The Peninsula Tokyo opens its doors Saturday, flexing its muscles with a premier location at the foot of Marunouchi's Naka Dori, dazzling interiors from Yukio Hashimoto, alumnus of local interior bigwigs Superpotato, a 900-sq.-meter spa with "experience showers," and the city's second-largest suite, a 347-sq.-meter, ¥850,000-per-night affair that overlooks the picturesque Imperial Gardens next door.
For foodies, it brings a quintet of eateries befitting the sister of Hong Kong's legendary hotel. There's a Cantonese restaurant, of course: The Hei Fung Terrace has at its helm a veteran of the Peninsula Hong Kong's Spring Moon kitchen, whose interior is intended to evoke the historical gardens of Suzhou. As your dinner swims inside one window, another pane looks onto the stoves where signature dishes such as Taiwan-style stewed chicken with shallots and basil leaves take shape.
Two floors below is an even more exclusive dining experience — the first branch of Kyoto's Tsuruya kaiseki (traditional-style, formal Japanese dinner) restaurant. The original is famed for its garden, an attraction they've had to forgo in the Peninsula basement, but the same seasonal delicacies that go for upwards of ¥40,000 in the old capital are served here in a contemporary Japanese setting.