International
TOKYO RISING
Even with nature’s wrath, Japanese culture, history, cuisine, and hospitality make Tokyo a luxury destination that will raise your spirits.
By Elyse Glickman
No matter where you are in the world, there is always something profoundly moving about how a catastrophic event can not only unite people but also make them more determined to make their home a better place. Though this mindset will shape the way conscientious people plan their travels on the eve of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the recent earthquake and tsunami that shook northern Japan to its foundation may also be taken into consideration.
Though Tokyo is a seven-hour drive from the epicenter of Sendai, locals see last March’s events as something that has profoundly affected the entire nation. However, even with legitimate safety concerns, there is much to support the argument that there is no time like the present to visit Japan, as Tokyo is as safe as ever.
Tokyo Still Stands Tall Tokyo still stands as a definitive gateway to Asia, with the beauty, hospitality, and technical flair identified with Japan fully intact. Though Tokyo’s many luxury hotels (including The Mandarin Oriental, The Ritz-Carlton, The Peninsula, and the St. Regis, among others) fall in line with those traditions, the Shangri-La Tokyo stands above the crowd. Perched on the top floors of the Marunouchi Trust Tower, the property has you at “Konnichiwa” with its panoramic vistas of Tokyo’s key landmarks, a painstakingly curated display of 2,000 pieces of artwork and 50 handmade Czech Lasvit chandeliers.
It also doesn’t hurt that the Shangri-La is adjacent to Tokyo Station and the Marunouchi neighborhood, which picks up in fashion, dining, and culture (including the delightful Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, www.mimt.jp) where the famously posh Ginza leaves off. The hotel’s executive level Horizon Club is a perfect microcosm of Tokyo’s next great neighborhood, with its sophisticated minimalist decor, exquisitely prepared food and drink offerings, business concierge, and flawless service. Its Lobby Lounge and restaurants Piacere and Nadaman have such a commanding presence that a substantial part of their clientele is local.
According to General Manager Wolfgang Krueger, the perfect way to make overseas guests feel at home is to equip every room (from guest suites to the internationally acclaimed Presidential and Shangri-La Suites designed by interior design wunderkind Andre Fu) with all the comforts of home and then some. Bathrooms are stocked with a small pharmacy’s worth of grooming essentials and Japan’s largest rain showerheads. In addition to complimentary WiFi, all suites’ desks have enough supplies, chargers, and gadgets to recreate your home office. Room safes are designed to charge laptops and other devices. Forget to pack your pajamas or sneakers? No worries! Every room supplies guests with pajamas, while the health club adjacent to the luxuriantly pan-Asian Chi Spa will loan you the gear needed to burn off last night’s decadent Italian feast at Piacere.
Though many Tokyo hotels and businesses have pitched in to support ongoing relief efforts to the north, what makes the Shangri-La’s “Wish for Japan” program (wishforjapan.jp) distinctive is that it was born out of a genuine sense of shared community responsibility rather than corporate responsibility.
“We [at the executive level] helped organize some of the volunteer clean-up efforts, set up the website, and put ‘Wish Bands’ out for sale to finance our monthly trips, but we want to make it clear this was started at the initiative of the employees who wanted to make a difference,” said Krueger, who at interview time was preparing to make his sixth trek up to Sendai.
“While there’s plenty of money from our outreach efforts available to us, what is key is keeping track of how it’s spent,” he continues. “ You also need to find ways to get volunteers up there to help, as well as purchase and transport food and supplies. We want to keep track to ensure every penny benefits somebody directly. What’s great about the way this program is being handled is that we can see quantifiable results of the volunteer efforts, from clearing the rubble, to feeding the locals, to helping many of those individuals get back on their feet.”
While there are plans to keep the Wish For Japan program running at least until the first anniversary of the quake and tsunami, Krueger points out that building his Tokyo staff has been one of the most inspirational aspects of reinventing the hotel as a top tier luxury property. He expresses his belief that his executive team, CHI Spa practitioners, concierge pros, and staff, likewise, have a unique ability to transform a Tokyo stay from a luxury destination to something greater than the sum of its sights, sounds, food, and business doings.
“While Japan is not always the easiest place for a foreigner [to adjust to], I was inspired by their pride, work ethic, warmth, and positive attitude they show in the way they perform their job,” he affirms. “When I move to my next post, I will take away the positive values they instilled in me. I believe our guests will, too.”
Now and Zen If you are visiting Tokyo on business with colleagues, The Koomon Culture Experience (www.koomon.com) offers memorable ways to bond with your peers through relaxing cultural immersion classes, including calligraphy, tea ceremonies, and flower arranging.
With the futuristic juxtaposing the ancient – and green complementing urban – even a short vacation or weekend add-on provides a sensory explanation of why and how Japanese culture captures the imagination. The Tokyo Imperial Palace grounds, surrounded by the city’s financial and government centers, unfold into a velvety expanse that’s home to Kokyo Gaien (Imperial Palace Outer Garden), Kokyo Higashi Gyoen (Imperial Palace East Garden), and Kita-no-maru-koen Park.
Elsewhere around the Imperial Palace, there’s Edo Castle, former residence of samurai warriors between the 17th to 19th centuries, and Sannomaru-Shozo-kan (Museum of the Imperial Collections) home to Emperor Hirohito’s collection of kimonos and Japanese paintings. In Kita-no-maru-koen Park, you will stumble into the legendary Nippon Budo-kan (the Tokyo destination for the world’s biggest arena rock bands) the Science Museum and the National Museum of Modern Art.
Ueno Park is Tokyo’s answer to New York’s Central Park, with a colorful zoo and cultural institutions that can keep a traveler busy for days. The Tokyo National Museum is an essential destination with its mix of art, historic artifacts, and anthropological finds. Some of the city’s most important historic shrines (Bentendo, Toshogu, Kiyomizo Kannon) also line the grounds. In the backyard of trendy Harajuku, you will find another piece of heaven at the Meiji Temple. The Asakusa neighborhood bridges cultural landmarks (Sensoji and Kaminarimon, Tokyo’s oldest temple), penultimate souvenir shopping (Nakamise Street), and Kappabashi Dougugai—a street lined with foodie gold, from kitchen décor and gadgets to the perfect, calorie free souvenir—plastic sushi!
East Meets Zest If it’s the real thing you crave, look for it everywhere, from stand-up sushi bars in underground shopping “food streets” to ultra high-end restaurants such as the original Gonpachi (www.gonpachi.jp), which has a sister restaurant in Beverly Hills. However, if you want to get to Japan’s culinary roots, head to the Tsukiji Fish Market. Imagine your favorite big city farmer’s market in 3-D. Start with the most perfect seasonal fruits, and end with a show consisting of specialists prepping seafood for market in brutally elegant ways even Quentin Tarantino would admire. Follow that with a sushi breakfast at Tsukiji Sushi-Sen, serving morsels you know were swimming the previous day.
Food preparation is an art in Japan, even for items purchased “to go.” Therefore, there is no better place to see Japan’s collective passion for too-pretty-to-eat food on the lower levels of top department stores such as Takashimaya (Japanese for “Bergdorf Goodman” as one companion remarked), Daimaru (quite lovely and right next door to the Shangri-La) and the Ginza branch of Mitsukoshi. While the draw for some will be samples, for others, it will be the flawless, art gallery-like organization of kiosks.
Tokyo remains a feast for the senses, and the hearty but refined locals would not have it any other way.