The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo

So large a city is Tokyo that it’s got its own capital, unofficially at least — Tokyo Midtown, in Roppongi, is a sort of city within the city, an enormous mixed-use development that’s home to the likes of Fujifilm, Uniqlo, and the Kengo Kuma–designed Suntory Museum of Art. It’s one of the high holy sites of Tokyo retail, including the first Richard James shop outside London, a massive Dean & Deluca, and the first Muji housewares store; and its entry in the luxury-hotel stakes is marked by nothing less than the city’s first Ritz-Carlton.

It’s not in a bad spot either, occupying the top floors of the Midtown Tower, currently the tallest building in town; there’s little use describing the views in any great detail, as there’s no way to do them justice in print. The interiors are a bit grown-up, a very subtly localized version of the classic Ritz-Carlton look, but it’s hard to spare a moment to notice the furniture against the backdrop of the sprawling Tokyo cityscape.

The prevailing theme isn’t exactly one of understatement — the $16,000 diamond martini, with a Bulgari stone at the bottom, is a case in point — but the clean Eastern lines lend a certain calm to the experience. As with most of Tokyo’s top hotels, it’s at once a high-end business hotel and a sort of a fantasy weekend holiday destination; along with the copious business facilities you’ll find a full-service spa and a dedicated wedding planner — not to mention close proximity to quite a lot of the world’s best shopping.