The slatted, skewing facade of the new Prias Building may not be the most arresting design in Ginza — the melting-metal, curvilinear De Beers building wins that accolade hands down. But it's enough to make you stop and crane your neck.
It was not the design that prompted us to ride the elevator up to the 12th floor, though. It was the lure of stellar dining high up above the fray at the latest restaurant bearing the name of Tateru Yoshino, one of Japan's finest chefs.
Until recently, Yoshino was better known among French gourmets than in his own country, especially since his Paris base, Stella Maris, garnered plaudits and a Michelin star in 2006. But having opened restaurants in the Shiba Park Hotel (plush and over-fussy) and the high-rise Shiodome Park Hotel (tastefully minimal), his stock has been rising fast in Tokyo, too.