Toranomon Hills Oval Square: The Futuristic Gates of the Tiger

Why is it significant?

Step onto the expansive, sunlit lawn of Toranomon Hills Oval Square, where cutting-edge contemporary public art mingles with lush urban terrace landscaping. In the center of the plaza rises 'Roots', an astonishing ten-meter-tall white steel sculpture created by renowned Catalan artist Jaume Plensa.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Step onto the expansive, sunlit lawn of Toranomon Hills Oval Square, where cutting-edge contemporary public art mingles with lush urban terrace landscaping. In the center of the plaza rises 'Roots', an astonishing ten-meter-tall white steel sculpture created by renowned Catalan artist Jaume Plensa. The sculpture forms the kneeling silhouette of a human being composed entirely of white painted steel characters drawn from eight distinct world alphabets, including Japanese kanji, Latin, Hebrew, Greek, and Arabic, symbolizing the universal unity of global human culture.

The name Toranomon translates literally to Tiger's Gate. Throughout the Edo period, this location was anchored by one of the grandest outer gates of Edo Castle, guarded by fierce samurai sentries. In eighteen seventy-two, the historic stone gate was demolished to open transportation avenues for modern Meiji Tokyo, but its ancient name endures as the epicenter of twenty-first-century architectural innovation. The innovative architecture proves that cutting-edge commercial infrastructure can harmoniously coexist with green civic spaces and inspiring public art.

Toranomon Hills Mori Tower, rising two hundred and forty-seven meters overhead, represents a masterstroke of Japanese civil engineering: the skyscraper was constructed directly above the subterranean tunnel of Loop Road Number Two, allowing expressway traffic to flow uninterrupted through the mountain beneath the building's massive seismic dampeners. Shaded timber benches and open green lawns provide a welcoming public gathering place for travelers and neighborhood residents alike.

In the tower lobby stands Toranomon, a playful white-and-black robotic cat mascot created by the creators of Doraemon, who traveled back from the twenty-second century to guide Tokyo into an era of sustainable innovation.

Take a seat on the green lawn beneath Plensa's sculpture to reflect on your journey from Roppongi's modern heights, past Tokyo Tower and historic samurai mausoleums, to this harmonious horizon of contemporary Tokyo.