Many other famous urban redevelopments ventured into former industrial sites like London's Battersea Power Station or Canary Wharf.

Japan's most influential building tycoon always adopted a unique strategy. In his autobiography, Mori described the model as 'the best tool for me to think about the future of cities.' He continued, 'Rather than spending 100 hours preaching on urban development theory to get a consensus, it is far more effective to build an urban model and show it.' The map room is the brainchild of Minoru Mori, the company's founder who passed away in 2012. The sun rises over the scale model of Tokyo. The lantern can be seen at the gate of Sensoji temple in Asakusa. Remarkably, the model is so detailed that depending on the angle, you can spot the red lantern under the outer gate of Sensoji temple in Asakusa. On a scale of 1:1,000, Tokyo Dome fits into the palm of your hand, while Tokyo Skytree is the size of your elbow.

He is in charge of showing the model to selected groups of architects, journalists, politicians, geographers, and urban planners. Yamamoto works for Mori Building Company, Tokyo's biggest real estate developer. He apparently falls into the latter category. 'It's a dream job for some people and a nightmare for others,' Yamamoto remarks dryly. Thousands of hours have gone into its creation. Over the course of 20 years, an army of artists, designers, and freelance scale model creators have handcrafted an exact replica of every building, road, and bridge in Tokyo city. The model lights up to show Tokyo's road network.

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