JAPAN
MANDARIN ORIENTAL, TOKYO
ABOVE: Robot Restaurant, Shinjuku
FAR LEFT: Asakusa LEFT: Senso-ji Temple and pagoda
“Over there you will spot Mount Fuji,” says our waiter, as we sit down for a spot of breakfast. It’s not every day you have breakfast at the top of a skyscraper, with sprawling views of Tokyo and a ruddy great mountain in the distance. But at the Mandarin Oriental, that’s just one of the countless views on offer, with its 178 rooms and suites also overlooking Imperial Palace, Tokyo Bay and the Tokyo SkyTree tower. The hotel is at the top of Nihonbashi
Mitsui Tower in the heart of one of Tokyo’s most exclusive shopping and business areas, plus the palace is just a 15-minute stroll away. The lobby sits right at the top of the
tower, on the 38th floor, with the rooms spread out across the eight floors below. The decor is sleek and sexy, while the
rooms are spacious and modern. Guests get to borrow a pair of Mandarin Oriental pyjamas to make them feel at home during their stay. The food is astounding, with an array of
Gai area, a maze of alleys that is home to more than 200 tiny bars each seating up to 10 people. And while I did return to Shinjuku after dark to sing a few karaoke classics (Hey Jude and a random Mariah Carey song) with a drunk Japanese businessman, it’s also worth a visit before the sun goes down. Our guide took us to the Metropolitan Government Building for a bird’s- eye view of the city. At 45 floors up, the viewing platform shows off everything Tokyo has to offer, with a panoramic view of the city. I found another dose of the
weird and wonderful at the Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku, where
visitors watch a chaotic 90-minute show featuring robots killing giant pandas, massive snakes and girls in circus-master outfits singing and parading around. It was probably the most entertaining – and strangest – show I’ve ever seen. In Shibuya, we were tourists
in every sense of the world, and ventured to the famous crossing from the movie Lost In Translation. The neon wonderlands of Harajuku and Akihabara left us stumbling around open-mouthed, as we tried to take in reams of anime pornography and corseted women walking around bearing Hello Kitty accessories.
aspire september 2015 — 77
Michelin-starred restaurants. It would be easy to never leave, with a choice of sushi, Cantonese, French and molecular tapas cuisine.
Mandarin Oriental is renowned for its
impeccable service, and the Tokyo property is no different. How much: A night’s bed and breakfast starts at £352.
MANDARINORIENTAL.COM/TOKYO
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