Japan’s capital offers a unique mix of traditional and contemporary attractions. While this is enough to draw in huge crowds of visitors each year to support a booming tourism sector, the rich culture, high quality of life and ample employment opportunities found here also attract thousands of people who want to take up permanent residence in this exciting metropolis — including a great number of foreigners and Japanese people from less urbanised parts of the country.
In fact, Tokyo continuously attracts the attention of investors from across the world as a leading international city for property investment. However, all newcomers looking to invest or settle down in this incredibly enticing city must ask themselves the same difficult question: where is the best location to buy an apartment or house?
Although there’s no simple answer to this, we shed some light in this article on one of the most beloved and sought-after neighbourhoods in Tokyo, Roppongi. From accessibility and convenience factors to the surrounding area and nightlife scene, we explore why this is a favourite choice for foreigners looking for the perfect place to purchase a residence.
Before we dive into this article, it’s important to underline that the following information is about the general lifestyle in the Roppongi area and not about specific apartments within the Roppongi Hills Residences complex.
Life in Roppongi Hills Residences
Roppongi, a district of Minato ward situated between Akasaka and Azabu, is well known for its affluent Roppongi Hills development area and famous nightlife scene.
Roppongi Area Overview
Over the last decade, two of the biggest redevelopment projects in Tokyo have changed the face of Roppongi. Through their introduction of new retail, office and residential spaces, Tokyo Midtown and Roppongi Hills have expanded the appeal of the area to a wider range of visitors and residents, including a significant number of foreigners.
Transforming from an area that was solely recognised for its bustling nightlife scene, it is now appreciated as an upscale cultural centre, attracting international businesses, embassies, luxury hotels, and several museums, including The National Art Centre.
A City Within the City
“A city within the city” was one of the core ideas behind Japan’s large scale redevelopment projects in the Roppongi area — a popular concept in contemporary urban development in Japan. These newly established cities consist of several components within a complex of one or multiple connected buildings, including residential properties, shopping outlets, entertainment facilities, office spaces, and restaurants.
Both Tokyo Midtown and Roppongi Hills developments established a new image for the area, offering attractive prospects to foreign businesses looking to set up corporate offices in Tokyo, as well as residents and visitors hoping to make the most of the exciting nightlife and amenities in the area.
Today, Tokyo Midtown offers a range of upscale dining, retail, and hospitality options including one of the most luxurious hotels in Japan: The Ritz-Carlton. Together with generous green spaces, galleries, and museums, the Roppongi area has become one of the trendiest areas to live in Tokyo, epitomised by the residential offerings at Roppongi Hills Residences.
If you’re looking to learn more about the residential landscape in the Roppongi area, there are a number of English-friendly online listings and property search platforms that will help you familiarise yourself with what’s on offer. You can also view our own listings of the latest apartments, luxury condos, and high-end properties available in Roppongi by clicking below.
Famous Landmarks in Roppongi
- Famous Landmarks in Roppongi
Mori Tower is one of the most famous landmarks in the Roppongi area and the centrepiece of the Roppongi Hills redevelopment project. When people talk about “a city within a city” this is one of the most emblematic examples of what this looks like and often the first image that comes to mind — a huge skyscraper encompassing a modern mix of innovative spaces and attractions catering to everyone’s needs.
This mega-complex offers everything you need to be content in the heart of the city. Combining ways to live, work, play, and shop in a small radius, it’s designed to improve the lives of inner-urban communities by placing everything in close proximity to each other. And all this comes with a spectacular view over Roppongi and garden facilities that make the beauty of cherry blossom season easy to enjoy.
- Roppongi Art Triangle
Roppongi offers three major art museums all located within walking distance from each other: The Mori Art Museum, The National Art Center, and The Suntory Museum of Art. Together they form the “Roppongi Art Triangle”, or ATORO. These venues offer a range of permanent collections and temporary exhibitions in their spaces, presenting a rich variety of traditional and contemporary art and culture.
- Tokyo Midtown Tower
At 248 meters in height, the Tokyo Midtown Tower is one of the tallest buildings in the whole of Japan. It’s also home to the 5-star luxury hotel, The Ritz-Carlton, located on the top floor of the tower, as well as Midtown’s multi-storey shopping plaza, Galeria. Museums, green spaces, office space, and entertainment facilities can also be found here or within immediate proximity.
Nightlife in Roppongi
As night falls, Roppongi reveals its true heritage as one of the most recognizable nightlife locations in Tokyo. It’s famous bars, clubs, and karaoke venues attract huge crowds of both foreigners and local party-goers alike.
Regardless of your musical taste, you’ll be able to find something that suits your preferences among the eclectic mix of Hip-Hop, R&B, Reggae, EDM and more at one of Roppongi’s many popular clubs. However, you’re likely to encounter a more sophisticated and slightly older crowd here than in places like Shibuya that cater to younger demographics.
Food and Shopping
Roppongi offers a wide range of cuisine such as Indian, French, Italian, American, Indonesian, Chinese, and of course, Japanese. Most restaurants and traditional Japanese eateries in Roppongi are particularly foreigner-friendly, meaning you can order your favourite meals even if you’ve forgotten how to say them in the local language.
There are also hundreds of stores in the area selling high-end fashion products from global brands as well as electronics, art, and everyday essentials. The biggest and most famous high-end mega shopping complexes can be found in Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown.
Accessibility
In addition to the several reasons listed above for living in Roppongi, residents also love the convenience of the location and the access to essential travel networks. Foreigners, or those new to Tokyo, will find this particularly beneficial if they’re not that familiar with the geography yet.
Within a 10 to 20 minutes’ walk, major locations in Tokyo can be reached, such as Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ginza, or Tokyo Station, thanks to the Hibiya and Oedo Subway Lines and the Namboku Subway Line, which can be accessed from one of Roppongi’s two stations.
You might actually find that you have no reason to leave Roppongi at all, as you’ll find that everything you need is already on your doorstep. Facilities and amenities such as schools, supermarkets, medical centres, English-speaking police centres, and government authorities are all located within close proximity for convenience.
In addition to the several reasons listed above for living in Roppongi, residents also love the convenience of the location and the access to essential travel networks. Foreigners, or those new to Tokyo, will find this particularly beneficial if they’re not that familiar with the geography yet.
Within a 10 to 20 minutes’ walk, major locations in Tokyo can be reached, such as Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ginza, or Tokyo Station, thanks to the Hibiya and Oedo Subway Lines and the Namboku Subway Line, which can be accessed from one of Roppongi’s two stations.
You might actually find that you have no reason to leave Roppongi at all, as you’ll find that everything you need is already on your doorstep. Facilities and amenities such as schools, supermarkets, medical centres, English-speaking police centres, and government authorities are all located within close proximity for convenience.
Moving to Roppongi Hills Residences
Considering all the factors above, it’s not surprising that a great number of foreigners choose Roppongi Hills Residences as the location for their home in Tokyo. However, simply wanting to live here isn’t all you need to think about when moving into an upscale area like this. What about the costs you might ask?
Renting an Apartment in Roppongi
Due to Roppongi’s convenient location benefits, investment potential, and the extremely high concentration of embassies and consulates — with rent adjusted to match the kind of residents who work in these environments — the average rental prices found in this area are some of the highest in Tokyo.
To give you a clearer picture, below is our estimate for monthly rental costs based on standard apartments in the Roppongi area:
| Studio | 150,000 – 250,000 yen ($1,500 – $2,500) |
| 2LDK | 350,000 – 450,000 yen ($3,500 – $4,500) |
| 3LDK | 500,000 – 900,000 yen ($5,000 – $9,000) |
| 4LDK | 1,000,000+ yen ($10,000+) |
In terms of space, these properties tend to be considerably smaller than what many foreigners are used to in their home countries. This is partly due to the demand for properties in Roppongi pushing up rental costs and property prices, but also simply because space in Tokyo is limited, especially close to the city centre.
For more rental insights into luxury and spacious apartments, take a look at our online rental listings to give yourself a better understanding of how properties are priced in relation to their space and room specifications.
Buying a Luxury House in Roppongi
There really is no limit to how expensive apartments can be to buy in Roppongi. This is especially true when we’re talking about new ultra-luxury spaces that have just arrived on the market. To give you an idea about how much standard apartments may cost, we’ve outlined some average property prices in the Roppongi area below:
| 1 Bedroom Apartment (50m² – 110m²) | 80 – 250 million yen (~$1.9 million) |
| 2 Bedroom Apartment (60m² – 140m²) | 100 – 340 million yen (~$2.2 million) |
| 3 Bedroom Apartment (70m² – 150m²) | 120 – 500 million yen (~$2.8 million) |
The above is based on our apartment and house purchase listings in the Roppongi area. And while this might serve as a guide to help inform your process, remember that this is merely an average calculation based on our current property stock.
If you’re looking for higher-value assets in the Japanese property market and have your sights set on Roppongi, keep in mind that there is no actual limit on what you might pay near the centre of Tokyo. Average prices for 1 bedroom luxury apartments are around 190 million yen ($1.9 million), however, you can easily find mansions and residences for over 1 billion yen ($10 million).
Regardless of the price range, you’re targeting, proper due diligence is always crucial. You will also need to take into consideration a number of market factors to determine whether your investment is sound. These can include price fluctuations, property regulations, and resale potential, but also wider geopolitical factors that might impact your property purchase.
Final Considerations Before Your Purchase
While the Japanese property market is one of the safest in Asia, make sure you are fully aware of the documentation and steps required to successfully purchase a property in Roppongi. To help you with this important move, consider consulting with an experienced property expert or realtor who can advise you on the relevant market conditions and legalities before you commit to the move.
If you’re still hungry for more information about buying a property in Japan as a foreigner, check out our recent article:
Buying a house in Japan as an Expat
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