In the pulsating heart of Tokyo, the virtue of diplomatic art on display

In the heart of Tokyo. Roppongi district (Minato-ku). Urban trekking among large real estate complexes, design, gardens and open-air works of art, in which an immersive experience in contemporary history also appears, in what could be defined as the "museum you don't expect": like many Japanese things it is a discreet, semi-hidden place, but of great emotion, with exceptional documents and of particular inspiration for reflection in such a worrying moment of the geopolitical scenario.

I start the walk from Roppongi Hills, a complex above the Itchome Metro station (Namboku line). The building complex, among the highest in Tokyo, is home to the Mori building Company. Panoramic observatory on the 52nd floor. The complex, dedicated to the entrepreneur Mori Minoru, offers a design synthesis of the spaces that leverages the integration of real estate, business, immersive gardens and wellness. The entrance is exciting with the large Maman Spider, a metal sculpture by the artist Louise Bourgeois that reminds us of the virtues of being in the world and ideally introduces us to the Mori Museum dedicated to contemporary art in Roppongi Hills. I go down towards Azabu (a very old area), an area of ​​embassies, temples and shrines, among which Zozoji and Nishikubo Hachiman stand out. The Tokyo Tower is a strong attraction, another of the obligatory stops on tourist circuits: majestic during the day, it resembles the Eiffel Tower, and with its lights it is always a point of reference during the nights of the Japanese capital.

Between Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Tower, another modern real estate complex that combines shopping, business, art and nature: Azabudai Hills Mori Jp Tower, celebrated as the tallest built structure in Japan, as it exceeds 320 meters. Two great tourist attractions: the Mori Digital Museum, a breathtaking immersion in hyperreality, and the large panoramic staircase on the multifaceted urban structure of Tokyo, on the 34th floor. There is also a rich and multicolored garden to always remember the strong bond between the human spirit and nature.

Almost at the entrance to the monumental Azabudai Hills, two simple plaques, not very well indicated to tourists, indicate that the complex houses the Central Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Land of the Rising Sun, together with what is defined as the Exhibition/Museum of Diplomatic Archives. How could you miss such an opportunity, after a morning dedicated to excellent real estate, design, the emotions of digital art and gardens? And so, the respectful welcome of two kind officials opens the doors of this place that collects an exceptional concentration of testimonies that have marked the history of modern Japan and at the same time of the world. In one of the glamorous centers of business Tokyo, an unexpected experience, which recalls and exalts the role of diplomacy in the modern State and also marks a moment of self-awareness of Japan also with respect to the dramatic phases of its history. The tutelary deity of this experience is Yoshida Shigeru, who we could define as the oriental De Gasperi, protagonist and helmsman of the rebirth of Japan from the nuclear rubble of the Second World War. The stated aim of this museum space is to show the evolution of modern Japanese history, from the mid-1800s, through diplomatic documents. Restoration of imperial power, opening to the world, construction of a country increasingly devoted to international trade, between peaks and falls. We find testimonies relating to Commodore Perry, an American, and the Russian Admiral Putjatin: the great countries open to the East.

Drafts, parchments, seals, signatures alternate, commemorative medals, licenses and passports. There are documents of the complex and contrasting relations with Russia and China, the menu of the reception for the birthday of the Meiji Emperor, in 1884. The notes relating to the Treaty of Versailles. The Pact with Germany and Italy with the signatures of Ribbentrop and Ciano could not be missing, or the dispatch in several parts remembered in the films about Pearl Harbor. As well as the Surrender of 1945 after the nuclear catastrophe and the defeat of militarism, the reopening with Mao and Zhou Enlai's China and the détente with the USSR (Khrushchev's signature). It is difficult to list everything, but it is really worth a trip. Especially today, with the planet crossed by numerous conflicts.