Azaleas await at Hotel de Yama

The Odakyu Hotel de Yama, in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, re-opened on April 21 after renovations and is pleased to welcome guests with the hotel's garden filled with 30 varieties of azalea, totaling 3,000 plants.

Besides the garden, the guest rooms and baths have been renovated in the remodeling that began in early January.

The theme of the re-invigorated hotel is "Succeeding 'nature' from the past generation, offering higher-quality omotenashi" (sprit of selfless hospitality).

The huge garden is open from 9 a.m. to 5p.m. and a tour is ¥800.

There is also a seasonal dessert, "Azaleas at the Lakeside" (kohan no tsutsuji) available at the hotel's Salon de The Rosage restaurant. It is a savarin made with Darjeeling tea infused with azaleas.

The dessert is priced at ¥1,604 and a set with a cup of coffee or Ceylon tea is available for ¥2,198, including tax and service charge.

The Odakyu Hotel de Yama, with an excellent view of Lake Ashi, is 15 minutes from the Moto-Hakone Port bus stop of the Hakone Tozan Bus, which runs from either Odawara Station or Hakone-Yumoto Station. For more information, call 0460-83-6321 or visit www.odakyu-hotel.co.jp/yama-hotel.

Capitol Tokyu welcomes chef Martin

The Capitol Hotel Tokyu, in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, will hold a dinner event in collaboration with Guy Martin, a Michelin star-winning chef from Paris, on June 11.

Martin, the owner-chef of Le Grand Vefour, one of the finest restaurants frequented by many celebrities in France, will prepare a luxurious full-course dinner with Kanjuro Kato, the head chef of the hotel, who has been friends with Martin since the Paris chef came to Japan for the first time in 1990.

The Martin dinner will be the second such event, following one in 2012 at The Capitol Hotel Tokyu, which will celebrate its fifth anniversary in October.

Customers will be welcomed at the Ballroom Ho'oh on the first floor, at 6 p.m., with dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. The price is ¥30,000 per person and includes the full-course meal, drinks, service charge and tax.

The Capitol Hotel Tokyu is directly connected to Tokyo Metro's Kokkaigijidomae and Tameike-Sanno stations, Exit 6. For more information, call 03-6206-1576 or visit www.capitolhoteltokyu.com.

'Yoga & Beauty Cuisine' plan

The InterContinental Yokohama Grand will offer a beauty and fitness package called "Yoga & Beauty Cuisine" on May 16.

The three-hour event starts at 6 p.m. (doors open at 5:30 p.m.) and consists of a yoga session in the hotel's Atlantic banquet room on the third floor, followed by dinner at the hotel's La Vela Italian restaurant.

The yoga session will be taught by an instructor from 'Adidas Yoga,' a fitness program developed by Adidas Japan K.K., and yoga mats, towels and water will be provided by the hotel.

Afterward, guests can enjoy a healthy dinner featuring many fresh vegetables, while enjoying the gorgeous evening view of Yokohama Bay.

The package is available for ¥8,000 per person (including tax and service charge) and reservations are required.

The InterContinental Yokohama Grand is two minutes from Minatomirai Station on the Minatomirai Line or 10 minutes from Sakuragicho Station on the Yokohama Municipal Subway and JR lines. For more information or reservations, call 045-223-2267 or visit www.interconti.co.jp/yokohama.