DESTINATIONS TOKYO | ASIA
JAPAN HOTEL OPENINGS
E Hilton Okinawa Sesoko Resort: Opened on July 1, this family-friendly beachfront resort on Okinawa’s Sesoko Island boasts two pools, five restaurants, a spa and landscaped gardens, with the Unesco-listed Nakijin Castle and other key attractions on the doorstep.
E Toy Story Hotel at Tokyo Disney Resort: Pixar fans will be pleased to hear Tokyo Disney is getting its very own T
oy Story-
themed hotel in 2021, with a planned 600 rooms inspired by Andy’s bedroom (home of Woody, Buzz and co).
ABOVE: Ice cream stall, Takeshita Street FACING PAGE: (from top left) Lucy Huxley overlooking Mount Fuji; Sensoji Temple, Asakusa; Tsukiji fish market; Tokyo Skytree PICTURES: Shutterstock
A quick wander around the corner provided something of a contrast: the famous Takeshita Street. Popular with Japanese teens, it’s full of kitschy mascots like Pokémon and Hello Kitty, plus hordes of cat, puppy and owl cafes, and confectionery shops selling rainbow candy floss. It was an eye-opener.
SACRED MOUNTAIN After a couple of days in the city, we were keen to spread our wings a little, so we hired a driver to take us to Mount Fuji – Japan’s sacred mountain and a Unesco World Heritage Site – located about two hours away. We left Tokyo and its 27C heat and drove to an elevation of 2,300m, where the thermometer dropped to just 8C. Wrapped in hoodies and coats, we walked around the mountain to the viewing platforms, taking pictures and finding lava rocks, as clouds danced around the peak. It was a gloriously sunny but fiercely windy day, which made the experience all the more dramatic. On the way back, we stopped at a Japanese barbecue restaurant close to the Mount Fuji Panoramic Ropeway – a gondola which takes you to a vantage point overlooking Mount Fuji – and cooked thin slices of pork belly, beef loin and vegetables over hot grills sunk into the table. Then we glimpsed the famous view of Mount Fuji from across the water at Lake Kawaguchi, and it was a spectacular end to the day.
travelweekly.co.uk CULTURAL FUSION
Japan took me by surprise in many ways. It’s a continual blend of the traditional and the modern. A place where you can offend if you don’t hand over money with two hands, or if you absent-mindedly position your chopsticks wrongly. But it’s also a place where futuristic vending machines line every corner, where you can have coffee with an owl on your shoulder, and where you can have your bottom warmed and washed on a visit to the toilet. The one constant, however, is the people. Although
there was a language barrier at times, I found the Japanese to be kind, respectful and patient. And they were keen to help and to understand, so we never felt lost or uncomfortable. We only scratched the surface on our visit. We didn’t ride the bullet train out into the country, or visit Kyoto or explore other prefectures, such as Setouchi, Hiroshima, Miyagi or Kyushu. I’m saving those for my next visit.
TW BOOK IT
Cosmos offers a 10-day Timeless Japan tour visiting Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Osaka from £2,341, departing in October and including all breakfasts, one lunch, sightseeing, services of a tour director and flights. Prices for 2021 tours will be released when departures go on sale in August.
cosmos.co.uk
9 JULY 2020 25
EW Osaka: W Hotels is making its Japan debut next year in the form of a 27-storey, 337-room new-build on Osaka’s main street, Mido-Suji Boulevard. Expect quintessentially W (read: trendy) restaurants and cocktail bars among its features.
E Fujisan Mishima Tokyu: Just opened in historic town Mishima, this nature-inspired hotel (pictured) overlooks Mount Fuji and is easily accessible via a 45-minute bullet train ride from Tokyo, with a stylish seafood restaurant and 60m-high pool overlooking the cloud-ringed mountain.
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