Tokyo

Tokyo is a city of extraordinary contrasts held together by precision. Shrines, department stores, hidden restaurants, railway systems, gardens and futuristic districts create an urban experience where tradition and innovation move in perfect rhythm.

Tokyo was a fishing village called Edo until Tokugawa Ieyasu made it the seat of the shogunate in 1603; it became the imperial capital and took its present name in 1868. The Imperial Palace, behind the moats and walls of the old Edo Castle, still marks its centre, with the business district of Marunouchi and Tokyo Station on one side and the department stores and galleries of Ginza a short walk away.

The city is less a single centre than a federation of districts, each with its own character: Asakusa and Senso-ji, the oldest temple in Tokyo; Ueno, with its park and national museums; the shrine of Meiji Jingu in its forest beside Harajuku; the architecture of Omotesando and Aoyama; the crowds of Shibuya and Shinjuku. Gardens such as Hama-rikyu and Rikugien keep the landscapes of the shogun era.

Late March and early April bring cherry blossom to Ueno Park, the Chidorigafuchi moat and the Meguro River, and the city turns out for hanami under the trees; hotels book up months ahead. May is mild and clear, with the great Sanja Matsuri festival in Asakusa. June is the rainy season, and July and August are hot and humid, though lit by fireworks over the Sumida River.

Autumn is the finest season: from October to early December the air is dry and clear, the ginkgo avenue of Jingu Gaien turns gold and the maples colour the gardens. Winter is cold but bright, with frequent views of Mount Fuji from the higher floors of the city’s towers. The first days of January are quiet, when much of the city pauses and families visit the shrines for the New Year.

Tokyo’s luxury hotels face the palace gardens or occupy the upper floors of towers. The Peninsula Tokyo stands opposite the Imperial Palace on the edge of Ginza; Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi looks over the palace moats; Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo crowns a tower in historic Nihonbashi; Aman Tokyo fills the top floors of the Otemachi Tower; The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo rises above Tokyo Midtown in Roppongi; and The Okura Tokyo continues a tradition of Japanese hospitality begun in 1962.

LVXVRY books Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental and the Ritz-Carlton through Four Seasons Preferred Partner, Mandarin Oriental Fan Club and Marriott STARS & Luminous — at the official hotel rate, with the privileges each programme attaches to the stay. For The Peninsula, Aman Tokyo and The Okura, LVXVRY advises on and arranges the stay. For cherry blossom and autumn colour, reservations should be made well in advance.