This summer, I booked a Delta miles ticket, took a few swigs of Dreamwater and woke up in one such other world: Tokyo.
Day 1
Less than half an hour after collecting my newest passport stamp, the elegantly mannered driver of my ridiculously clean taxi pulled up to the Shibuya Hotel En, a sleek boutique pad in the loud, exciting, sensory overloading neighborhood of Shibuya (think midtown NYC or Hollywood LA, but full of locals instead of tourists). Never one to succumb to jet lag, I dropped off my Rimowa in my adorable room and took a very short walk to Shibuya Crossing-- the Times Square of Tokyo. When the lights turn red at this busy intersection, swarms of students, professionals and shoppers from six directions stampede at one time in fabulous organized chaos. Exploring the tiny, restuarant-filled alleys of Shibuya, I popped into a conveyer belt sushi spot where I proceeded to gorge on Nigiri for the equivalent of a dollar per two-piece plate. A 15 minute walk from Shibuya Crossing took me to Harajuku. While Ginza is Tokyo's most famous shopping district, Harajuku is the city's true retail destination. Dior and Sanrio, jewelers and creperies sit side by side on beautiful tree-lined streets, and the photo ops are endless. After collection chotchkies for everyone I know, I dolled myself up for dinner at Tapas Molecular Bar, where the food is art, the views are breathtaking and the Michelin stars are generously doled out. Back in Shibuya, I found myself walking the streets, taking in the lights and chatting with locals well into the early hours of the morning. When I returned to crash at the Shibuya Hotel En at 4 a.m., Shibuya was still wide awake.
Day 2
After breakfast at the local restaurant with the most stickers on the windows, I left Shibuya for Ginza and checked into the elegant Peninsula Hotel. With Chidorigafuchi at its front and the shopping district at its back, this drastic change from the noise and lights of Shibuya reminds one of the New York Upper East Side. Beautiful, classy and a little boring. All Peninsulas are beautiful, but their Tokyo hotel, only a few years old and towering above the neighboring buildings, is one of the chain's best. The closet (more of a dressing room, really) and bathrooms were massive, and the sleek decor exuded none of the austerity that typically accompanies modern/minimalist design. It was luxurious serenity.
After a disappointing shopping excursion in Ginza (I'm from LA. I'm not easily impressed.), I walked the whole of Chidorigafuchi, imagining myself in Memoirs of a Geisha as cherry blossoms fell from the trees onto my hair. It really was a movie. After rounding the 2.5 mile garden, I continued toward the Imperial Palace, where I bought a ticket to tour the grounds and see many of the rooms where political moving and shaking takes place before grabbing a crepe from one of the many Santa Monica Crepes locations and walked back to the hotel. Yes, I walk a lot.
Later, I grabbed a snack at two of the hotel's three beautiful restaurants before heading to Golden Gai (in Shinjuku) for the most substantial dose of sensory overload I have ever, and possibly will ever, experience-- and that's coming from someone who's seen the NYE fireworks at Burj Khalifa and been to Burning Man. Yet another snack, this time at Rokkasen (meat Valhalla) preceded hours of exploring every street of Golden Gai. The best spots are secret and not usually keen on accepting out-of-town visitors, which is why it's good to have a well-connected native host your evening. Japanese hospitality truly is remarkable, just not in Golden Gai.
Day 3
You guys. I went to a sumo wrestling match. A real sumo wrestling match. That is all that matters about day 3.
Day 4
I basically don't sleep when I travel, like at all. I'm excited and I don't want to waste time. So in spite of having went to sleep around 3 a.m., I was up, at 'em, and eating fresh-off-the-boat sushi at the Tsukiji fish market. It's really smelly, but certainly something to see. After eating my weight in hamachi, it was time to move to another part of Tokyo again, so the Peninsula's 1940's Rolls Royce house car drove me to the Andaz Toranomon Hills. There's not much going on in this part of town, but this is where you get the best views of Tokyo. From the massive window of my 52nd floor room in this new ultra-chic hotel, I could see the Imperial Palace, Tokyo Tower and Mount Fuji. Yes, all three of those things. And the hotel itself isn't at all bad to look at either. I'd tell you about the stunning artistry of this place, but you'd be better off googling it. From the hotel, I walked to Tokyo Tower (which is both taller and stronger than the Eiffel Tower), then the hip neighborhood of Roppongi (Think Soho. Any Soho.) to check out the art galleries, salsa music (really) and this library/spa/geisha bar where you book an individual rooms each with their own hot tubs, books and geishas-- I mean, these things are all amazing, but together?
Fascinating as the hot tub library club was, I was excited to get back to the gorgeous Andaz. Laying in my crisp sheets, drinking matcha and staring out the window at Tokyo Tower, I realized I hadn't watched one second of TV this entire trip. This is weird for me because I watch a LOT of Amazon.
So, dinner. Obviously, I had to go to the Robot Restaurant in Golden Gai, so that happened. Thirty minutes of I-don't-even-know-what entertainment followed by what-is-this dinner in a room that looked like a cross between Heaven, Mario World and El Dorado. I hugged a lot of anatomically correct robots.
Having had enough of Golden Gai, I went from there to the New York Bar at the Park Hyatt to listen to some jazz music and stare at the skyline. And mostly to check out the Park Hyatt to make sure the Andaz was better. It was.
Back at the superior Andaz, I treated myself to a pre-redeye trip to the stunning 24-hour spa. Looking at 360 degrees of Tokyo from the pool, I reflected on the past few days, how Tokyo is the perfect combination of lovely and lively, old-fashioned and high fashion. I had learned about Japanese culture, about sushi and kimonos and cherry blossoms, but I had learned just as much about my own country-- where we fall short (manners, hair, udon) and where we race ahead (entertainment, food trucks, most everything else). I hadn't fallen in love with Tokyo, but I you could say I was in like. And as with every time I had my passport stamped, I returned home slightly changed for the better. It was as Mary Ann Radmacher said: I had seen the moon shine on the other side of the world, and I was not the same.
The perfect three days. I have got to get there!
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