Serviced apartments are gaining attention these days as we move through the transformation of lifestyles caused by the COVID pandemic. Serviced apartments have become spaces that meet a wide variety of needs for those who travel between city and suburbs, or for those looking to be refreshed from working from home. Three people who know Roppongi Hills well have stayed at its serviced apartment recently. This is what they have experienced.

Photo by Kohei Omachi
Edit & TEXT by Jun Ishida
Translation by Yoshiko Kogi

Vol.2
Naomi SHIMIZU / Stylist

 
“I often visit Roppongi Hills for the movie theaters, museums, and shopping,” says the stylist, Naomi Shimizu. “CLASSICS the Small Luxury has been around since the opening of Roppongi Hills. It is a great place for handkerchief lovers to shop. ESTNATION Roppongi Hills branch has a full line of jewelry and cosmetics, as well as some of my favorite clothing brands. So it’s convenient to see a variety of things in one place!”

Art work by Jean-Michel Othoniel in the Mohri Garden. It is her favorite walking spot.

For her work, Shimizu often goes on long business trips overseas. During the Paris Fashion Week, lasting more than 2 weeks at a time, she also has stayed in a local serviced apartment. “If you are going to spend a lot of time, you will want to cook and eat a little something in your room. Unlike hotels, serviced apartments have a kitchen, which comes handy. Recently, I had to live in a hotel because of a sudden construction at my apartment building. I got tired of eating out all the time,” she smiled.

Shimizu stayed in a one-bedroom unit with distinctive yellow walls. The 55-square-meter space has a living room, dining room with a kitchen, and a bedroom.

“I like that the layout doesn’t allow for a single view of the entire room. Each space is loosely connected to the other, so it’s nice to have a movable wall to hide the bedroom when you have guests.”

She especially liked the balcony and the washing machine installed in the room. “In high-rise hotels, the windows don’t open and it gets stuffy. It’s nice to have not only a window but also a balcony! It’s nice for a change to be able to see the greenery of Keyakizaka from there. Having a washing machine in the room is also a plus. In most places abroad, it’s usually shared with other residents.”

The kitchen is equipped with all the necessary utensils and dishes for your stay.

The bedroom can be separated by a movable wall. Sufficient storage space is also a key to reduce the amount of information in the space.

The room has a washing machine. Laundry service is also available at the front desk.

During her stay, Shimizu shopped for food at the GRAND FOOD HALL and had a lunch at Bricolage bread & co.. “GRAND FOOD HALL has small portions of seasonings that are very helpful. Even if I buy it in a bottle, I won’t be able to use it all. They also have a wonderful service that you can order fresh ingredients and they cook them for you on the spot. For lunch, I took a walk to Bricolage bread & co.. Roppongi Hills offers full of choices of food. It’s another great way to spend time here,” she carries on. “Staying in a serviced apartment was very refreshing especially now that it is hard to travel due to the COVID pandemic. It was so quiet and comfortable that I couldn’t believe I was in Roppongi. I thought it would be fun to spend a summer vacation here if it’s difficult to travel abroad or go to a rural area for a long stay.”

GRAND FOOD HALL, located near the serviced apartment building, has a wide range of both Japanese and international foods carefully selected by five buyers.

A deli section offers a variety of prepared foods, also a service to cook the ingredients you purchased on the spot.

Items selected by Shimizu for her stay. From top right: GRAND FOOD HALL’s original almond butter, extra virgin olive oil in small portions by MONOZ, a pouch-style-no-need-tea pot herbal tea, HERB BREWER.

Naomi SHIMIZU　
Stylist
 
After working for a publishing company, Shimizu became independent as a stylist. In addition to working for fashion magazines and advertisements, she styles many celebrities and people of high culture.

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