A. Machen

Hello - <BR><BR> Can someone please give me their impression of this hotel? I'll be going to Tokyo with my wife and brother on the 7th of January, and would like to know how it ranks. Also, What's the best, easiest to find, cheapest restaurant that you can think of? I'll definitely consider any response I get.

Peter Neville-Hadley

I've stayed twice at the Park Hyatt. It occupies the top few floors of three fused towers in the Shinjuku district, a ten-minute walk from Shinjuku station (or there are shuttle buses and taxis). The views from the rooms are fabulous, and in January, if you're on the right side, you'll even have a chance of seeing Fuji.<BR><BR>The hotel is remarkably discreet, and something of its flavour can be given simply be describing the process of getting from the entrance to reception. You are taken along a corridor past wall-mounted sculptures to an elevator which takes you to the 43rd (I think) floor, where you emerge into a thicket of uplit bamboo in a glass-roofed space on top of one of the towers. You are then led down a further corridor, past a restaurant adorned with giant photos of European cafes. You turn right and left into a substantial library, and right again into someone's sitting room. This is, in fact, reception.<BR><BR>From there the hotel is an elaborate vertical maze, with different elevators providing access to the rooms, to an excellent restaurant with live jazz on top of another tower, and another to a swimming pool and fitness centre on top of the third. The rooms are quite large (the largest standard rooms in Tokyo, in fact), but the public spaces are intimate and cosy, and there's interesting art lining the corridors and in the rooms. It's best to get a corner room if you can, since the corner will be fitted with a bath from which you can enjoy Tokyo Bay or Fuji, weather permitting.<BR><BR>However, if you don't already have bookings, you may need to forget it. The hotel's occupancy rate is on average, in the mid-90%, and room rates are around US$400.<BR><BR>My favourite budget restaurants in Tokyo are all isakaya-style--picture menus over a variety of Japanese and Western snack dishes, consumed with large tankards of beer or big glasses of shochu mixed with grapefruit, for instance. The chain Tengu is all over Tokyo, and you could try one branch of that--any hotel reception will be able to get them to fax you a map of the nearest location, or find it for you on the Web and print it out. You'll be seated at large tables with office workers celebrating their release from work, and often making a night of it, gradually ordering a succession of dishes as they need them.<BR><BR>Actually, this isn't the *cheapest* but for pure entertainment value it's on of the best value for money. In back street Tokyo finding rice dishes such as katsudon for around US$4 is easy. Or there's Japan's own favourite, kariraisu (curry-rice). Dishes are often recreated in plastic in windows of cheaper restaurants with prices clearly marked.<BR><BR>And there's always McDonald's, KFC, etc. etc. They're all there.<BR><BR>Peter N-H<BR>http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

allen

You might also try yakitori (grilled chicken) stalls. These are usually narrow places with a long counter and bar stools. Behind the counter the cook broils skewered chicken over charcoal. Besides various chicken parts they sometimes may serve grilled jumbo prawns, bacon wrapped asparagus, octopus, etc. With a tall cold beer, you can enjoy an inexpensive meal. Somewhat like a tapas bar, you can drink, eat and chat at your leisure. Dress casually as your clothes will be smokey afterwards.

A. Machen

Thanks for the replys. My reservations are already made for the Park Hyatt, and I'm really looking forward to it.<BR><BR>My brother is 19 years old. Will he be able to go into a yakitori-ya? I'd rather not miss the experience, but I don't want to exclude him.

Florence

You can take your brother almost anywhere without any problem. Just be aware that he's not supposed to drink alcool until he's 21, although there is usually no control on customer's age, especially on Westerners, and most Japanese males will have the occasional beer long before that age. Just make sure he's never getting drunk.

Apiwat

Just left the Park Hyatt this morning! Nice hotel, great staffs and a pretty good restaurant - "New York Grill". Stayed in a Park Corner room - very spacious and I got a room rate of 49,000 yen ++ per night. Only complaint is it is far from Ginza. Shinjuku is OK but I prefer the shops and restaurants in Ginza.