Roppongi Hills to offer tax-exemption and full-time bilingual info services for foreign tourists

Mori Building, a leading urban developer, has announced that Roppongi Hills will become the first facility in Tokyo to house both a one-stop tax-exemption counter for all purchases within the complex and a tourist information office staffed with full-time bilingual concierges, both targeted at foreign visitors to Japan, beginning March 14.

The tourist information office, which already is operating, was registered in December as a Category 2 facility under the Tourist Information Center (TIC) program led by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).

Mori Building also announced it will launch the FEEL JAPAN campaign to promote Japanese culture, food, and fashion at its nine retail complexes in Tokyo starting February 1.

The one-stop tax-free counter will be located on the fourth-floor Westwalk of Roppongi Hills Mori Tower. Foreign tourists will be able to visit the one-stop counter to receive tax exemptions on all purchases they make at Roppongi Hills.

JNTO and the Japan Tourism Agency, which launched the TIC certification program in 2012, have approved over 740 tourist information centers throughout Japan as of December 2015. The program divides tourist-information providers into three categories based on function. The centers in Roppongi Hills and Omotesando Hills are designated as Category 2 facilities with full-time bilingual concierges available to provide information in Tokyo and neighboring prefectures. The VenusFort center is a Category 1 facility that has no full-time bilingual staff on duty but can provide information about Tokyo, including in basic English and other languages.

For more info, visit www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/travel/guide/voffice.php.

The FEEL JAPAN campaign will target foreign tourists visiting Tokyo during the Chinese New Year and the cherry blossom seasons from February 1 to May 5. It will be conducted at Mori Building’s nine retail complexes: Roppongi Hills, Omotesando Hills, Ark Hills, Toranomon Hills, VenusFort and Laforet Harajuku, Atago Green Hills, Holland Hills, and Piramide Building. About 190 stores at these facilities will promote Japanese culture, food and fashion. Andaz Tokyo hotel and Tokyo City View, an observation deck at Roppongi Hills, will join the campaign this year.

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