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I was thrilled to be back in Japan for the third time in two years and looked forward to both exploring some new destinations with my family as well as revisiting a couple we had been to before.

A few notes, this will be the first article of several which will allow me to dive in to each destination a little more in depth. I did not work with a travel agent but rather put our itinerary together along with my youngest son who spent a semester in Japan in 2022. I found a fabulous company called Zenses who assisted in finding guides as well as booking transfers and arranging our luggage transport, and I would recommend them 100%. This was a huge improvement over the first trip to Japan I booked through my American Express Centurion card and The Essentialist, which was a complete and utter debacle requiring over 6 months of arguing and ultimately threatening to end my 37-year relationship with Amex before they refunded the egregious booking fees they charged me. Zenses was responsive, transparent, and incredibly fair in their fees.

When planning accommodations and restaurants for this trip we really wanted to focus on those which don’t cater to Americans thereby resulting in a more “authentic” experience.

I chose to fly ANA from JFK to Tokyo Haneda airport not for their in-flight service but because their business class fare was relatively attractive and the lay-flat beds are spacious. One highlight, they did have my favorite Noguchi Naohiko Sake on the beverage cart (I have a special affinity for it after meeting Noguchi, “the God of Sake,” himself a couple of years ago which you can read about here). Next trip to Japan I plan to give JAL a try which I believe provides a more luxurious experience.

We were in Tokyo for just two nights and booked the Okura in the “contemporary” Prestige Tower (there is also the Heritage Tower that is more traditional). The hotel originally opened in 1962 and enjoyed a renovation in 2019, but the common rooms feel as though they are in a mod 1960s time capsule. The hotel is very close to the American Embassy and has the distinction of hosting a large share of US Presidents in the past. The relatively quiet location is a plus but necessitated taking a lot of taxis rather than stepping right into the hustle and bustle of the city.

The hospitality in Japan is always outstanding, and all the staff at the Okura we encountered was on point from the front desk to housekeeping.

When we initially booked the Okura I had requested a Suite, but somehow ended up with a Prestige King (roomy at 520 feet but not roomy enough), and I failed to notice until just before the trip. I attempted to switch to a larger accommodation but I was told there would be a hefty premium due to it being holiday time so I declined; not the worst situation, but be sure to check your reservations at the time of booking. Another quirk, we were located on the club floor, but did not have club access, which annoyed me – though we did have a great view and cozy pjs to wear during our stay.

Our plan was to push through dinner and then go to bed at a reasonable time in order to acclimate ourselves, so we reserved at the outpost of Kyubey, a very well-regarded sushi bar group, located in our hotel that features accomplished chefs and incredibly fresh fish.

Dinner was delicious and we managed to stay awake through the entire meal! Suffice it to say we were asleep in no time and woke up excited to sample the very celebrated breakfast buffet at the hotel. We opted for the full buffet on day one, and the Japanese breakfast on day 2. The choices were expansive and featured both Western and Japanese specialties, and the quality was excellent.

Our first scheduled adventure was a trip to the “Sumo Stables” which was arranged by Zenses. The experience spans a 2 1/2 hour session watching the wrestlers warm-up, practice and spar. On our last trip we actually got to attend Sumo matches, but this was almost more exciting as we were literally five feet away from the action. Make no mistake about it, these guys are elite athletes and their practice was incredibly rigorous. There were many rules we had to respect in order to attend. We had to be silent, there was to be no videotaping (photos were ok), and we could not face the soles of our feet towards them as it is considered to be highly disrespectful. This is an experience I would absolutely book if you have the chance, it was terrific.

Following our visit to the Sumo Stable we stopped in at the Asakura Museum of Sculpture, part museum and part historic home featuring the works of artist Fumio Asakura who is regarded as the father of modern Japanese sculpture. I really enjoyed this small gem and especially loved the reception we got from the docent who was so happy to welcome a group of Americans.

We all were dragging a bit at this point and could do with a sugar infusion; luckily one of Tokyo’s best Kakigori (shaved ice) cafés was right near by, Himitsudō. The shop is tiny, and it was packed, but we were fortunate to score a table in the back and quickly opted for two giant confections. We were just going by the hand drawn pictures on the menu so we were not exactly sure what to expect, but one was definitely a Christmas special and they were both delicious and fun to eat.

One of the most memorable moments of the trip actually happened on the way out. We were navigating through the closely placed tables and my husband inadvertently knocked a full portion of shaved ice off the table and into a customer’s lap. Being that it was Japan it was all very civilized with the customer refusing our offer of money to compensate him for his dry cleaning bill while the staff rushed to whip up a replacement. It was so messy that as we left we saw him shaking ice out of his pockets.

We were still chuckling as we made our way to the Tokyo National Museum to catch the Hello Kitty exhibit that charts the meteoric rise of a simple graphic design to an international icon. Tight for time we did a quick spin through gallery after gallery of cuteness, actually getting a bigger kick out of the other visitors. I was most impressed by the special edition Hello Kitty diamond encrusted Cartier watch.

Keeping in mind that there are a zillion fabulous hole in the wall spots to grab a quick bite we decided to return to a place my son had loved when he was last in Tokyo, Tokyo Sunflower Iidabashi, a stand-up udon and tempura joint that was casual and satisfying. Carbs to the rescue, although we were pretty tired we were determined to keep going.

Before we left for Japan we read an article in Food and Wine describing what sounded like the most perfect bar in Tokyo featuring only 6 seats! We reserved all 6 at 4pm and met up with a friend of my son’s who is currently living in Japan. Tatsuya Yoshida, the bartender and creator of Bar Rondo, is obsessed with creating the most perfect versions of some old standbys (the best G & T you’ve ever tasted) as well as some innovative new creations. Yoshida is quiet yet very amenable and anxious to share his inspirations and expertise with his customers; every single detail has been considered and reconsidered, which adds up to a truly idyllic experience.

We had already packed a tremendous amount into our first day, and my husband had hit a wall; he was fighting off a bit of a respiratory infection and that coupled with the jet lag led him to opt out of our planned dinner at Kibun, a very precious and sophisticated French-Japanese restaurant with just one table and 6 bar seats. Although tired we were quite jovial when we arrived for dinner but our mood was quickly tempered by Chef Ugo Perret-Gallix’s deeply serious demeanor.

Thank goodness my husband chose to skip this particular dinner because he would have really disliked the ubiquity of white creamy textures throughout the meal. The biggest hurdle was choking down the tremendous pile of “soft cod roe”/milt/cod sperm sacs that are available late December/early January. I have had small portions of milt on other occasions and while it is an acquired taste and texture (and concept) it isn’t too bad, though a generous serving is another matter entirely, and there was nowhere to hide. Chef Ugo is undisputedly a highly accomplished professional and the menu technically was expertly executed but it didn’t resonate with any of us. Kibun is recognized by Michelin and many other discerning diners, but sadly I would not recommend it.

When we returned back to the hotel my husband was sound asleep, and thankfully woke up with renewed energy and appetite which was satisfied by a very delicious Japanese breakfast at the Okura.

Although we happily imbibed large amounts of green and black tea with our meals in Japan there was also a need for good coffee and on this trip we encountered a surprising very serious coffee culture, with one such example being Coffee Aristocrat Edinburgh which uses a complicated siphon system to produce a perfect cup.

While we were only in Tokyo for two days at the outset of our trip we did return on our last day for a couple of hours due to a lengthy layover at Haneda Airport. While I did not shop (much) on this trip, getting to the Louis Vuitton x Murakami collaboration that launched on January 2nd was a priority. By the time we were back in Tokyo on the 4th many of the items (especially those exclusive to Japan) had been sold out, though I did manage to sweet talk a sales associate into grabbing me the last mini panda bag they had in the fourth store I dragged my husband and sons to; frustrating but ultimately satisfying.

We were so happy to be back in Japan, and Tokyo was just the beginning of our adventure! Please stay tuned for many more blog posts about this great trip.

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