Tokyo Japan luxury travel guide

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Get lost in translation at the Park Hyatt

For an excellent selection of Japanese whisky, amazing views and a chance to pretend you’re Scarlett Johansson, head up to the New York Grill at the city’s Park Hyatt in Shinjuku – which formed the backdrop to several scenes in Lost in Translation. The 52nd-floor bar showcases the cityscape through floor-to-ceiling windows and there’s a wine cellar with 1,800 bottles to choose from.

For more information, visit hyatt.com.

Stay at the Aman Tokyo

Within the Otemachi Tower, Tokyo’s Aman outpost pays tribute to its backdrop with ryokan-style rooms, ikebana flower displays and washi paper doors. The hotel is home to some of the biggest rooms in the city, and the spacious (and serene) two-storey spa is vast, too. Unsurprisingly, the cool, calm interiors are temple-worthy, with huge windows framing the frenetic streets below, and a meditation garden for added inner peace.

For more information, visit aman.com.

Go petting

Anyone missing their furry friends back home should head to one of Tokyo’s many animal-manned establishments. The craze began with cat cafés but has now expanded to the point of visitors being able to have coffee with a capybara (at the Capy Neko Cafe in Kichijoji). Join the queue at assorted outlets for a cuddle with micro pigs, owls, hedgehogs, snakes, dogs and, of course, the original fluffy felines – we love Cat Cafe Mocha, which has branches across the city.

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Hit the shops in Ginza

Ginza is one of Tokyo’s most well-heeled neighbourhoods and it has the designer boutiques, jewellery shops and department stores to prove it. The main street that runs through it, Chuo-Dori, helpfully becomes a pedestrian zone on weekend afternoons – and once you’ve reached purchase capacity, there’s the Kabuki-za theatre for traditional dance (and a well-earned rest).

Admire the world-famous fashion

The Harajuku girls may get all of the attention, but you'll find amazing street style practically everywhere you go in Tokyo – start in the Harajuku by all means, but don't miss Shibuya, Daikanyama and Aoyama. Minimalism will never feel the same again.

Take fine-dining to the next level

Whether you want a simple yakitori joint, wagyu beef by the kilo, a laid-back izakaya experience or even amazing Italian food, Tokyo has it all. Try Florilège, currently ranked seventh in the world’s 50 best restaurants, for two-Michelin-starred French cuisine with a Japanese lean and interiors that are almost as attractive as the food; or Ode, where the poetic plates are an ode to every guest.

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Visit Mount Fuji

You may be able to see it in the distance from many fortunate vantage points around the city, but nothing beats getting up close and personal with Japan's tallest peak. The 3,776-metre-high mountain is sacred and Unesco-approved. Michi Travel can meet you at your hotel for day trips out of the city, with stops at the Komitake Shrine, Lake Kawaguchi and the restored thatched houses of a former farming village.

For more information, visit michitravel.com.

Sing your heart out at karaoke

Second only to sushi, karaoke is one of Japan’s best gifts to the world and it’d be rude not to partake in this quintessentially Japanese experience while here. Those on a Bill Murray pilgrimage can continue paying homage by booking room 601 or 602 at Karaoke Kan Shibuya, another star of Lost in Translation. Other singing spots include Pasela Akihabara, where you can admire the manga and anime decoration on the walls at the same time.

Take the waters

Japan’s volcanic activity means that its natural hot springs are bountiful, even in a sprawling metropolis like Tokyo, where geothermal cures await a few miles below ground. Choose from traditional public baths, stylish sentos (communal bathhouses) like Kohmeisen or Konparu-yu, which has been healing the people of Ginza since 1863, midnight dips at open-all-hours Thermae Yu; or full-blown theme-park onsen complexes, such as Oedo Onsen Monogatori.

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And if you can’t get there… head to London’s Prince Akatoki instead

Mayfair is currently doubling for Tokyo and giving guests a slice of Japan in London, in the form of the Prince Akatoki’s cherry-blossom tree in the bar, sakura-inspired cocktails and sake-enhanced picnics. “Akatoki” means dawn of a new day, which, let’s face it, we could all use right now. Its restaurant TOKii serves some of the most authentic Japanese food in the city – including sushi, miso black cod and robata-grilled lamb – with inimitable Japanese service, too.

For more information, visit theprinceakatokilondon.com.

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