Ticked off Tsukiji, marvelled at the Meiji and think you know Tokyo like the back of your hand-stitched Japanese denim? Rest assured, this Asian megatropolis is the exquisite gift that keeps on giving (if you know how to receive). LUXE’s CEO and seasoned jetsetter Simon Westcott gives the skinny on how to navigate Tokyo’s lesser-sung wonders like a pro…
STAY: Hoshinoya Tokyo
Zone into Zen at this luxury urban retreat slap-bang in biz-central by the Imperial Palace. Ryokan rules apply: each six-roomed floor has its own lounge, or head to the top storey for a black-marbled onsen soak. Not that you’ll want to leave your chamber, with its artful bentwood furniture, tatami screens and gently protective, kimono-inspired latticework. Food is equally fashion forward in the rock-strewn, concrete basement restaurant presided over by French-Japanese fusion master Noriyuki Hamada. Themed, fish-centric tasting menus ask whimsical questions like ‘lightning or lightening?’ and ‘comment ca va’? Very well indeed, thank you. hoshinoyatokyo.com
EAT: Torikado and Alternative
Elevating your fave curbside yakitori to fine-dine kabuki heights, Torikado puts the performance back into poultry, with blazing charcoal theatrics and no inch of the humble chook left unskewered. A spot-lit white cedar U, hovering in a hard-to-find black basement cube, is the stage on which this culinary drama unfolds. Neck skin, tail meat and grilled ground meat balls are among the star cast, while innovative supporting characters appear through black curtains from the kitchen; the mashed potato salad is the scene-stealer. Book ahead… Like, a month ahead.
B1/F, Suzuki Bldg, 2-8-7 Meguro Meguro-ku. +81 3 6417 9967.
It’s refreshing, in trend-tortured Tokyo, to find exquisite French food, artfully presented and expertly wine-matched. But chef Takayuki Saito doesn’t leave his iconoclasm there. Gallic technique succumbs to Asian flavour at Alternative; umi and yuzu flowers wrestle with crepes and red wine reductions; and finally, palates are cleansed with sliced melon and ginger doused in champagne and pepper-infused gins. Take every single one of your taste buds; you’ll need them.
2/F, 3-1-19 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku. +81 3 5772 7272.
EXPLORE: Sumida Hokusai Museum
Drowning in the antique kimono and samurai swords of the National Museum? Instead, take a satisfying paddle in the iconic work of the creator of the Great Wave Off Kanagawa at the intimate Sumida Hokusai Museum, located in the ward where the venerable ukiyo-e master lived most of his life. Housed in a gleaming silver spaceship next to a children’s park, the museum is as interesting for its evocations of old Edo as its well-illustrated story of the evolution of Hokusai’s distinctive style. Stock up on Great Wave designer merch at the store downstairs.
SHOP: Japan Blue Jeans
Our favourite denim junction; small but perfectly formed, Japan Blue Jeans is a shrine to Okayama selvedge denim and staffed by English-speaking hipster high priests. Styles range from tapered and slouch for him, to skinnies and boyfriend for her, and all with discreet (and untypical) allowances to curvier figures. The divine intervention, though, is the onsite tailoring. The man measuring you up may look like he can only spin decks, but he’s a dab-hand with a vintage Singer, too. Praise be!
A version of this article originally appeared on PenCities.
To uncover more of the Nippon capital’s wonders, nab a copy of the LUXE Tokyo guide.
