For many, the mere thought of Champagne is enough to make the pulse race and the tongue tingle. Josephine de Beauharnais, the wife of Napoleon and Empress of France 1796-99, once remarked that "making love without a bottle of Champagne alongside my bed is merely silly." For those looking to indulge in a flute or two of bubbly outside the realm of the boudoir, we have three new Tokyo Champagne bars to recommend.
Harking back to the glory of the 1980s, the newly rebuilt Marunouchi Building in the center of Tokyo's financial district boosts a dozen exclusive restaurants on its 35th and 36th floors. Getting there requires some patience; located across the street from Tokyo Station the building attracts a large number of visitors, all of whom seem to be jostling for a view of the ground zero of Tokyo's post-bubble economy.
Entering Breeze of Tokyo on the 36th floor is a relief. One is greeted by black marble, low lights, soft jazz ballads in the background and 10 bottles of Champagne resting in ice atop the bar. The restaurant-bar's floor-to-ceiling view of Ginza provides a dramatic backdrop.