detailed map

Driving Record

Birthday or anniversary...precious moments of a special day will stay in one's heart forever. Take your partner out for “date” one weekend just for a change, and make his / her ordinary day in the familiar city special!

Take your precious one for city cruising plus!

1. STROLLING AROUND Roppongi

The hottest shopping complex with many restaurants, beautiful Zelkova Serrata Avenue, people of different nationalities - Roppongi is known as a trendy area. However, if you step into a back alley, you will see good old Japan. After enjoying driving through the Zelkova Serrata Avenue, you may want to park your car at the Hills and be off to shopping.

A break at a classy cafe at Roppongi Hills A bakery with many mouth-watering baked items Crown Hybrid
Shopping at Roppongi Hills Mori building is a Roppongi's landmark Crown Hybrid

Roppongi Hills

Address:
6 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Hours
Hours: 11:00am - 9:00pm (Shops), 11:00am - 11:00pm (Restaurants) 7 days a week
Parking
2,762 carsgo to parking information

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2. ANNIVERSARY SHOPPING at Roppongi Hills

BALS TOKYO ROPPONGI by AGITO, located on the 3rd floor of West Walk is a perfect place to look for an anniversary gift. High quality items that are very original and you will see scrupulous selections of buyers are displayed in the shop. A wooden pot with decoration of pretty made flowers and base, classy table ware, and so on...things you can use forever and out of a whim, remember the day that you found it with your loved one.

BALS TOKYO ROPPONGI by AGITO Different vases of different colors Sophisticated table ware is very original Beautiful made flowers…almost like a florist shop Entrance of BALS TOKYO

BALS TOKYO ROPPONGI by AGITO

Address:
6-10-3 Roppongi, Roppongi Hills West Walk 3rd FL, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Hours:
11am - 9pm (7 days a week)
Parking:
Available

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3. SUNSET DRIVING (Roppongi - Shinkiba)

After shopping, off to the Tokyo heliport. But it will not be just a transfer by car. You will be passing by many landmarks of Tokyo such as Tokyo Tower, Shiba-koen park, and Rainbow Bridge.

Rainbow Bridge Rainbow Bridge from Expressway Crown Hybrid with Tokyo Tower in the back Driving on a street near Tokyo Tower

Tokyo Tower Neighborhood

As you drive towards Shiba-koen park, Tokyo Tower will appear in sight. The most famous landmark of this city looks spectacular with the orange colored sky in the background.

Shiba-Koen Park

In order to get to the heliport, you will need to cross the Rainbow Bridge. You can take either regular road or the expressway to cross the bridge, but you will have a much better view from the expressway than regular road. Remember? It is a special day!

Rainbow Bridge

The person in the passenger seat will enjoy a priceless view of the city from the bridge - a view that is so beautiful that you want to stop the car and just stare at it for a while. A cluster of high-rise buildings in the distance, water buses on the Tokyo Bay, the Tokyo Tower and Odaiba, etc.

Shinkiba Exit (Shutokosoku: Metropolitan Expressway)

The Tokyo Heliport is located in Shinkiba. Please be careful not to miss the exit.

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4. EVENING HELICOPTER TOUR

There is nothing as seeing the gorgeous jewelry like evening skyline of Tokyo from the air. 15-minute Shinjuku mini helicopter tour provides an amazing view of a carpet of lights which continues until the horizon. If you time it and depart the heliport during the sunset, you will get to see a fantastic sky with a gradation of color - pinkish orange sky in the west and dark blue sky in the east. And a few minutes later, clusters of lit-up buildings appear in the complete darkness. Numerous car lights are creating light of rivers. It will be one of the most luxurious experiences of your life.

According to the pilot, Mr. Ohno, passengers are mostly couples. “One male customer asked me, in the past, to hide a flower bouquet somewhere in the helicopter. So, I did. With an amazing skyline during the flight, he got down on his knees as he gave the flowers to his girlfriend. The lady was crying as she received the flowers...and of course the answer was yes.”

Heliport Helicopter Tour ticket Shinjuku area
Pilot Cockpit Rainbow Bridge from the air

Tokyo Heliport (Asahi Helicopter)

Two courses (Ginza and Shinjuku) are available for both daytime and night time.
The fee varies whether it is a share-ride or not.

For further details and reservation, please click here (Only in Japanese).

Address:
Tokyo Heliport, 4-19 Shin-kiba, Koto-ku, Tokyo
Hours:
1pm - 8:30pm(closed on Mondays, in case Monday falls into a holiday, closed on Tuesday)
Parking:
Available

Procedures from reservation to ride.

1. Reservation

reservations can be made by phone or online from one month prior to the date of your flight.
Click here for details of internet reservation (Only in Japanese).

2. Registration

registration needs to be completed 20 minutes before the flight time.

3. Waiting for your ride

after registration is finished, you can wait in the gate area.

4. Transfer to the heliport

a staff will take you to the heliport and to the helicopter.

5. Boarding

you will be asked to climb into the helicopter. After seating, you will be also asked to wear a head phone and you are ready to take off.

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5. NIGHT CITY CRUISING (Shinkiba - Ginza)

After the exciting helicopter tour, you must be ready for a relaxed dinner. We will navigate you through the city streets to a cozy Italian restaurant.

Driving from Shinkiba to Ginza at night Tokyo Tower looks so far away Ginza at night Ginza at night Crown Hybrid looks good on the street of Ginza

Wangan-doro (Route 357)

Wangan-doro runs parallel to the Metropolitan Expressway. You will have a night view of Tokyo Bay.

Harumi-dori (Route 304)

Harumi-dori continues to Ginza. When you cross Harumi-Ohashi bridge, make a right turn at Ariake 2 (be careful not to turn at Shinonome crossing.)

Harumi-Ohashi bridge

Harumi-Ohashi with an incredible view of Raimbow Bridge was built in 2006 connecting Harumi and Toyosu.

Ginza

Ginza at night is bustling with glittering neon and constant flow of people. After going through lit-up buildings, your destination is just around the corner.

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6. ROMANTIC DINNER at La Bettola da Ochiai

Reservation is required for dinner at La Bettola da Ochiai. This eating place with the common touch is where you can enjoy casual ambiance and great food for reasonable price. You get to choose an appetizer, a pasta dish and a main dish from over 30 items on the menu for 3,990 (tax included). The prices of each item on the menu remain unchanged since its opening. Food exceeded our expectations. We chose salad with anchovy for appetizer, spaghetti with creamy sea uchin sauce for pasta and “Stewed dish of the day”, sizzling beef cheek meat for the main dish. Fishes and seafood are all fresh from the Tsukiji Fish Market. Then, dessert, which does not come with the course, but we could not resist when we saw flans made of traditional ingredients - milk, eggs, vanilla oil and sugar with bitter sweet caramel sauce on the top. The star chef Mr. Ochiai has been introduced on TV number of times and you may experience a difficulty getting through when you try to make a reservation by phone. But, don’t give up! His dishes will be worth your effort!

Entrance to La Bettola da Ochiai Chief chef Dinner course Anchovy salad Flan with a cup of coffee for desert
Inside the restaurant Owner / chef

La Bettola da Ochiai (Only Japanese menu is available)

Dinner course: 3,990 yen (appetizer + pasta + main dish)
Reservations: by phone(03-3567-5656 Only in Japanes). Reservations for the next odd month and the following month start on the third Sunday of the odd month.

Address:
1-21-2 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Hours:
Lunch 11:30am - 2pm, Dinner 6:30pm - 10pm (Sat. & holiday: Lunch 11:30am - 2pm, Dinner 6pm - 9:30pm) Closed on Sundays and 1st and 3rd Mondays
Parking:
Not available but there are many parking meters around.

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Driving Companion of this issue:

Crown Hybrid Spacious rear seats Crown Hybrid TOYOTA's original navigation system (maker option)

Crown Hybrid: Light Blue Mica Metallic

Drive train:
2WD
Capacity:
5 people
Fuel efficiency:
15.8km/L (10:15 mode)
MSRP:
6.19M yen
Dealer:
TOYOTATOYOPET

1.TOYOPET: Carried only by dealers in the Tokyo area.

Comments from driver

What most impressed me was the engine sound. It was so quiet that I could barely hear the sound while the car was in motion. Gentle acceleration as I stepped on the gas and brake also took me by surprise. Fuel efficiency of Crown Hybrid is supposed to be 15.8km/L (10:15 mode), but as we spent most time driving in the city today, it was around 10km/L (the value shows up on the monitor).

Comments from passenger

As designers and engineers’ goal was the pursuit of comfortable ride, I felt their sensitive attentions to every detail. I almost felt no movement of car. And the state of the art interior - including the air conditioning system (cool breathe/heat comes out from the surface of the leather seats), the control panel for the air conditioning and audio system for rear seat passengers, meters are all liquid crystal panels with the market leading technology (the world's first, Fine Graphic Meter).

Cooperation by

TOKYO TOYOTA Car Stage Mitaka TOKYO TOYOTA Car Stage Mitaka

TOKYO TOYOTA Car Stage Mitaka

Address:
6-6-1 Kami-Renjaku, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo
Access:
Next to Taisei High School on Mitaka Street
Tel:
0422-47-8911
Hours:
9:30 am - 7 pm, 10am - 7pm (Sunday) Closed on Tuesdays
Comments on Crown Hybrid from a staff
Car Stage Mitaka is a giant store with many cars displayed and prepared for test drive. A service shop is located next door and from the waiting area, you will see your car getting maintenance service. Also, there is a welcab corner with welfare vehicles. Please feel free to stop by anytime.

* All information is as of August 2008.

LEXUS ver.

日本語

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