WEEKEND TRAVELLER Tokyo’s cityscape – the stuff of a thousand sciencefiction fantasies – is vertical, vibrant and loud. This massive city of nonconformists, salarymen, ancient shrines, and exquisite food couldn’t be called the most restful destination, but still, the city makes for a endlessly stimulating weekend away from Beijing. Here’s Agenda’s picks for a weekend break in Japan’s jaw-dropping capital.
Time To Go To Tokyo
A weekend in the Land of the Rising Sun Compiled by Laura Petryshen
Tokyo has been recognized by the Michelin Guide as the world’s capital of gastronomy. But what’s really remarkable about the city is how much care is lavished upon the most humble dishes. For starters, ramen in Tokyo does not refer to instant noodles. It’s the main dish at hundreds of specialist restaurants and the subject of obsessive blogs. To understand the ramen frenzy, head over to Ikaruga. The noodle broth here – a rich, fatty pork bone and bonito ambrosia – is umami perfection. For a more modern take, ride out to Bassa Nova. This tiny joint is dim, the tables coated in stainless steel, and the ramen pan-Asian. The bowl to order here is the Thai-style green curry ramen, a match made in noodle heaven. If you’re hungry on the go, just duck into a department store – almost all of Tokyo’s large department stores have food courts on the basement floor. And these are no tacky food
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stalls – Tokyo’s depachikas are more likely to contain excellent French pastries, beautifully laid out Japanese pickles, and mochi (sweet glutinous-rice cakes). These are often connected to subway stations – it won’t be easy to use the Beijing subway after this! Of course, no trip to Japan would be complete without sushi, and if you’re planning your weekend trip three months in advance, try to snag a seat at Sukiyabashi Jiro, made famous by the 2011 documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Failing that, Fukuzushi in the Roppongi district or Araki in Ginza both serve up excellent sushi in traditional atmospheres. When it comes to sleep, do like Scarlett Johanssen and Bill Murray and stay at the Park Hyatt, the setting of Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation (the crushing alienation and lounging around in underwear is op-