Tokyo's still happening.

After more than 5 years of living in Europe, learning what's happening in Tokyo is mesmerising. If you plan to visit Tokyo, make sure that your travel guidebook is the latest one. As far as I know, the year of 2007 saw the following new additions to the already overwhelming range of places to visit.

In Roppongi, Tokyo Midtown, a new shopping complex with office, residential, and art/design gallery spaces, was opened on 30 March.

In Yurakucho, a new shopping complex called Itocia was opened on 12 October. Its main attraction is the newest branch of Marui department store chain, which Monocle magazine sees as one of the five retail giants around the world that "should act as benchmarks for other floundering businesses."

In Omotesando, another new shopping complex called Gyre was opened on 2 November, housing Bvlgari and Channel among others.

In Ginza, Bvlgari opened its largest store in the world on 30 November, following Armani, which itself opened the Ginza Tower on 7 November (see an Extite Women Garbo article in Japanese for some photos).

In Shiodome, the entrance plaza of Caretta Shiodome, yet another shopping complex celebrating its 5th anniversary, started a Christmas illumination using 300,000 blue LEDs to create an image of an ocean yesterday. Lights are illuminated from 5 to 11:30 pm until 25 December. Every 30 minutes from 5:30 to 11 pm, gagaku music (Japanese traditional music) is played for 10 minutes.

Maybe you are now beginning to understand the Japanese high-maintenance, materialistic consumers.