TOKYO
Identity card
Currency: in January 2010,
1 euro = 133 yen
Area code: +81
Time difference: +8 hours
How to get there
AIR FRANCE offers 17 flights a week (7 of which are code-shared with JAL).
Tel: 3654 - Internet: www.airfrance.com
JAPAN AIRLINES, Japan's national airline, operates 7 weekly flights (10 of which are code-shared with Air France).
Tel: 0810 747 700 Internet: www.fr.jal.com
ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS offers 7 flights a week.
Tel.: 01 53 83 52 52 or 0820 803 212
Internet: www.ana.co.jp/asw/wws/fr/f/
Non-direct flights :
FINNAIR has special offers for flights to Japan from Paris with a stopover in Helsinki, starting at 659 euros.
Internet: www.finnair.com
Information
NATIONAL OFFICE OF JAPANESE TOURISM > 4, rue de Ventadour, 75001 Paris
Tel.: 01 42 96 20 29
- E-mail: info@tourisme-japon.fr - Internet: www.tourisme-japon.fr/
TOKYO CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU > Kasuga Business Center Building 10F 1-15-15 Nishikata, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo - Tel: +81 3 58 40 88 90 - Fax: +81 3 58 40 88 95
Internet: http://tcvb.or.jp/en/
FRENCH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY IN JAPAN > Iida Building 2F, 5-5 Rokubancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
- Tel: +81 3 32 88 96 22 - Internet: www.ccifj.or.jp
MISSION ÉCONOMIQUE-BUREAU DE TOKYO > Embassy of France, 4-11-44, Minami-Azabu,
Minato-ku, Tokyo
- E-mail: tokyo@ubifrance.fr - Internet: www.ubifrance.fr
Hotels
THE WESTIN TOKYO. Here, even the standard rooms have a minimum of 42 m2. But business travellers will probably opt for the Westin Executive Club Rooms, located between the 16th and 21st floors; as well as breakfast and cocktails included in the lounge, they offer unlimited access to the local telephone and are equipped with a fax machine. The hotel is also very well located, close to Ebisu metro station. But you don't have to leave the hotel to eat, as there are a total of eight bars and restaurants.
1-4-1 Mita, Meguro-ku
- Tel: +81 3 54 23 70 00 - Fax: +81 3 54 23 76 00
- E-mail: wetok@westin.com
Internet: www.starwoodhotels.com
RITZ-CARLTON TOKYO. One of the city's newest hotels, the Ritz-Carlton opened in 2007 in the heart of Tokyo.
Tokyo Midtown, a superb four-hectare complex of greenery, shops and conference halls.
Tokyo Midtown, 9-7-1, Akasaka, Minato-ku
Tel: +81 3 34 23 80 00 - Fax: +81 3 34 23 80 01
E-mail: rc.tyorz.leads@ritzcarlton.com
Internet: www.ritzcarlton.com
HYATT REGENCY TOKYO. One of the three hotels in the Hyatt group, the Regency is located in the heart of the Shinjuku business district.
2-7-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-Ku
Phone: +81 3 33 48 12 34 - Fax: +81 3 33 44 55 75
E-mail: tokyo.regency@hyatt.com
CONRAD TOKYO. Overlooking the Shiodome district from the top of a 37-storey tower, the Conrad's 290 rooms and suites offer panoramic views of Hamarikyu Gardens and Tokyo Bay. The atmosphere is both traditional and high-tech.
1-9-1 Higashi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku
Tel: +81 3 63 88 80 00 - Fax: + 81 3 63 88 80 01
E-mail: tokyoinfo@conradhotels.com
Internet: conradhotels1.hilton.com
Restaurants
NEW YORK GRILL. One of the most breathtaking views of the city, from the 52nd floor, is the main reason for choosing the New York Grill. And yet the food is excellent. The must: exceptional Kobe beef. Plus: a 1,600-bottle wine cellar.
Park Hyatt Tokyo, 3-7-1-2 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-Ku
Tel: +81 3 5322 12 34 - Fax: +81 3 53 22 12 88
E-mail: tokyo.park@hyatt.com Internet: tokyo.park.hyatt.com
EKKI BAR & GRILL. Beef from Kobe and Sendai, fish from the famous Tsukiji Fish Market, scallops from Hokkaido, sake aged in oak casks. All the culinary treasures of ancestral Japan are concentrated here, in a place with a very contemporary atmosphere, whose huge bay windows open onto the Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Station. At lunchtime, the "Japanese tasting special" may be of interest to the more adventurous.
Four Seasons Hotel, Pacific Century Place,
1-11-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku
Phone: +81 3 52 22 72 22 - Fax: +81 3 52 22 12 55
Internet: www.fourseasons.com/marunouchi/
SENSE. Good news that will only come as half a surprise: the Mandarin Oriental's Cantonese restaurant is keeping its Michelin star for the second year running. While the food - shark soup, jellyfish dish, giant clams - is a real surprise, the view from the 37th floor also leaves you speechless.
Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, 2-1-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi,
Chuo-ku, Tokyo - Tel: +81 3 32 70 81 88
E-mail: motyo-fbres@mohg.com
Internet: www.mandarinoriental.com/tokyo/
Conference centre
TOKYO INTERNATIONAL FORUM
Inaugurated in 1996, this vast liner of glass and steel has not aged a day. In addition to its 34 conference rooms, one of its 7 halls can accommodate up to 5,000 people.
5-1 Marunouchi 3-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
- Tel: +81 3 52 21 90 31 - E-mail: forumpr@t-i-forum.co.jp
Internet: www.t-i-forum.co.jp/english/
Shopping
ELECTRONICS
Let's face it: bringing home an electronic device from Japan is not as good an idea as it sounds. It's true that there is no shortage of shops between the famous Bic Camera (the reference in town) and the electronics district of Akihabara. But beware: prices are globalised, but guarantees are not. What's more, some models are not identical in Japan and the rest of the world. For example, the Canon EOS 500D camera becomes the Kiss x3. So it's best to opt for small gadgets, especially MP3 players like the Sony NWZ-W202, with its ergonomic headphones.
Bic Camera > 1-11-1, Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku - Internet: www.biccamera.co.jp
Sony Building (showroom and sales outlet) > 5-3-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku
- Internet: www.sonybuilding.jp
SAKÉ
Contrary to popular belief, sake is not always drunk hot. Sake drunk chilled is even better. Kenji Sato, Director of Catering at the Four Seasons, recommends Daiginjo, and in particular that of the brewer Kikuhime. Some very expensive sakes are even aged in oak barrels like wine. In fact, it could almost be mistaken for wine...
Sho-Chu Authority > Higashi-Shimbashi 1-8-2, Caretta Shiodome B2F
Tel: +81 3 55 37 21 05 - Internet: www.authority-online.jp
SECOND-HAND LUXURY
A Tokyoite without her (new) Vuitton is not a Tokyoite. Second-hand bag shops are springing up all over the city. The prices are all the more attractive as the bags are often as good as new. The only problem is that the shops' websites are in Japanese only.
Daikokuya > www.daikokuya78.co.jp/
GREEN TEA
It's expensive (around 20 euros for 100g), but Gyokuro is one of Japan's best green teas. For a variation on the theme, try Matcha-Mame, a peanut flavoured with green tea, with an unusual but delicious taste, the local M&M's. For food shopping, head to the basements of the department stores, which are packed with top-quality products.
Mitsukoshi > 4-1, Nihonbashi 1-chome, chuo-ku - Internet: www.mitsukoshi.co.jp/
Shohokuen > www.ujicha.com (tea specialist)
PAPETERIE
Beautiful paper, particularly washi, is an age-old Japanese tradition. Tokyo has a plethora of stationery shops. You could opt for Tokyo Kyukyodo, an old-fashioned stall, or a department store like Tokyu Hands. Worth buying: a Mei-shi Ire, a business card holder, a must for business travellers who want to handle the art of the card with as much style and dexterity as their Japanese counterparts.
Tokyo Kyukyodo > 7-4, Ginza 5 chome huo-ku
- Tel: +81 3 35 71 44 29 - Internet: www.kyukyodo.co.jp
Ginza Hands > Marronnier Gate 5F-9F
- Tel: +81 3 35 38 01 09 - Internet: ginza.tokyu-hands.co.jp/
