Showcasing the virtue of the art of diplomacy in the heart of Tokyo

In the heart of Tokyo. Roppongi district (Minato-ku). Urban trekking among large housing estates, design, gardens and open-air works of art, in which there is also an immersive experience in contemporary history, in what could be called the 'museum you don't expect': like so many things Japanese, it is a discreet, semi-hidden place, but one of great emotion, with exceptional documents and particularly inspiring reflection at such a worrying time in the geopolitical scenario.

I start my walk from Roppongi Hills, a complex above the Itchome Metro station (Namboku line). The building complex, among the tallest in Tokyo, is home to the Mori building Company. Panoramic observatory on floor 52. The complex, dedicated to the entrepreneur Mori Minoru, offers a design synthesis of spaces that focuses on the integration of real estate, business, immersive gardens and wellness. The entrance is exciting with the large Maman Spider, a metal sculpture by artist Louise Bourgeois reminding us of the virtues of being in the world and ideally introducing us to the Mori Museum dedicated to contemporary art in Roppongi Hills. I walk 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, another obligatory stop on the tourist circuit, is a strong reminder: majestic by day it resembles the Eiffel Tower, and with its lights it is always a landmark at night in the Japanese capital.

Between Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Tower, another modern real estate complex combining shopping, business, art and nature: Azabudai Hills Mori Jp Tower, celebrated as the tallest built structure in Japan, as it exceeds 320 metres. There are two major tourist attractions: the Mori Digital Museum, a breathtaking immersion in hyperreality, and the grand panoramic staircase over the multifaceted urban structure of Tokyo, on floor 34. There is also a rich and multicoloured garden to remind us always of the strong link between the human spirit and nature.

Almost at the entrance of the monumental Azabudai Hills, two simple plaques, not very signposted to the tourist, indicate that the complex houses the Central Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Rising Sun, together with what is described as the Diplomatic Archives Exhibition/Museum. How could one miss such an opportunity, after a morning of excellent real estate, design, digital art thrills and gardens? And so, the respectful welcome of two kind receptionists opens the doors of this place that holds an exceptional concentration of testimonies that have marked the history of modern Japan and the world at the same time. In one of the glamorous hubs of the Tokyo of business, an unexpected experience that recalls and exalts the role of diplomacy in the modern State and also marks a moment of Japan's self-awareness even with respect to the dramatic phases its history has gone through. The patron saint of this experience is Yoshida Shigeru, whom we could define as the eastern De Gasperi, protagonist and helmsman of Japan's rebirth from the nuclear rubble of the Second World War. The stated aim of this museum space is to show the evolution of Japan's modern history from the mid-1800s through diplomatic documents. Restoration of imperial power, opening up to the world, building a country increasingly devoted to international trade, between peaks and troughs. We find the testimonies of Commodore Perry, American, and Admiral Putjatin, Russian: great countries open up to the East.

Drafts, parchments, seals, signatures alternate, commemorative medals, driving licences and passports. There are documents of the complex and conflicting relations with Russia and China, the menu of the Meiji Emperor's birthday reception in 1884. The notes on the Treaty of Versailles. The Pact with Germany and Italy with the signatures of Ribbentrop and Ciano, or the dispatch in several parts mentioned in the films about Pearl Harbor, could not be missed. As well as the 1945 Surrender 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 signature). It's hard to list everything, but it really is worth a trip. Especially today, with the planet criss-crossed by numerous conflicts.