The Best Luxury Experiences Ahead of the Olympics in Japan

Summer is just around the corner. Which means two weeks of watching the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralymphic Games in Tokyo, Japan! If you’re lucky enough to have tickets to go, or you’re planning a trip before The Games commence, what are the best luxury experiences to have ahead of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan? Our correspondent Jillian Tangen has a curated a list of the best shopping and fine dining options, the luxury hotels of choice and what else to do – here’s what to see, and where to eat, shop and stay in luxury while visiting Tokyo, Japan on or before the 2020 Summer Olympics.

the eyes of the world turn to Japan this summer

Home to approximately 38 million people, come the end of July an estimated 600,000 more will flock to Tokyo for the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games. If that’s not enough, another 3.6 billion people around the world will tune in to watch the sporting events as they unfold over the course of two weeks.

With the games only a few months away, we thought it would be fitting to explore some of the best luxury experiences in Tokyo. From the newest hotels to the hottest restaurants, to the must-visit cultural institutions and best places to shop until you drop. This dazzling city is ready for its moment in the spotlight, and there are incredible luxuries on offer.

We’ve rounded up where to stay, what to eat and what to do if you are heading to the Neon City ahead of the upcoming Olympics, or attending the Games themselves. After all, who doesn’t want to earn bragging rights about having been to (or at least knowing all about) one of the soon-to-be hottest travel destinations ahead of everyone else?

The Best Luxury Experiences Ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan

where to stay

With the Olympics just around the corner, Tokyo has seen the arrival of a plethora of new hotels, as well as the revitalization of some of the city’s most iconic luxury spots.

1. Okura Tokyo

The iconic Mid-Century modern Okura Tokyo reopened late last year after a $1 billion dollar makeover. The previous Hotel Okura opened its doors in 1962, ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Games. It immediately became one of the most prestigious, high-end hotels in Tokyo.

The new Okura has accomplished maintaining the luxury East meets West ambiance of the old hotel. It has hosted every US President through former President Obama. Now it’s fitted-out with even more modern touches, such as sound-absorbing floors throughout the restored lobby, contemporary rooms and refreshed event spaces and restaurants.

2. Hoshinoya Tokyo

A true balance of luxury and authenticity can be hard to achieve, but the new Hoshinoya Tokyo, pulls it off. The city’s first luxury high-rise ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn) in central Tokyo is a modern take on the traditional concept.

Rooms combine high-tech and contemporary furnishings with traditional Japanese design elements like tatami mat flooring, futon mattresses and classic shoji screens. Each floor has its own Ochanoma lounge, a gathering space for guests to sip tea by day and sake by night. There is also an intimate restaurant located in the basement of the property, nestled amid natural rock and clay formations.

3. Hotel Koe

Located in the buzzy Shibuya district, Hotel Koé is comprised of three levels devoted to eating and music; shopping; and sleeping and art. The ground floor is all about food, with an open restaurant and bakery with light wood tables, fresh pastries and a DJ-curated soundtrack.

On the next floor up, you’ll find the flagship store full of contemporary Koé clothing and lifestyle products from Japanese designers. The third level is home to the hotel. In contrast to the sunlight-flooded lower levels, the charcoal grey art-filled space provides guests with a sleek retreat from the action below.

4. Ritz Carlton Tokyo

Set within the tallest building in Tokyo, the Ritz Carlton Tokyo elevates luxury to new heights. The recently renovated retreat is home to standard Ritz luxuries like a sprawling spa and multiple Michelin-starred dining options. You’ll also find more unique options like an “aroma butler” who is on call to revive weary travelers with customized aromatherapy blends.

And since the hotel is located in the tallest building in the city, every guest room boasts unmatched vantage points of Tokyo. On clear days, you can see all the way to Mount Fuji.

5. Tokyo Edition Toranomon

Expected to open in June 2020, just ahead of the Games, is the Tokyo Edition Toranomon. The 205-room property was designed by the same architect behind the National Olympic Stadium.

The hotel is located near some of Tokyo’s top sights, including the Tokyo Tower. As with other Edition hotels, the Tokyo outpost will include several on-site dining options, a terrace, a fitness center, a swimming pool and a spa.

what to see

Tokyo is home to hundreds of museums, making it easy for everyone to find something they might love to see or learn about. We’ve pulled together five of the most popular.

1. Tokyo National Museum

If you’re looking to learn a little (or a lot) about Japan’s history, the Tokyo National Museum is the place to go. The museum is home to one of the largest and best collections of art and archaeological artifacts in Japan, consisting of over 110,000 individual items.

Strolling through the halls of its numerous buildings, you’ll spot fan favorites like samurai armor and swords, delicate pottery, kimonos, calligraphy and paintings. In addition to artifacts from Japan’s history, you’ll also find pieces from across the Asian continent. Including Buddhist scrolls that date all the way back to 607.

2. TeamLab Borderless Museum

Wander among cascading waterfalls, seas of flower petals, shoals of fish, roaming animals and endless rice fields at TeamLab Borderless Museum. It is an interactive digital space devoted to the futuristic creations of Tokyo-based TeamLab.

Children in particular will love the upstairs areas, with its bouncing planet trampolines and animated drawings.

3. Yayoi Kusama Museum

Book well in advance if you want to snag a 90-minute time slot to the world’s only museum dedicated to Yayoi Kusama. Located near her studio in Shinjuku, the Yayoi Kusama Museum is one of Tokyo’s hottest openings of the last few years, allowing only 200 visitors to enter each day, ensuring that Instagram influencers don’t overcrowd popular works like the mirrored “Infinity Room.”

The museum displays paintings and all sorts of other polka dots and special exhibitions that change twice a year.

4. National Art Center

Tokyo’s National Art Center is home to one of the country’s largest contemporary art showcases. Housed in an undulating concrete-and-glass structure designed by pioneering Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, the museum features four rotating exhibitions spread across almost 160,000 square feet and 12 galleries.

5.  Mori Art Museum

The Mori Art Museum sits atop the 52nd and 53rd floors of the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower.  It offers not only blockbuster works of contemporary art by the likes of Ai Weiwei and Dinh Q. Lê. But also 360-degree panoramic views of Tokyo from one of the tallest buildings in town.

The museum presents exhibitions showcasing the work of promising young artists from Asia and other regions of the globe, while also curating a significant collection of high quality, contemporary Asian art.

where to eat

Home to the most Michelin stars in the world, Tokyo is the place to be for food lovers. From humble yakitori joints serving skewered grilled chicken, to multi-course traditional kaiseki feasts, dishes all around the city are prepared with care and respect for seasonal ingredients.

1. Sukiyabashi Jiro Honten

Though no longer on the Michelin list, Sukiyabashi Jiro Honten (of the 2011 documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi) is still one of the most prestigious restaurants in all of Japan. The fabled main restaurant, which is often known simply as Sushi Jiro, opened in the upmarket Ginza district in 1965. It has had a guest list that includes the French chef Joël Robuchon, the actor Hugh Jackman and President Barack Obama together with the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe.

Up until last year, the exclusive restaurant had received three Michelin stars every year since the culinary guide’s first Tokyo edition in 2007. It was dropped from the list because they stopped accepting reservations from the public, making them too exclusive even for Michelin. While it has never been easy to make a reservation, prospective diners must now be regulars. Or have special connections, or book through the concierge of a luxury hotel.

2. Ryugin

Outside of Jiro, Ryugin is arguably the most famous Michelin spot in Tokyo, thanks to the modern twist that Chef Seiji Yamamoto puts on traditional Japanese kaiseki (multi-course) cuisine. The menu is seasonally driven and features a 12-course omakase (chef’s choice) that tells the story of Japan’s best ingredients at their peak of ripeness. Depending on the season, diners will spin through a menu of ayu (sweetfish) in the summer; matsuba gani crabs in the fall; and fugu during the winter.

After more than 15 year in Roppongi, in 2018 Ryugin moved to a plot three times the size of the original, now claiming nearly 5,000 square feet in Tokyo’s modern Hibiya Midtown luxury development.

3. Kadowaki

After nearly 20 years in operation, Kadowaki was awarded three Michelin stars last year. Previously, chef and owner Toshiya Kadowaki caused a minor media stir when in 2008, at the launch of Michelin’s first Tokyo edition, he declined to be included in the guide, dismissing it as unwanted foreign intrusion.

Nonetheless, the restaurant was awarded two stars each of the following years until it was bumped up in 2019. Today the Japanese restaurant is known for fresh and creative dishes like chargrilled ayu topped with salted ayu shirako and a truffles-on-rice speciality that blends the East and West together.

4. Inua

Inua is the sister restaurant of Copenhagen’s Noma, famed for its innovative North European cooking. The restaurant is led by German-born chef Thomas Frebel, the former head of Research & Development at Noma. He employs a team of 30+ “Nomads” coming from no less than 15 different nationalities.

With the theme of “Japanese landscapes and a sense of the season,” Inua draws on Japanese ingredients and fermentation culture to create dishes that are richly creative and global in order to elicit surprise and delight.

5. Toyosu Market

Head to the Toyosu Market, which took over the original Tsukiji Market (where bluefin the size of baby belugas sold for millions of dollars in previous years). The new iteration provides tourists with an opportunity to observe the famous market action via a hermetically sealed, glass-encased observation gallery.

In addition to a chance to eat sashimi as fresh as it comes at famed Tsukiji restaurants such as Sushi Dai and Daiwa Sushi.

where to shop

Tokyo shopping has it all. From high-end designer brands to offbeat fashion finds to tech gadgets you didn’t know existed as well as some of the world’s best kitchen staples, there is something for everyone here. Just make sure you have enough room in your suitcase to bring it all home.

1. Shibuya Parco

The city’s newest fashion mecca, Shibuya Parco, is home to 190 shops spanning 11 levels. Here, you’ll find everything from Gucci and Issey Miyake to the nation’s first official Nintendo store. Aside from a cool mix of shops and restaurants, there are art galleries, a cinema and a theater, as well as an entire floor dedicated to manga and gaming.

2. Ginza Six

For a one-stop shopping fix, head to Ginza Six, a mall with more than 200 high-end stores for fashion, cosmetics, food and art. In addition to stores like Celine, Dior and Fendi, the mall is also home to the largest rooftop garden in Ginza and a traditional Noh theater.

3. Nihonbasji Kiya

In search of the ultimate Japanese kitchen knife? Nihonbashi Kiya is a family-run business that has been fine-tuning traditional Japanese knife-making since 1792. Expert in-store assistants can explain the dizzying array available, many with very specific purposes (one range is devoted to eel slicing alone).

Perhaps more useful is the Nakiri vegetable knife, with its wooden handle and block of a blade, engraved with the name of the craftsman who made it.

4. Found Muhi

Situated in a small two-story shop, Found Muji is the home of the world’s first Muji store, which opened in 1983. Today, the space houses a design-focused spin-off and showcases carefully curated collections of everyday household items. It has caught the eye of Muji’s globe-trotting design teams.

Displayed in exhibition-style formats, themed products change regularly (past examples include minimal Danish teapots and bold Basque region ceramics). It also has a good selection of Japanese crafts and household goods.

5. Dover Street Market Ginza

Much like its iconic British namesake, Dover Street Market Ginza is the physical manifestation of the avant-garde aesthetic. Inside you will find brands such as Rick Owens and Maison Margiela. As well as notable collaborations, like the one between Japanese jeweler Mikimoto and edgy fashion label Comme des Garçons.

It’s a must-visit for anyone shopping in Tokyo with its striking art displays, unheard-of niche labels and a general feeling that you’re experiencing something unlike anything else in the world.

The Best Luxury Experiences Ahead of the Olympics in Japan

There you have it. Our top picks for a luxury visit to Tokyo either before or during the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. While we know you can never fully “visit” such a limitless and dynamic city, consider our picks a jumping-off point. And for those of us not lucky enough to make it there ahead of July, we can always bring a little bit of the city and its beautiful culture home and live the dream vicariously.

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Jillian Tangen is the Head of Research at Dandelion Chandelier and a former Senior Research Analyst at McKinsey & Co and Analyst at Shearman & Sterling. She is an avid fan of Nordic design, having owned an independent lifestyle store and sales agency focused on emerging Scandinavian design. Jillian lives in New York and is married with three young children. She loves cross-country skiing, the New York Rangers, reading, travel and discovering new brands.

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