Tokyo gets a new neighborhood

One of the larger urban redevelopments in the world, providing new options for Tokyo tourists, is set to open Friday.

The $4-billion Roppongi Hills complex, which some liken to New York City’s Rockefeller Center, includes a high-tech Hyatt hotel, a 54th-floor observation deck with 360-degree views of the city, an outdoor theater, scores of restaurants, more than 100 shops, a nine-screen movie theater and hundreds of apartments and offices. A major art museum will be added in the fall.

Among the green spaces and pocket parks are a 17th century-style Japanese garden and a rice paddy.

The nearly 30-acre project is the brainchild of billionaire developer Minoru Mori, who hopes it will become “a town where one can experience Japan’s cutting-edge art, music, fashion and food culture,” he recently told the Japan Times newspaper.

Observers say the area, about a half-mile from such tourist draws as the Ginza district and the Imperial Palace, has needed some sprucing up. Although it’s home to about 60 embassies, the district has been better known for its seedy night life, with hostess bars and massage parlors catering to foreigners.

Many attractions in the new development are expected to keep night-owl hours: as late as 5 a.m. for the movie theaters, 1 a.m. for the observation deck and after 11 p.m. for some shops. American tourists will find such familiar places as Wolfgang Puck Cafe and Starbucks, plus high-end retailers such as Armani, Cole Haan and Louis Vuitton.

At the new 390-room Grand Hyatt Tokyo, guest rooms will have two flat-screen TVs each, including one in the bathroom; super-high-speed Internet connections; DVD players; and large bathrooms with soaking tubs. There are 10 restaurants and bars with various European and Asian menus.

Introductory rates start at about $250 per room per night, single or double occupancy. The top-tier Presidential Suite is about $3,922 per night. (800) 233-1234, www.tokyo.grand.hyatt.com.

The Mori Art Museum is expected to open in October, with rotating exhibits drawn from international collections. Meanwhile, temporary exhibits, including one opening Friday on the “verticalization” of cities, will occupy the new Mori Arts Center atop the project’s main skyscraper. Admission to the exhibit, which also includes admission to the observation deck, is about $12.50 per adult.

For more information on Roppongi Hills, visit www.roppongihills.com.