Tokyo has been a city I wanted to visit for so so long! Luckily, since Diogo and I were in Paris and having direct round-trip flights Paris/Tokyo, we decided to arrange a quick trip of 5 days and visit this frenetic city!

Before boarding we went to the business lounge to take a shower (yes you can take a shower in the CDG Star Alliance lounge) in order to get ready for our overnight flight to Tokyo.

The cultural immersion started right from the beginning: we decided to fly onboard of Japan’s largest Airline ANA for the very first time and we have to admit we really enjoyed their business class!

In fact, and unlike many other companies, ANA provides a thin mattress to put on your seat once it is in the horizontal position so you have a more pleasing sleep experience – usually only a blanket and pillow are provided.

We were welcomed with a glass of Champagne (which, as French, I truly appreciate), after 1 hour in the air, we got served a delicious meal while we were watching a movie. After dinner, we put the seat in horizontal (like a mattress) and spent the next 8 hours sleeping comfortably.

When we woke up, we took our breakfast and we were ready to land!

It was the fastest 12 hours I have ever spent on a plane!

We decided to divide our stay between 2 different type of hotels: a Traditional high-end ryokan – the famous Hoshinoya Tokyo (for 2 nights); and a ultra modern property, the Andaz Tokyo for other 2 nights.

DAY 1 – ARRIVAL

When we arrived at Hoshinoya Tokyo around 4 PM, we were invited to remove our shoes as it is a shoe less hotel. In fact, in Japan, everyone removes their shoes when entering in a house, so we gladly removed them!

We were escorted to our room which was the biggest suite of the hotel, see pictures below:

The hotel only serves breakfast in-room for a maximum of comfort and privacy – which we loved it! They also have a complimentary public lounge in each floor, open 24 hours if you are feeling like drinking some matcha or eating some noodles at 4 am (like I did!).

Hoshinoya is not an ordinary hotel, is a totally unique Japanese experience and cultural immersion! From the welcoming and detail-oriented service, to the well-thought design, Hoshinoya Tokyo captivated all my senses.

If it’s your very first time in Tokyo or in Japan, then Hoshinoya Tokyo is an absolute Must!

After checking, we went to the SAKE Lounge to taste fine Japanese wines and premium sakes (the traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage) while enjoying a Grand Kagura performance.

For dinner, we went to meet Kanda, the 3 Michelin-star chef which cooked some traditional sushi and soup for us. He is a total legend in Japan! So If you enjoy a fine Japanese experience, then Kanda is a must try!

Below is what we did during our stay in Tokyo and we definitely recommend you to replicate it if you are staying for at least 3 full days in the city (minimum 4 nights recommended) for a complete cultural immersion both in terms of food, drinks, Art, shopping, history and sightseeing:

DAY 2

=> Get amazing photos wearing a traditional Kimono and walking around the 157 years old gardens of the Hotel Chinzanso, right in the heart of the city.

This is a total must for any person in Tokyo! Trying on a traditional Kimono is a one of a kind experience to blend in the beautiful gardens.

=> Have lunch at the exclusive Azuma-Ya all by yourself and finalize your meal with a traditional Matcha tea ritual. Reservation mandatory. 

If there is one thing Tokyo is known for is for its incredible food! In fact, Tokyo has more Michelin-star restaurants than Paris! Quite impressive right? You will find that many Michelin-star restaurants in Tokyo can only allocate 6-8 persons as they are very small and modest spaces! But when it comes to the quality of the food, it’s from another level!

=> Have a traditional tea ceremony wearing a kimono at Hoshinoya Tokyo and learn how to make matcha!

=> Enjoy the amazing hot spring on the rooftop at Hoshinoya Tokyo.

=> Experience the finest of Nippon Cuisine thru a 8 courses degustation dinner at Hoshinoya Tokyo.

DAY 3

=> Do some shopping and bring a souvenir from Mikimoto – the renewed Japanese fine pearl jewelry.

=> Visit the Oil Gallery of Nichido followed by their Contemporary Art Gallery.

=> Have lunch at the ultra-exclusive 2 Michelin-stars Japanese Restaurant OKAMOTO in Minato-ku.

=> Visit a traditional craftsman atelier

=>  Walk around the high-end neighborhood of Ginza and  Omotesando – perfect to take some amazing street shots with their modern and bold architectures.

There is nothing better to walk in the streets of Tokyo in order to get a sense of this frenetic city! Don’t be scared to walk some miles and visually absorb all the wonders this city has to offer! Diogo and I walked around the neighborhoods of Ginza known for its fashion high-end streets and Ometesando, for its bold and modern buildings. The first picture was taken front of the Tokyu Plaza building in Omotesando, the second and last one in the streets of Ginza and the third one front of the Kabuki-za Theater, also located in Ginza. I love specially the fusion between the modern and ancient that you will feel thru walking around these areas.

=> Check-in at the Andaz Hotel, have dinner with a view at their restaurant and get some drinks on their amazing rooftop!

DAY 4

=> Visit the Nezu Museum and their gardens

=> Get the most amazing shots at the digital museum TeamLab Experience

=> Have lunch near the Tokyo Tower, at Tofuya Ukai, a restaurant specialized in tofu cuisine.

=> Visit the traditional area of Asakusa and the most ancient buddhist temple in Tokyo: Sensō-ji Temple 

=> Try some Michelin-star Japanese tempura at the Tempura Kondo restaurant.

DAY 5

Time to say goodbye to Tokyo and fly back to Europe onboard of ANA, the national Japanese Airline.

We loved Tokyo so much! We only hope we can come back soon and discover further this incredible city and other parts of Japan.

Xx,
Melanie

Credits
Photography: Diogo Novo, Hoshinoya Tokyo, Andaz Tokyo.
Author: Melanie Martins