Ao (building)

Spiral, also known as the Wacoal Art Center, is a multi-use building in Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan, that was designed by architect Fumihiko Maki. It was commissioned by lingerie company Wacoal and completed in 1985. Spiral includes exhibition spaces, a multipurpose hall, cafes, restaurants and bars, beauty salons, and select shops. The defining feature of the building is a seemingly-floating spiral ramp (15 m in diameter) that encircles the rear gallery space and climbs to the second floor. The exterior facade of aluminum and glass reflects the jumbled nature of the surrounding streetscape. The building was selected by the American Institute of Architects for the R.S. Reynolds Memorial Award in 1987. In 2012, the building received the JIA 25 Years Award from the Japan Institute of Architects. Spiral is a nexus of cultural life in Aoyama, presenting music, art, film, fashion and theater events.

Omotesandō (表参道) is a zelkova tree-lined avenue located in Shibuya and Minato, Tokyo, stretching from the Meiji Shrine entrance to Aoyama-dōri (Aoyama Street), where Omotesandō Station can be found.

Omote-sando Station (表参道駅, Omote-sandō-eki) is a Tokyo Metro subway station located at the intersection of Omotesandō (Avenue Omotesandō) and Aoyama-dori (Aoyama Street) in Aoyama, Minato ward, Tokyo, Japan. Part of the Chiyoda Line platforms extends into Shibuya ward.

Aoyama Gakuin University (Japanese: 青山学院大学, Hepburn: Aoyama Gakuin Daigaku, AGU) is a private Christian university in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Originally established in 1874 by missionaries from the Methodist Episcopal Church, it was reconfigured in its current form in 1949 as part of Aoyama Gakuin. Aoyama Gakuin University had its 140th anniversary in 2014 and is one of Japan's oldest higher education facilities. The university's undergraduate and graduate programs include courses on literature, law, economics, business, international politics, economics, communication, science, engineering and cultural studies. The university graduate programs include international management, law and professional accounting. Aoyama Gakuin University has participated in Hakone Ekiden, an annual university relay race between Tokyo and Hakone in Japan. Recently they won the races in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2022.

Aoyama Gakuin (学校法人青山学院, Gakkō Houjin Aoyama Gakuin) is an educational institute in Tokyo, Japan, which comprises Aoyama Gakuin University, Aoyama Gakuin Women's Junior College, Aoyama Gakuin Senior High School, Aoyama Gakuin Junior High School, Aoyama Gakuin Elementary School, and Aoyama Gakuin Kindergarten. The institute was founded in 1874 by Dora E. Schoonmaker, an American missionary sent to Japan by the Women's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Canadian missionary Davidson Macdonald MD played a role in the establishment of Aoyama Gakuin, and his contribution to the improvement of Japan's educational system is considered an important episode in the early history of Japanese-Canadian relations.

The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) is part of the United Nations University (UNU). UNU-WIDER, the first research and training centre to be established by the UNU, is an international academic organization set up with the aim of promoting peace and progress by bringing together leading scholars from around the world to tackle pressing global problems.

The United Nations University (国際連合大学, Kokusai Rengō Daigaku) (UNU) is the think tank and academic arm of the United Nations. Headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, with diplomatic status as a UN institution, its mission is to help resolve global issues related to human development and welfare through collaborative research and education. In 1969, UN Secretary-General U Thant proposed "the establishment of a United Nations university, truly international and devoted to the Charter objectives of peace and progress". Following three annual sessions discussing the matter, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) approved the founding of the United Nations University in December 1972. Tokyo was chosen as the main location due to the Japanese government's commitment to provide facilities and $100 million to the UNU endowment fund. The United Nations University was formally inaugurated in January 1975 as the world's first international university. Since 2010, UNU has been authorized by the UNGA to grant postgraduate degrees, offering several master's and doctoral programs. The university's research officially priorities three thematic areas: peace and governance; global development and inclusion; and environment, climate and energy. UNI also facilitates the UN's engagement with academic institutions and policymakers around the world, in part through campuses, programmes, and affiliated institutes spanning twelve countries.

Aoyama Gakuin Women's Junior College (青山学院女子短期大学, Aoyama Gakuin Joshi Tanki Daigaku) is a junior college in Tokyo, Japan, and is part of the Aoyama Gakuin network. The institute was founded in 1874 by Dora E. Schoonmaker, an American missionary sent to Japan by the Women's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Zenkō-ji (善光寺, Temple of the Benevolent Light) is a Buddhist temple in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.

The Aoyama Theatre (青山劇場, Aoyama Gekijō) was a theatre at the National Children's Castle (こどもの城, Kodomo no shiro) in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. The theatre opened in November 1985, and had a capacity of 1,200 seats. It closed on 30 January 2015.

Omotesando Hills (表参道ヒルズ, Omotesandō hiruzu) is a shopping complex in central Tokyo built in 2005, in a series of urban developments by Mori Building. It occupies a two hundred and fifty meter stretch of Omotesandō, a shopping and (previously) residential road in Aoyama. It was designed by Tadao Ando, and contains over 130 shops and 38 apartments. The construction of Omotesando Hills, built at a cost of $330 million, has been marked by controversy. The building replaced the Bauhaus-inspired Dōjunkai Aoyama Apartments, which had been built in 1927 after the 1923 Kantō earthquake. The destruction of the apartments again raised questions about Japan's interest in preserving historic buildings. A small section of the old apartments is reconstructed in the South-East part of the new complex.Minoru Mori noted that there had been resistance from local landowners to the use of Ando as architect, saying that they were concerned that his buildings were too fashionable for the area.Regarding the construction, Ando said, "It's not Tadao Ando as an architect who has decided to rebuild and make shops, it was the owners themselves who wanted it to be new housing and to get some value with shops below. My task was how to do it in the best way.”

Japanese Culture Channel Sakura (日本文化チャンネル桜, Nihon Bunka Channeru Sakura), also known as simply Channel Sakura, is a Japanese right-wing television channel and video-sharing website founded in 2004. It is known for its support for conservatism and Japanese nationalism, with its main spokesperson being Satoru Mizushima.The channel broadcasts Japanese history, culture, politics, economics, etc. from a right-wing point of view and has hosted Shinzō Abe, the PM of Japan and President of Liberal Democratic Party, many ministers, members of the Liberal Democratic Party as well as the Democratic Party of Japan, local government delegates, well-known intellectuals and people in various fields. Discussion topics often include positive portrayal of Japanese imperialism, war crime denial, anti-Korean and anti-Chinese sentiments as well as attempting to present a "pure" Japanese cultural image. In addition, the channel is associated with nationalist and right-wing Japanese political groups, such as Nippon Kaigi, Ganbare Nippon and the Sunrise Party of Japan ("Tachiagare Nippon"). Channel Sakura also participates in mass political rallies, which have garnered as many as several thousand participants, carrying Japanese Hinomaru flags. For example, these groups demonstrated against China during the 2011 Diaoyutai/Senkaku dispute, against Fuji TV's showing of Korean dramas and other content (during which time they called Fuji TV the "traitor network"), and against Naoto Kan's administration in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake as well as the handling of the 2011 Senkaku Dispute.