Tokyo is like my heartbeat after 40 mins of cardio: Elevated, it makes you feel charged, alive, energetic. While the city has a frenetic energy, there are pockets where you can immerse yourself in moments of peace and laidback bliss. It is a city you devour sensorially. How much can you do in 48 hours if you are short on time, like me?
Day 1
9 am: I normally sleep with the blinds drawn. But at Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi, I fall asleep to the twinkling city lights and wake up to clouds making way for the prima donna — Mount Fuji. After marvelling at the snow-capped wonder, through the large windows of my room, I head for breakfast to Pigneto on the 39th floor of the hotel. It offers vantage views of the city’s financial district, the sprawling gardens of the Imperial Palace, and Mount Fuji. But the clouds are back and cover the mountain like curtains after the end of a show.
The buffet spread is as impressive as the views offering cuisines varying from Japanese, Italian, Thai, American, Continental… I pile my plate with a smoked salmon salad and French toast. All fuelled up, I am ready to explore the city.
The Nakamise Shopping Street by night
| Photo Credit:
Noppasin Wongchum
11 am: I head to the traditional Asakusa district known for its shopping and street food. Narrow Nakamise Street, which leads to the Senso-ji temple, is the most popular. The 250-metre stretch is flanked by rows of little shops with traditional red lanterns hanging. Tourists mill about buying souvenirs like chopsticks, fans, traditional footwear and kitschy artwork. There is also plenty to eat: yokan sweets (made of sweet bean paste and in diverse shapes and colours), ningyo-yaki (baked brown sweets shaped like dolls and fish and filled with red bean paste), eel buns and crepes filled with roe.
The Senso-ji Temple
| Photo Credit:
Eloi_Omella
12 noon: The Senso-ji temple beckons. I catch a glimpse of it beyond the iconic Kaminarimon gate with its large, massive red pillars and a red chochin (traditional red lantern) that weighs around 700 kilograms and is replaced every 10 years. I make my way past excited photographers, and tourists and locals dressed in kimonos with ornate obis (sash-like belts).
The approach to the temple has numerous o-mikuji stalls, where many stop by to ask the oracle for guidance for the future. In the middle of the path is a large urn with gentle curls of grey smoke rising into the air. The urn is filled with incense sticks that people light and then hover their hands over the smoke as a purification ritual.
A group of customers enjoying traditional ramen noodles in a small ramen shop in Tokyo, Japan.
| Photo Credit:
O2O Creative
2 pm: Lunch today is in the basement of a train station. As shinkansens thunder past a level above us, I queue up for some of the best ramen in this city. This is Tokyo Ramen Street, a collection of 10 ramen shops under one roof. Not one is empty. I wait outside one called Hirugao for about 40 minutes. When it is my turn, I tap at a vending machine-like menu, choose from 14 kinds of ramen, and wait with my token. The seating is basic, but the flavours are not. My chicken shio ramen has a deliciously salty flavour and comes with slow-roasted, and salted eggs cured in a premium tare sauce. Inspired by the elderly man next to me, I leisurely slurp my noodles, till the growing queue outside makes me feel guilty.
Kiyosumi Garden is a metropolitan garden located in Koto-ku, Tokyo
| Photo Credit:
PhotoNetwork
4 pm: After being surrounded by large crowds, I opt for some quiet time at the Kiyosumi Garden where my eyes are treated to acres of green. A water body occupies a large part of the park, with little bridges and stepping stones connecting different parts of the park. Gnarly looking trees emerge from the water body. If not bobbing in the water, turtles chill on peripheral rocks. I see a large turtle — who has the look of a wise old man — interacting with a small turtle, perhaps imparting life advice.
7 pm: At teamLab Planets, my phone camera and senses are on an overdrive. This is an international collective where artists blend art with innovative ideas, science and technology. There are different segments displaying immersive art. From silver, reflective, life-size Easter egg-like structures, and large balloons that change colour when you touch them, to colourful rotating bouncing spheres, and stepping stones that test your balance, each exhibit draws you in. My favourite is the room filled with knee-deep water. I wade through it as it changes colours and virtual koi fish swim along.
A snapshot of Virtu
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
9 pm: Virtu is among the top 50 bars in the world. The approach is through a path between shelves lined with books on food and beverage. The bar is luxurious, swanky; the bartenders make you feel welcome and the spirits keep you warm. Also on the 39th floor of the hotel, the night time views offer a glitter of lights from the skyscrapers surrounding it. The cocktails are a fusion of French spirits and Japanese produce. The menu even marks the different parts of the island where the ingredients are from.
I try the fig, cognac and spices which tastes like Christmas in a glass, and has a dash of clarified milk and Japanese black tea. And with that I am ready to call it a night.
A Japanese sweets and snacks Shop in Ogikubo, Suginami Ward, Tokyo, Japan
| Photo Credit:
winhorse
Day 2
9 am: Today, I sacrifice my large buffet spread at the hotel for breakfast from a nearby konbini to get a feel of the local life. The convenience stores here are referred to as konbini, and the options they present are mind-boggling. I find the closest FamilyMart which is located at the basement of a plush building. Their Famichiki which is fried chicken, enjoys a cult fan following. A touch spicy, with a crunchy outer layer, I get why this is so popular. But my favourite is the the creamy egg sandwich. And if you ask the locals, they will suggest the salmon or tuna onigiri (rice balls). I pick a jiggly souffle pudding and a rum and raisin sandwich.
The Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan
| Photo Credit:
golaizola
11 am: The Imperial Palace in Tokyo is where the emperor of Japan resides. It is enveloped in greenery and has moats and high stone walls. The majestic palace follows a Japanese Modernist architecture. You might mistake the landscape inside for a movie set. There are picturesque bridges that lead to the inner palace grounds. You can opt for a guided tour which takes around an hour and 15 minutes. You can also sit here and take in the grandeur or if you are feeling active, join locals who do a five kilometre run around the moat.
1.30: The tea ceremony has been a part of Japanese culture since the 9th Century. While this is still something that fascinates travellers, the British-style afternoon tea is also gaining fans. At The Four Seasons Otemachi’s The Lounge, I sit by the large windows while the hostess gives me a menu that looks more like an art brochure. The seasonal menu keeps changing and is inspired by myriad themes. This time, it is titled Orsay Inpressionist Exhibition Afternoon Tea. Created by Pastry Chef Michele Abbatemarco from Est and Executive Sous-Chef Kensuke Kuze, the menu features beverages, a three-tiered stand with sweet and savoury pastries like smoked salmon dill rillettes with bellpepper puree; vanilla bavarois,creme brulee and fig confiture; chicken and chestnut pie; pork ham sandwich, grain mustard mayonnaise with burdock cream, spinach jelly, and saffron… Each inspired by paintings of artists like Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, mostly from the Impressionist movement.
Kabukicho pass illuminated at night in Shinjuku district, Tokyo. The area is a commercial an entertainment zone
| Photo Credit:
CHUNYIP WONG
5 pm: Japan is as much a shopper’s paradise as it is a foodie’s. For a shopaholic, what better place to start than Tokyo’s upscale Ginza district? There are cafes, shops, and high-end boutiques as far as the eye can see. My first stop, predictably enough, is the Onitsuka Tiger store. A building painted in the brand’s signature Tiger Yellow looms ahead. This store showcases the Nippon Made collection, so the collection is limited. Next, I hope over to the Onitsuka Tiger store that has the usual Mexico 66, and all the other coveted drops. The two-storeyed space is bustling with people, trying on shoes and walking with towers of shoeboxes to the billing counter.
I also explore Uniqlo’s flagship store which has 12 floors and features a flower stall and also a cafe. Bythe time I step out the sun has disappeared and the sky is dark.
The usual luxury brands like Mikimoto, Chanel and Louis Vuitton are here but this is also a great place to discover trendy local brands. Don’t miss out Mitsukoshi and Matsuya, two iconic department stores which showcase vintage as well as contemporary fashion-forward collections.
Dishes at The Four Seasons
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
7 pm: Fancy is the theme of my day today. Dinner is at Est, a one Michelin star restaurant helmed by French Chef Guillaume Bracaval who has made this city his home. Est stands for emotion, season, terroir. Here, French techniques and flavours come alive with seasonal produce sourced from across Japan. For example, the wagyu is from Miyazaki, cheese from Hokkaido, blueberries from Shizuoka…
The omakase courses are a testament to the chef’s skill. Guillaume believes that a good chef has to think like an artist. My nine-course meal features favourites like scallop with nashi and buckwheat; beef with Okinawa long pepper and celery; kinki, dashi and gobo.
9 pm: Post dinner it is a toss up between visiting Shibuya and its chaotic but much photographed crossing or just walking around the hotel and discovering local neon-lit izakayas. I go with the latter. A long but pleasant walk leads me to an alley lined with little bars selling reasonable alcohol and short eats. This is Yurakucho Yokocho, nestled comfortably under train tracks. I try umesha (a Japanese plum liqueur). It is sweet but mostly tart. After a few sips the flavour grows on me. As the night progresses these bars start filling with mostly locals. I walk down the vibrant alley, find another konbini and then head back to my room with sakura flavoured chocolates.
The writer was in Japan at the invitation of Four Seasons Hotel
