In Roppongi, a part of Tokyo that looks and feels like New York City, we found the aptly named ‘Midtown Tower’, an upscale complex of luxury shopping, fine dining and corporate offices towering into the sky. The building’s very top floors are home to The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo – a playground of both the Japanese capital’s elite and the international jetset.
Checking in at Club Level of The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo affords stunning, uninterrupted views of this sprawling metropolis, all the way out to Tokyo Bay – and during our stay, we were rather blessed to have Mount Fuji making an appearance in the distance… auspicious, or so they say. The Club lounge will make you never want to leave the hotel, as at five sittings each day, elaborate snacks and refreshments are laid out for VIP guests. We made great use of it, before deciding to head out into the city.
Our ryokan-themed Modern Japanese Suite was a fine and whimsically unique experience – a sprawling Japanese house in the sky, decked out with tatami bamboo flooring and sliding wood screens. It was quite a surprise to encounter such a suite in an otherwise contemporary hotel, but we were more than delighted to make it our Tokyo home away from home.
Some special amenities were placed in the room to make our stay extra special – a Japanese peach bowl, an enormous chocolate presentation and matching his-and-his yukatas (cotton bath robes) among other his-and-his amenities, a very thoughtful and inclusive touch as we were a same-gender couple travelling together. The ultimate embellishment? A super-duper-king-sized bed, one of the largest and quite possibly the comfiest we’ve ever had the pleasure to sleep in (and sleep-in, we did!)
| Perfect for | Fly into | Right on time |
| The Sophisticate | NRT / HND | GMT +9 |
| While you’re Out There |
| A destination in itself, we found that The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo concierge team were adept at bringing Japan to us, so that we could fully immerse ourselves in Japanese culture just from a few days stay in the capital. From Ikebana (the art of flower arranging) to sake tasting, they have created a world of authentic experiences for guests of all ages, preferences and types. Want to learn about J-Pop? There’s an in-house expert. Fancy getting to grips with the basics of Karate? Sure, lessons are easily arranged. Want to keep the young and young-at-heart busy with Manga and Anime? The hotel has access to a huge library. But listen, make sure to explore beyond the hotel (and the entertainment complex beneath it)… Tokyo is a phenomenal place to ‘bura-bura’ (explore and ramble) and get well and truly lost. |
Other rooms and suites at the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo are more what you’d expect of a luxury hotel, thoughtfully designed ultimately for comfort with a blend of contemporary elegance and traditional Japanese aesthetics, ensuring that a stay that is both indulgent and culturally immersive. The design ethos while luxurious, is still relatively pared back, featuring a soothing colour palette of neutral tones accented by rich wooden finishes and plush textiles. Every room features expansive views of Tokyo’s iconic skyline through floor-to-ceiling windows. We toured hotel’s The Ritz-Carlton suite on the property’s top (53rd) floor. It’s a mammoth 307 sqm / 3,300 sq ft space, with a wrap-around panoramic view two bathrooms, a living room and dining area.
Dining experiences at the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo are nothing short of extraordinary. There are seven food and beverage outlets within the hotel, let alone other options in the complex below it. Whether savouring expertly crafted sushi at Hinokizaka (a Tokyo dining institution, featuring four areas for each of Kaiseki, Sushi, Tempura and Teppanyaki) or indulging in innovative French cuisine at Towers, we found every culinary journey is a celebration of flavours and textures that reflect the diverse culinary landscape of Japan. But the hotel’s crowning cuisine has to be at Héritage By Kei Kobayashi, where the next generation of classic French cuisine is delivered with a visionary, modern edge in spectacular style. Second generation chef Kei trained in the top kitchens of France, alongside luminaries like Alain Ducasse and Gilles Goujon before opening his own eponymous Parisian restaurant KEI, which was awarded three Michelin-stars.
Photography courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
