TOKYO’S IMPERIAL HOTEL.
If metamorphosis were an Olympic sport, Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel might be a two-time gold medalist. Frank Lloyd Wright won acclaim across Japan for his bold design of the hotel’s 1923 incarnation, which not only replaced the original 1890 structure but also survived the Great Kanto Earthquake on opening day. After the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the owners took down Wright’s edifice of volcanic bricks to erect a much larger, modern high-rise. Now the hotel is readying for the attention the 2020 Games will bring by celebrating both its architectural heritage and legacy of innovations in a new lobby exhibition.
Setting: In central Tokyo, across from Hibiya Park and a short walk to the Imperial Palace’s moat-lined, lushly landscaped grounds. The glitzy Ginza shopping district is also nearby.
The appeal: Timeless luxury with Japanese tinges. Though the classic wood furnishings are a little staid, service is uniformly impressive, especially from the kimono-clad attendants in the Imperial and Premier Tower floors. Highlights of the 17 restaurants and lounges include the French-themed Brasserie, expertly preparing traditional dishes such as cherries jubilee; the Imperial Viking, the country’s first buffet restaurant, also offering sweeping skyline views; and the Old Imperial Bar, a handsome re-creation of the Wright era.
Insider’s tips: Schedule a tea ceremony in the traditional three-chambered teahouse for just $20. Affluent architecture buffs should book the Frank Lloyd Wright Suite ($6,175); less pricey mementos of his designs for the hotel, down to its coffee cups and chairs, are available in the gift shop.
Good to know: English-language cable TV offerings are limited. The fitness center and the skyline-view indoor pool cost $10 apiece. Attention to detail is immaculate, sometimes literally: Doormen who handle bags change their white gloves every half hour, and housekeepers vacuum from the center of the room outward to cover their tracks.
Details: 1-1, Uchisaiwai-cho 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. (011) 81-3- 3504-1111, www.imperialhotel.co.jp/e/.