I still can’t place it. I still can’t fully understand it. There is something about this city that, despite my best attempts, is impossible to explain. It can only be experienced… or maybe “felt” if that doesn’t sound too… philosophical.
Maybe it’s like love. You can list all the things you might love about your partner but that list is merely semantic, almost academic and belittling in a way… because none of that really represents the vast soul-felt experience of love.
Still, maybe a list of what to do in in Tokyo is the best point of entry, a compass even, to guide you through some of the “loveable” dimensions this sensational city.
Given we just launched our Naked Revival underwear there, and I’m fresh off a visit (which included a little soiree with some expats and a stroll through some new, and now favourite, haunts) here’s a snap shot of a close-to-perfection 24 hours in Tokyo.
6:00am — Luxurious Morning Light at Hotel Aman
The Aman is indisputably and irrefutable the best hotel in Tokyo. Its atmosphere is… well... as profound as the city it resides in. As you awaken in your elegant ryokan-style room, you can marvel at the view and admire the hotel’s flawless blend of traditional Japanese design (the washi paper door and engawa platforms included).
For those with the highest discerning taste (in underwear I hope), it is a highly worthy experience to open your eyes to this kind of room and view after a nightly sojourn to dreamland. Stretch your arms and savour the feeling of satisfaction that comes with waking up some 38 stories above Tokyo (and at the Aman no less).
Pro-tip plug: Take a travel-sized Super-bolt Tea for a smooth kick of energizing caffeine and immune-boosting nutrients to start your day. You’ll see why below!
8:00am — Sweat it out in Hibiya Park
Do a double morning workout to flush out the system and pump it up for a big day in Tokyo. First, hit the weights at the Aman gym, then head to Hibiya Park for some cardio.
Japan’s first western-style park, Hibiya, borders the east garden of the Tokyo Imperial Palace and offers a green oasis from the city swirling around it. Nestled near a quaint pond, is an open-air gym with pull-up bars and push-up benches. Time it right and you can crush your double workout with an muscley crew of old-timers that’ll warmly welcome you to run through the paces of their daily morning ritual: quad-burning-squat routine, calf-searing heavy-rope jumps, and yes… ample pull-ups.
10:00am — Tokyo Drip in Akasaka
Cool down with a light jog over to Akasaka. As any Tokyo-regular knows, most coffee shops worth their beans don’t open until 9:00am or even 10:00am. On the main strip in Akasaka, there are four boutique coffee shops worth the patronage for some haute café culture. Hit up Streamers or IT COFFEE for espresso-based drinks, or Chumon Baisen Mametora (Roasters) or Tokyo Little for a throwback vibe and the longish Japan-style pour-over you may have heard about. Or, hit ’em all up — you’ve got a long day ahead!
12:30pm — Bluefin Tuna Pizza in Azabu Juban, Minato City
Mayo, wasabi and bluefin tuna are a few of the toppings on the legendary Pizza Y at Savoy Tomato and Cheese. It’ll blow your freaking mind and give you an excuse to have your first cold Asahi of the day.
Sitting at the high-top bar, you feel the heat from the 800-degrees-Fahrenheit oven and maybe even get to joke around with cooler-than-you chefs. However it ends up playing out, this joint has a cool vibe and their pizza is out-of-this-world delicious. And hey, you worked out twice this AM so you earned a lunch like this.
1:30pm — Roppongi Hills (one of many luxury shopping areas)
Next, stroll around Azabu-Juban and Roppongi Hills to shop a little. You might not find the rare hidden items like you would in the back alleys of Harajuku, or the charming streets of Koenji and Jiyugaoka, but this is still a hotbed of haute-couture.
4:00pm — Sizzle at a Sento
Yes, the Aman has crazy-good SPA, but you’re in Tokyo so you should soak up some of the hydro culture elsewhere. Japan’s sento culture is, well, one of the quintessential experiences of the country, and a perfect way to rest and relax and thoroughly clean yourself before a night out in Tokyo.
Pro-tip plug: Bring American Boxer travel-sized 4-step skin-care solution. After a pour-opening soak at the sento, apply the solution liberally and your skin-care routine will be super-charged. (I should mention that the washing ingredients offered at the sentos range from sketchy to questionable at best.)
Here’s a list of Tokyo-based sentos to check out:
https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/health-and-beauty/most-beautiful-designer-sento-and-bathhouses-in-tokyo
8:00pm — Dinner in Ginza.
Once one change his underwear (from Warrior to Freethinker), he should head over to the Ginza district. Ginza is where it’s at! Alive and vibrant, the district is filled with iconic neon signage, great restaurants, and fashionable people. It represents the dream-like dimension of Tokyo every world traveller yearns for.
May we recommend the Ginza Grand Hotel for a decadent and delicious kaiseki. It’s a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner that may include miso soup, sashimi, sukiyaki and Chateaubriand cuts of Wagyu beef. Simply delicious.
11:00pm Onward — After Hours Tokyo Confidential
Back in the desirable area of Azabu-Juban, meet up with a stylish group of friends at Tokyo Confidential. Six floors above a mini Ferrari dealership, TC has a stunning view of Tokyo Tower, ambient interior lighting, and it quirky baseball them mixes perfectly with it elegant décor. TC is the perfect place for a late-night whisky — with an endless selection to choose from. To properly share the scene, here our few snaps from our soiree there.
The rest of the night is up to you. As Steve, one of my friends and colleagues in Japan, says, “It’s Tokyo…enjoy all of it.” A statement of which only you get to discover the meaning of in the endless wonderland of Japan’s capital city.
