ASIA TOKYO DESTINATIONS I


’ve been in Tokyo an afternoon, and already I’ve seen tiny meerkats kitted out in kimono, a woman dressed like a horror movie bride and street- cleaners in the guise of samurai with litter-pickers for swords. I’ve elbowed my way through the Shibuya Scramble – famously the busiest crossing in the world – and two minutes later, strolled solo down a side street, window- shopping in Japanese boutiques without another soul in sight. Wandering through Yoyogi


Park, I’ve spotted a wannabe popstar singing his heart out (even if his trio of fan-girls are the only ones listening), and been transfixed by a troupe of ageing ‘Greasers’ dressed like extras from Danny Zuko’s T-Birds, dancing their (white) socks off to the strains of ‘50s rock ‘n roll – with swing


dress-wearing groupies looking on from the sidelines, no less. I’ve perched on a bar stool slurping ramen while a queue of hungry locals waits for me to eat up and move on, sampled yakitori dipped in house-blend tare sauce, passed hedgehog and owl cafes where coffee-drinkers can pet animals while getting their caffeine fix, and made my own pancake-like monjayaki on a griddle right at the table. And the most amazing thing?


This really took place in a single afternoon. There’s no poetic licence required when talking about Tokyo; the Japanese capital is every bit as quirky, colourful, fast-paced, outlandish and off-the-wall as its reputation would suggest.


w INNS AND OUTS The main reason I’ve touched down on Tokyo soil from an Air France flight via Paris is to be among the first guests at Hoshinoya Tokyo, the first city- centre hotel for this Japanese group, which opened on July 20. The 16-floor property is a hotel version of the traditional ryokan, with 84 of the


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FAST FACT


Air France and KLM have 37 weekly flights


to Tokyo and Osaka, via Paris and Amsterdam, from £499 in economy airfrance.co.uk


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