Previous Trip Notes:
A Long Weekend in Tokyo – Part 1: Trip Set-Up & ANA First Class
We took the Narita Express train to Shibuya for $20 each, where we caught a taxi to the Grand Hyatt (which cost another $20). As we pulled into the “garage-like valet” of Roppongi Hills shopping center, where the hotel is located, it was immediately clear that there was some money in this part of Tokyo. The closest comparison I have is to Monte Carlo, where you can take photos of any street and see Rolls Royces next to Bentleys next to Ferraris.
Roppongi Hills Valet, Tokyo
The lobby was large, and very nice. We went to the front desk, who asked us if we would prefer to check in upstairs in the lounge. We were a bit parched, so opted to head to the lounge. Given we only had a two-night stay, I was a bit disappointed we weren’t upgraded to a suite, but the room was still nice:
Grand Hyatt – Tokyo, Standard Room
Grand Hyatt – Tokyo, Standard Room
Grand Hyatt – Tokyo, Standard Room
Grand Hyatt – Tokyo, Standard Room
The highlight was clearly the Toto toilet, which included a seat warmer.
Grand Hyatt – Tokyo, Toilet Controls
We knew the 14-hour time change would be difficult, despite sleeping on the plane, so we opted to head to the gym for a quick workout. The gym was really small and not impressive, but Globalist members receive complimentary access to the spa facilities as well, which included pools, hot tubs, massage chairs (not your typical massage chair) and saunas, which were amazing. A 30-minute workout, 20-minute massage-chair, and 10 minutes in the sauna was perfect. We headed back to the room to take showers then went out to dinner. We opted for a French Restaurant, L’atelier de Joel Robuchon, due to it also being in Roppongi Hills shopping center and thus a five minute walk. The meal was good, despite fading pretty hard near the end of the meal service due to jet-lag, so we skipped dessert and headed back to the hotel.
L’atelier de Joel Robuchon – Tokyo
L’atelier de Joel Robuchon – Tokyo
The next morning we woke up around 6:30am, and were greeted by fairly substantial rain, which we would learn would not subside for a straight 48 hours. We headed up to the lounge for breakfast, which was fantastic:
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Lounge
The Tokyo Marathon was happening in Ginza, so after breakfast we opted to walk to the Meiji Shrine, which took about 45 minutes. Luckily the wind was never an issue, so umbrellas were easy to use. The shrine is engulfed in a giant park, seemingly similar to New York’s Central Park. You truly felt like you were isolated in nature while walking to the shrine.
Meiji Jingu – Tokyo
Meiji Jingu – Tokyo
Meiji Jingu – Tokyo
Meiji Jingu – Tokyo
Meiji Jingu – Tokyo
Meiji Jingu – Tokyo
Meiji Jingu – Tokyo
Meiji Jingu – Tokyo
Meiji Jingu – Tokyo
Meiji Jingu – Tokyo
After visiting the shrine, we decided to warm up, get some tea from starbucks, and hang out for about twenty minutes until Gyoza Lou opened up. We were excited to try some of their world-famous dumplings. While good, they didn’t live up to our favorites from MGM Macau on a trip we took in 2009. It was a nice appetizer before we took a taxi directly to Savoy for what was truly amazing Neapolitan style pizza. After lunch we walked back to the hotel, where we rested for a bit, then headed out to the Ginza shopping district. The Tokyo Marathon apparatus had almost been completely dismantled, taken away, and the streets clean by time we got there (a mere few hours after the event had been completed!). We pursued some shops, including the well-known Itoya stationary store, and then headed back to the hotel. We of course needed to have sushi on the trip, and headed to Roku Roku in the hotel. We ordered the assorted sushi, at the chef’s discretion. While good, again similar to the dumplings, was not the best we’ve had.
After dinner we stopped by the lounge just to see what the spread looked like:
Grand Hyatt Lounge, Tokyo
Grand Hyatt Lounge, Tokyo
Grand Hyatt Lounge, Tokyo
Grand Hyatt Lounge, Tokyo
Grand Hyatt Lounge, Tokyo
Grand Hyatt Lounge, Tokyo
Grand Hyatt Lounge, Tokyo
Grand Hyatt Lounge, Tokyo
Grand Hyatt Lounge, Tokyo
Grand Hyatt Lounge, Tokyo
Grand Hyatt Lounge, Tokyo
Grand Hyatt Lounge, Tokyo
We went to bed quite early since we planned to get up at 3:30am to head over to the famous fish auctions. The Tsukiji auction site had moved in recent months, and the new building and atmosphere were a complete letdown. Whereas in the past you were on the auction floor, amidst the chaos of bidders, sometimes bidding for tuna up to three million dollars, the new auction site only allows observers to watch from a glass-enclosed balcony. When we showed up at 4am, the building was closed, and no one was around. We waited for a few minutes in the pitch-black, letting the light rainfall run-off our jackets. It was miserable. We were using our Google Translate app to help us “read” signs. Finally we found the right place to be, and had to wait about four minutes until the building opened up.
Toyosu Fish Market, Tokyo
Toyosu Fish Market, Tokyo
Toyosu Fish Market, Tokyo
Toyosu Fish Market, Tokyo
Toyosu Fish Market, Tokyo
Toyosu Fish Market, Tokyo
Toyosu Fish Market, Tokyo
Toyosu Fish Market, Tokyo
After visiting the fish market, we took the Tokyo Metro back to the hotel. We packed up our things and checked-out. For the final night, we were excited to be heading to the Park Hyatt.
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