Travel Matters June 2017

Everything is so squeaky clean, from public places to well-kept, litter-free streets, especially public toilets. High- tech TOTO toilets are novel, with their Washlet function, ie washing and drying as well! It reflects the fact that society here is ordered, very ordered. The city runs efficiently, although a sense of order is left behind in the packed trains at rush hour but they do still manage to run on time. The city is awash with new developments in readiness for the 2020 summer Olympics, mainly infrastructural improvements, new hotels and the like. Despite these upheavals in the city, one constant is the etiquette that every visitor should observe if business meetings are to go without a hitch. Accept business cards with two hands and linger over each one before storing. Don’t tip in restaurants or taxis and refrain from using your mobile on public transport. Aside from these minor adjustments, visitors can saviour the enticing food, from independent neighbourhood eateries to the preponderance of Michelin-starred restaurants. They can choose between western style accommodation and Japanese style. The former comprises all the major international deluxe hotel brands, including Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula and Hyatt Hotels. Budget business hotels are a good alternative. They are no frills properties with no room service, snacks and drinks available from vending machines (occasionally in-house restaurants), and locations near public transport links. Japanese style accommodation encompasses traditional inns, ryokans and Buddhist temple lodgings. Ryokans offer Japanese-style bathing, futon bedding, authentic cuisine and staff in traditional clothing. Once business is over, there are plenty of diversions. It’s worth visiting the National Museum of Western Art in Ueno Park, not just for its exhibits but also for the building itself, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Designed by famous architect Le Corbusier in the late Fifties, it is the only work of his in the Far East. Game for a laugh? Then try Karaoke in its birthplace, where there are themed rooms, party rooms and even karaoke rooms for one. One of the most popular day trips out from Tokyo is to visit the bright red, five- storey pagoda, Arakura Sengen Shrine, which worships Mount Fuji as a god but be warned that it’s 400 steps up. It’s in Fujiyoshida City and is a 1 hr 45 min train ride. The season of cherry blossom, in early to mid April, is a popular time to visit. The cherry blossom tress along Nihombashi Sakura-dori and Edo- Sakura-dori bloom into a fusion of pink. But it will also be the height of the tourist season. Calmer perhaps are the canals of Nihombashi. Take a river cruise along the Sumida and Kanda rivers for a fresh view of the city, for uninterrupted views of the city’s parks, bridges and skyscrapers. One stop shopping is easiest at the Isetan Shinjuku store in Shinjuku but arguably, the Mitsukoshi Main Store department store in Nihombashi is a living museum of Japanese culture, where you can try your hand at painting on Kutani porcelain ware, watch a live demo of comb making, view paintings and pottery and handicrafts on its permanent gallery floor, and learn the art of preparing your own cup of delicious green tea. A trip to the basement fine food market, or depachika, is a must. It takes just 36 minutes to travel from Narita International Airport to downtown Tokyo 60km away, in the Skyliner, the high-speed express train operating every 20 to 40 minutes from both Terminals 1 and 2. Three trains per hour ply the route and every seat has a power socket. Skyliner is much quicker than using a taxi, which will get clogged up in traffic. www.travelctm.co.uk This spread - images copyright: ©Yasufuni Nishi/©JNTO GREAT IDEAS | 17 16 | GREAT IDEAS CTMS TOP HOTEL PICKS Hotel New Otani Mandarin Oriental Hotel Aman Tokyo Hotel The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Conrad Hotel Four Seasons Hotel at Marunouchi Palace Hotel Tokyo Shangri-La Hotel Hoshinoya Tokyo Hotel Park Hyatt Hotel The Peninsula Hotel Grand Hyatt Hotel