008-04-02 at the Wayback Machine