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Tokyo
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Where to Stay
A visit to the Lost in Translation hotel, the Park Hyatt Tokyo, near cinematic Shinjuku, is mandatory. The New York Bar, on the 57th-floor, is as elegant in person as it is on film.
3-7-1-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, 81-3-5322-1234, parkhyatttokyo.com
The perks at Four Seasons Marunouchi, near Tokyo station, include a train platform greeting service and a fleet of aqua-coloured guest bicycles. The spa features Kenzo’s exclusive Kenzoki line and Shoveido incense.
Pacific Century Place, 1-11-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, 81-3-5222-5302, fourseasons.com
Along with 38th-floor lobby views of Mount Fuji, the centrally located Mandarin Oriental Tokyo offers antidotes to jet lag – from the Heat and Water Experience in the onsen (mineral hot spring spa) to a vial of fragrant oil left at turndown.
2-1-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku, 81-3-3270-8800, mandarinoriental.com
The new Ritz-Carlton Tokyo, near Roppongi Hills, has crisp pyjamas in your room, a 200-year-old tea house and a hot tub overlooking the city.
Tokyo Midtown 9-7-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, 81-3-3423-8000, ritzcarlton.com
Where to Eat
Yoshiaki Takazawa at Aronia de Takazawa is one of Japan’s most experimental – and perfectionist – chefs. To see (and taste) for yourself, e-mail for reservations a few months in advance; there are only two tables.
Sanyo Akasaka Building 2F, 3-5-2 Akasaka, Minato-ku, 81-3-3505-5052, aroniadetakazawa.com
Chef Jeff Ramsey’s rapid-fire 23-course meal at the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo’s Tapas Molecular Bar is a witty exploration of Spanish-born molecular gastronomy, including a dish of intense olive foam and fried beet strands that resemble saffron.
mandarinoriental.com
Chrome trees, a purple palette and a bespoke elevator add to the wild decor at the Yabu Pushelberg-designed Peter restaurant, Tokyo’s newest and hottest dining ticket.
At Peninsula Tokyo, 1-8-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, 81-3-6270-2888, peninsula.com
Tokyo is full of inexpensive eateries. At noodle bars like Eiraku, you order and pay through a vending machine. For fans of airy-lightfried morsels, Tempura Yamanoue serves nothing but. Also visit the Roppongi-area Gonpachi.
Eiraku Marunouchi Building, B1F, 2-4-1 Marunouchi, 81-3-3201-3363, marunouchi.com
Gonpachi 1-13-11 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, 81-3-5771-0170, gonpachi.jp
Tempura Yamanoue Tokyo Midtown, Galleria/3F/9, Roppongi, 81-3-5413-3577, tempura-yamanoue.jp
What to Do
Bespoke Tokyo, an executive concierge service run by expat Brits Charles Spreckley and Nicole Fall, organize “urban safaris,” like our kodo (fragrance) ceremony with Eriyo Watanabe or a behind-the-scenes tour of the labyrinthine Tsukiji fish market. (Arrive at 4 a.m.; you’ll be done with the tour and eating sushi by 6.) In a city where even the locals get lost and first introductions are key, Bespoke Tokyo is a necessary luxury.
bespoketokyo.jp
For a self-guided scent tour, visit the House of Shiseido, an exhibition space that chronicles the Japanese company’s history. Then head to the difficult-to-find Lisn incense boutique. (Ask your cab driver for directions or shop online at shoyeido.com.) In Canada, you can pick up Yosh Han’s fragrances at the Perfume Shoppe.
House of Shiseido 7-5-5 Ginza, Ginza Namiki Dori, Shiseido Main Building, Chuo-ku, 81-3-3571-0401, shiseido.co.jp
Lisn 5-47-13-202 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, 81-3-5469-5006, lisn.co.jp
The Perfume Shoppe 757 W. Hastings St., Unit 226, Vancouver, 604-299-8463, theperfumeshoppe.com, eaudeyosh.com
Arts and crafts are essential to the Tokyo shopping experience. Start at Kyukyodo, which first opened a shop in 17th-century Kyoto. Learn how to use their incense and calligraphy materials with guidance from Eriyo Watanabe at the Center for Arts and Wellness. For inspiration, visit 21_21 Design Sight gallery (run by the Miyake Issey Foundation). For everything else – from Bottega Veneta to Porche Design – there’s the glittering Omotesando Hills mall.
Center for Arts and Wellness 301, 3-20-15, Tsurumaki, Setagaya-ku, 81-3-5450-8522,
arts-wellness.com
Kyukyodo 5-7-4 Ginza, Chuo-ku, 81-3-3571-4429, kyukyodo.co.jp
21_21 Design Sight Tokyo Midtown, 9-7-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, 2121designsight.jp
Omotesando Hills Jingumae at Omotesando, Shibuya-ku, omotesandohills.com
Travel Planner
Good to Know
With no standard street addresses, verbal directions are more useful than maps.
Time Difference (from EST) +14
The Experts
Japanese National Tourist Organization
jnto.go.jp
Getting There
Air Canada offers the most non-stop flights to Tokyo, with service from Vancouver and Toronto.
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