Green Life at Tokyo’s Azabudai Hills

The Numbers

Azabudai Hills sets itself up as something bigger, more socially and environmentally aware and overarching in its aims and ambition. With a concept of “modern urban village,” it puts nature, greenery and wellness at its epicenter with retail sections, residences, education, medicine, culture and entertainment interlacing each area of the project. The numbers behind the project, which officially opens on November 24, are nothing short of pioneering.

• Site area: 8.1ha
• Height of Mori JP Tower: 330m
• Offices for approximately 20,000 employees
• Residences: 1,400 units
• Residents: 3,500
• Retail facilities: 150 stores including luxury brands Dior, Hermes and Cartier
• Janu Tokyo Hotel: 122 rooms
• Green Area: Approx. 24,000m2

Collaborations with Global Innovators

Azabudai Hills’ three skyscraper appearance was designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners. The late architect César Pelli and Mori Building share a common philosophy: that individual architectural designs have a single purpose: to create better cities

Another massive contributor to the Azabudai Hills project is Heatherwick Studio, whose notable projects include the Olympic Cauldron for the London 2012 Olympic Games and, more recently, the 1000 Trees building in Shanghai. Azabudai Hills will be Heatherwick’s first project in Japan.

Japanese designers Sou Fujimoto and Ryu Kosaka were the creators behind the retail area of Mori JP Tower, with the residential interior designs being handled by Glenn Pushelberg and George Yabu of Yabu Pushelberg (Canada, U.S.A.), Marco Costanzi (Italy) and Soo K. Chan of SCDA Architects (Singapore). Legendary editor, writer and entrepreneur Tyler Brûlé (Canada) managed the project’s concept work.

Azabudai Hills Highlights

The British School in Tokyo

The British School in Tokyo is one of the largest international schools in the capital, and its new Azabudai Hills campus is set to welcome 740 students. Incorporating a school of this size in the planning of Azabudai Hills is an example of Mori Building’s will to make Tokyo a more welcoming metropolis to professionals and their children by providing a solid ground for world-class education.

The British School in Tokyo officially opened on August 30, 2023.

Mori Building Digital Art Museum: Epsom teamLab Borderless and Azabudai Hills Gallery

Culture will play a central role in this new urban project with a desire to, according to the president and CEO of Mori Building, Shingo Tsuji, “eliminate the boundary between daily life and art.” With this ethos in mind, the project’s approach has been based on the concept of “making the whole city a museum.”

Between 2018 and 2022, teamLab Borderless figured among the top Tokyo attractions in the city. In fact, in 2019, the digital museum took the world record for the most single visited art group museum, admitting a total of 2,134,778 people that year. It broke the hearts of many in 2022 when it closed its doors, but it will open again in Azabudai Hills in January 2024. You can expect to see the creative studio’s latest tech advancements and the Japan debut of numerous artworks.

Curated Retail Areas

As you would expect, Azabudai Hills has attracted a huge number of retail outlets catering to every need. Fashion, sport, fragrances, jewelry and luxury items are well catered for, with names including Lululemon, United Arrows, The Conran Shop and luxury giants Celine and Bottega Veneta.

Dining and Azabudai Hills Market

Feeding into the assertion that Tokyo is possibly the world’s number one culinary destination, Azabudai Hills aims to “preserve and nurture Japanese food culture.” With Michelin darling Hiroyasu Kawate’s Florilège, Tatsushige Somaki’s Terakoya Sushisho and Issei Narita’s Le Salon Privé / Satinée spearheading the dining options, visitors will be spoiled for choice in terms of gastronomy.

Thirty-one of Japan’s leading specialty stores have come together with the aim of “creating a world-class next-generation market.” The concept involved in the Azabudai Hills Market is not only to provide truly delicious food, but also to communicate ways of consuming and enjoying food, and how to use food to enrich our daily lives, to promote physical and mental health and to help create a sustainable society. This is the kind of market that societies will need in the future, and this is what Azabudai Hills Market hopes to provide.

Janu Tokyo

It wouldn’t be a Hills complex without adjacent luxury accommodation. Azabudai Hills will set the stage for the debut of Aman’s sister brand, Janu. There will be a 122-guestroom hotel, designed by Jean-Michel Gathy of Denniston Architects, on the first 13 floors of the Residence A building. Rooms will have floor-to-ceiling windows and private balconies all with stunning views of the capital. 

Also, as part of Janu Tokyo there will be a huge fitness center promising, according to the hotel website, hydrotherapy and thermal areas juxtaposed with Japanese bathing, as well as training zones for various group classes and activities.

Offices and Tokyo Venture Capital Hub

A fresh and modern approach to office life is also important at Azabudai Hills. Mori JP Tower will offer a diverse array of office space, from expansive offices covering about 4,800m2 per floor to smaller offices in Residence B. About 70 companies, including independent and corporate venture capital firms, will be based here. The complex will also play host to Tokyo Venture Capital Hub, a base for the supply of risk funding required for the growth of startups, aiming to be a catalyst for revitalizing the Japanese economy.