Here are the latest openings, offerings, and events in Tokyo.
Getting Around
The Yurikamome Line, which connects Shimbashi with Odaiba in Tokyo Bay, has been extended past Odaiba to Toyosu. This is just the beginning of a bigger plan, which includes redevelopment of Toyasu and the eventual relocation of the famous Tsukiji fish market to Toyasu.
Accommodations
Fierce competition in Tokyo's luxury hotel market is heating up with the recent opening of Mandarin Oriental, 2-1-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi (tel. 03/3270-8800; www.mandarinoriental.com). Located on Chuo Dori within walking distance of the Ginza and the Nihonbashi financial district, the posh hotel occupies the top nine floors and part of the lower atrium of the new 38-story Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower building. It offers 179 rooms and suites, most with panoramic views and setting new standards for in-room entertainment, including 45-inch HDTVs that also serve as monitors for Internet access. Though standard rates start at a whopping ¥62,000 ($590), special introductory internet rates begin at ¥49,000 ($467).
Also relatively new is Japan's first Conrad property, Conrad Tokyo, 1-9-1 Higashi-Shinbashi (tel. 03/6388-8000; www.hiltonworldwide.com), located 37 floors above the Shiodome area with views of Hama Rikyu Garden and Tokyo Bay. Even its 80-foot pool on the atrium terrace boasts stunning views of the city.
Next on the accommodation agenda is Japan's first Peninsula Hotel in the Marunouchi/Hibiya business district (www.peninsula.com/tokyo.html), which will feature a grand lobby offering breakfast and afternoon tea in the tradition of its Hong Kong property, and The Ritz-Carlton in Roppongi's new Tokyo Midtown Project (www.ritzcarlton.com), both slated for 2007 openings.
In budget news, Tokyo's youth hostel has dropped "youth" from its name and is now called the Tokyo International Hostel. But despite a new website (www.tokyo-ih.jp) and slightly higher rates (¥3,860/$37 per person per night), it still enforces draconian youth-hostel-like rules that might keep night owls at bay, including policies that dictate rooms must be vacated during the day and that front doors close and lights turned off at 11pm sharp.
Where to Dine
Conrad Tokyo is the site of award-winning British chef Gordon Ramsay's first restaurant in Japan, Gordon Ramsay at Conrad Tokyo, which offers his signature French cuisine along with an international wine list. Everyone's also talking about Alain Ducasse's Beige, located on the 10th floor of the swank Chanel building, 3-5-3 Ginza (tel. 03/5159-5500). It offers contemporary French food in a dramatic setting, at expectedly high prices. Kinder to pocketbooks is Limapuluh, 3-13-21 Minami Aoyama (tel. 03/3401-1193), a hip eatery in the Aoyama district boasting innovative French-Asian cuisine and a patio that's perfect for people watching.
What to See & Do
Visiting the grounds of Tokyo's Imperial Palace on a guided tour is now a lot easier due to a new website of the Imperial Household Agency at www.kunaicho.go.jp/eindex.html, which allows online registration for tours of both the Tokyo and Kyoto imperial palaces (click "Imperial Palaces in Tokyo and Kyoto"). The homepage also gives fascinating information about Japan's imperial family, including personal histories, genealogy, and official duties.
A new museum in the same building as the new Mandarin Oriental , the Mitsui Memorial Museum, 2-1-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi (tel. 03/5777-8600; www.mitsui-museum.jp), features changing exhibits from the private collection of Mitsui Zaibatsu, the largest financial group in Japan. Collected by members of the Mitsui families for more than three centuries, the collection includes everything from paintings and calligraphy to ceramics, swords, masks, costumes, ceremonial tea utensils, and household furnishings, shown in rotating displays. It's open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm.
Akihabara, dubbed Tokyo's Electronic Town because of its many high-profile shops selling the latest in technical gadgetry, has witnessed major changes since the 2005 completion of a new rail line linking Akihabara with Tsukuba. First came Yodobashi Camera's flagship store, Yodobashi-Akiba (tel. 03/5209-1010), Japan's largest retail electric appliance store and occupying one of several new highrise buildings next to Akihabara Station. Newest on the Akihabara scene is the Tokyo Anime Center, 4-14-1 Soto-Kanda (tel. 03/5298-1188; www.animecenter.jp), located across from Akihabara Station on the fourth floor of the Akihabara UDX building. It features an information desk for those seeking the latest buzz in Japanese animation, a recording studio where visitors can watch voice actors producing radio programs, a 3D theater showing popular works and special previews, and the ubiquitous souvenir shop offering anime merchandise. The Tokyo Anime Center secures Akihabara's position as Tokyo's top destination not only for electronics but also for anime.
Meanwhile, art lovers anticipate the 2007 opening of the National Art Center, Tokyo, in Roppongi, 3-7-6 Kyobashi (tel. 03/3561-0961; www.nact.jp). One of five national art institutions and boasting the largest indoor exhibition space in Japan, the museum will not maintain a permanent collection but will instead focus on special exhibitions organized by the country's many artists' associations and the museum's own staff.
Tokyo Strolls
Located on the tree-lined boulevard of Omotesando Dori in the chic Aoyama/Harajuku district, Omotesando Hills (www.omote-sando.com) opened in 2006 as Tokyo's newest trendy leisure destination. Designed by world-renowned architect Tadao Ando, it houses more than 80 up-market shops, mostly women's fashion boutiques (open daily 11am to 9pm), and restaurants (open daily 11am to 11pm).
Side Trips from Tokyo
A new train line operated jointly by JR East and Tobu Railway now offers direct service from Shinjuku Station to Tobu Nikko Station four times daily. A real boon for visitors staying on Tokyo's west side, the trip takes about two hours and costs ¥7,800 ($74) for a roundtrip pass that includes local bus transportation in Nikko.
The Hakone Ropeway between Owakudani and Togendai is closed until the end of May 2007 due to the installation of a new system. During this time, buses will transfer travelers between the two stations. The ropeway remains in operation from Sounzan to Owakudani.
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