Thanksgiving in Roppongi, Tokyo; Romance Car to Hakone

[9V-SIA]

Introduction

Tokyo has always held a special place in my heart because, 20 years ago, Mrs 9V-SIA and I spent part of our honeymoon there.

Over the years we've been back a few times with the kids but this year would mark only our second time in the city without the kids.

Changi Airport

Check in & immigration clearance was up to Changi's usual high standards.

Nearly missed the flight!

I stayed in the lounge. Mrs 9V-SIA went down to buy moisturizer downstairs.

She called me to say that they won't give her the 15% discount unless I showed them my PPS Card. (She was paying with her supplementary Amex PPS card)

So there was a delay and we that's how we came to nearly missing our flight! The flight was full in J and Y.

SIN-NRT SQ638

Views from my seat.






I prefer sitting in the second business class cabin as it is more spacious.

I think the pics illustrate quite well how private the seats are despite a full cabin.

The point would be better made if my neighbor wasn't leaning forward when I took this shot





I dislike red eye flights within Asia because I usually don't get enough sleep and what sleep I get is of poor quality.

But this was my first time doing it in the new business class seat of an A380 and, boy, did I sleep like a baby.

Once the seat belt sign went off, I converted to bed mode and crashed.

Mrs 9V-SIA was less lucky. By the time she settled down to sleep, we had hit turbulence which kept her up till it smoothed out.


I woke up just before the lights came on for breakfast...

...and witnessed a spectacular sunrise over the Pacific...






...while enjoying my BTC lamb chops.



And in case you wanted to see what I missed for breakfast, the breakfast menu..Western




..and Japanese.



Service was excellent. Everyone was smiling.

Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to Narita.

Please remain in your seats till the aircraft comes to a complete stop...




A final view of my third flight on the A380..




I think I'm falling in love..

[9V-SIA]

Exploring Narita Airport

It was a long walk to immigration but cleared quickly without problems.

We were soon at the baggage carousel...



..where we found our priority tagged bags waiting for us ( told you it was a long walk to immigration ). Nice touch.



We bought tickets for the Airport Limousine service that will take us directly to Grand Hyatt, Roppongi.

We had an hour to kill before the bus left so I decided to explore the South Wing of Terminal 1 where SQ operates from.

Terminal 1 has a North and South Wing joined at the Central Building.
Blue=Departure Hall
Green=Arrival Hall



It also happens to house a great mall, Garden Square.

2 levels of shopping and dining in the central building landside.



Got my last minute sushi fix there before our departure 8 days later...

Above the mall is the Viewing Deck, where I saw a familiar face, a TG A346..



The other viewing point is beyond the check in counters where there is a seating area..



Thorn among the roses. Airbus among the Boeings.



How to tell the difference between a Boeing 767 & 777?

767..



777



Tail cone:
777 wedge shaped
767 rounded

Main landing gear:
777 3x2 wheels
767 2x2 wheels

APU exhaust from tail cone:
767 central exit
777 left side

Doors:

767 1 forward 1 behind 2 over wing
772 2 forward 2 behind wing
773 2 forward 2 behind 1 over wing

Thanks SQfg and 9V-JKL for that!

[9V-SIA]

Airport Limousine

So this is our Bus Stop at South Wing



View of North Wing



We all know how punctual Japanese trains are. I wanted to see how efficiently Japanese buses run.

0834h..



..0835h!



I'm impressed..

Ours was the next bus at 0840h.

And we're on our way to Roppongi..



The buses are equipped with GPS and have the flexibility to change their route to avoid traffic jams.

We had 2 stops before reaching our destination: Tokyo Station & Hotel Okura, next to the US Embassy.

Bus fare was 3000¥ each.

Since Oct 09, the buses also have wifi at a reasonable 200¥ for 5 hours.

Not that you'd be on the bus for 5 hours but there are hot spots around the city you can also use.

[9V-SIA]

Grand Hyatt, Roppongi

Common Areas

The lobby area is shaped like a 3 pointed star of a Mercedes Benz.

3 points converging to the reception & concierge at the centre.

1. View from Front ( Main ) Entrance



2. View coming out the lifts from Guest Rooms



Lift Lobby to Guest Rooms



3. View from Back entrance where our bus drops us & way to the rest of Roppongi Hills complex



It's a small lobby that does not encourage exploration so I never did..


Room

The room comes with a great view.









View from my room



Tokyo Tower can be seen from lift lobby of Grand Hyatt

[Kyo]

Great TR so far, love Japan-related TRs! Also very curious about the Romance Car to Hakone. We were considering it when going to Hakone-Yumoto last year, but decided to go for an earlier albeit normal carriage.

Keep it up!

[willio773]

Nice TR.

Btw, is that a TV or a computer screen in the bathroom?

[SQflyergirl]

Nice TR.

Btw, is that a TV or a computer screen in the bathroom?

Hope it's not a computer screen. Many of them have webcams these days


Great report though!

[kelvgoh]

If you're a JR Railpass user, I think taking a Shinkansen (Kodama trains only) from Tokyo or Shinagawa to Odawara is a better idea. I would rather save an additional hour each way on transport and spend it in an onsen. You can still get the Hakone Freepass for JPY3,900 at Odawara station.

Anyway, from the view I have out of my office, Mount Fuji is probably best seen at 9 - 10am, where the sky is usually at its clearest on good days. That means an early start out of Tokyo if you want to be up the hills at 9am!

[9V-SIA]

Nice TR.

Btw, is that a TV or a computer screen in the bathroom?

Thanks. It's a TV to watch from bathtub

Great report though!

Glad you're enjoying it. Quid pro quo

If you're a JR Railpass user, I think taking a Shinkansen (Kodama trains only) from Tokyo or Shinagawa to Odawara is a better idea. I would rather save an additional hour each way on transport and spend it in an onsen. You can still get the Hakone Freepass for JPY3,900 at Odawara station.

Anyway, from the view I have out of my office, Mount Fuji is probably best seen at 9 - 10am, where the sky is usually at its clearest on good days. That means an early start out of Tokyo if you want to be up the hills at 9am!

Comments to follow

[9V-SIA]

Roppongi Hills

Introduction

Roppongi Hills opened around 2003 to raised eyebrows.

1. Land in Tokyo is very, very expensive. To be able to get such a large parcel is unusual.
2. Few mixed developments had previously been built ( see reason #1 ).
3. The developer has given architectural beauty ( to me ) priority over economic considerations ( maximizing space to be rented out ).

Orientation

A 2D map of Roppongi Hills does not do it justice.
Mori Tower sits on top of a hill and dominates the site.
It is flanked by West Walk ( where Grand Hyatt is )
& Hill Side, which is built along the slope to the valley where Mohri Garden is found.
Rising on the other side of the valley is TV Asashi building.
At the back, separated by a road, are the residential blocks of Keyaki Zaka.
Access is at road level or overhead walkway from Hill Side.

Upside down map is deliberate. Most of pics are taken from this perspective. I can flip it over if you want.



Got it? Nevermind. Let's try again...

Imagine Tiger Woods, grasping the shaft of his driver around his thumb and fingers, about to tee off.
Behind him is his family.
Across from him the glare of the TV cameras. His sweat forms a pool by the TV cameras.
Shaft = Mori Tower
Tiger's Thumb = Grand Hyatt
Tiger's Fingers = Hill Side
TV cameras = TV Asashi
Tiger's Family = Keyaki Zaka residences
Sweat = Mohri Garden & pond
Tee = Metro Hat

Phew! I guess I learnt a lot from Gaudi about symbolism in BCN last Oct...

So... as seen from Ritz Carlton, Tokyo Midtown.



Most people will approach Roppongi Hills from the subway.
Using Hibiya Line, under cover all the way to RH through Metro Hat.



Using Oedo Line, you have to walk along the sidewalk.
Metro Hat in foreground, Mori Tower in the background



And this is the view that you get when you leave Metro Hat. Mori Tower in front of you.



Bear left to Hill Side..



Hillside best seen at night to appreciate the "terracing" down to the valley, where Mohri Garden ( & pond ) is.
Lit up dome is not Metro Hat but Museum Cone, part of Mori Art Museum.



.. right to West Wing..



..and Grand Hyatt



TV Asahi as seen from Hillside with Mohri Garden in the foreground



Another view of Mohri Garden. It's been around since the Edo perod!!!
10,000 fish were hatched on the Space Shuttle by a Japanese astronaut and released into the pond in 2003



View of the "Valley". Hillside on right, TV Asahi on left, Keyaki Zaka Residences in background.
And the USS Enterprise, docked to replace her warp drive.
It's actually the roof for the Roppongi Hills Arena

[9V-SIA]

Shopping & Dining in Roppongi Hills

West Wing & Hillside don't actually join Mori Tower at the base.

They come close and then stop. A glass roof covers the gap.

So it looks like one of those "canyon" style shopping malls which I happen to like.

Makes for "messy" shopping with many corridors and shops scattered haphazardly.

Not the best formula for a shopping mall from the making $$$ point of view.


Get off the 5th or 6th Floors of the Grand Hyatt guest lifts and you access the hotel restaurants..




.. and also the bridge to the shops & restaurants of Mori Tower




Looking down the "canyon" from the bridge



Metal walls = Mori Tower
Sandstone? walls = West Side or Hillside


And at the Hillside "canyon"





There are a lot of restaurants in Metro Top

Conveyor belt sushi. We ate here the last time we came. And it's still good.



There was tapas too.



I .. don't .. think .. so ..

[9V-SIA]

Tokyo Eats

One of the reasons we came with our friends to Tokyo is for the food.

The Hyatt Concierge could not have been more helpful in not only making the booking but providing a map on how to get there.

In addition, they not only helped us to book our Romance Car tickets to Hakone but a map of where to catch the train in Shinjuku station, and a Hakone map without being asked.

We ate at 2 Michelin starred Japanese restaurants & 1 no star restaurant.

All were superb. Good food in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.
Our friends Robert & Lydia went to a third but found the atmosphere more formal. And no photos allowed!

What's more, they said that the no star restaurant was better than the no photos allowed Michelin starred restaurant!

So it begs the question: Are Michelin starred restaurants worth the premium?

I leave it to you to decide..

First Course: Sakizuke

crab sitting on top of crab roe vs..



.. clams from Asari / Hamaguri with mustard soya beans from Okara



Soup

soft shell turtle dumpling soup vs..



.. Matsuba crab and crab mousse



Sashimi



...vs...



Grilled dish

grilled rockfish with Saikyo miso and grilled scabbard fish vs...



.. black throat sea perch coated with crispy rice and stewed chestnut



Chawan Mushi

with sharks fin and abalone vs..



... sea urchin and mountain yam with jelly sauce ( served cold )



Simmered dish

yellowtail and daikin radish vs...



.. fish liver of Hokkaido yoichi and leek in miso sauce

[9V-SIA]

Is eating at a Michelin star restaurant worth it? Part 2

Steamed dish

Lotus root steamed dumpling vs



.. abalone, fried taro & ginger sauce



Sushi

tuna belly ( toro )



eel ( unagi ) vs



.. vegetable rice ( chinese cabbage / green turnip / baby sardines ) with pickle & miso soup



Dessert

pear, gingko & apple custard vs



..warabi mochi ( green tea / chocolate / coconut )



Additional dishes not strictly comparable:

charcoal grilled Wagyu beef and raw onion with braised turnip coated in red miso




And the winner is......

[9V-SIA]

Fugu Course

Ever watched the Japanese movie Departures? About an unemployed cellist looking for a job.

He thought he was accepting for a job as a travel agent. Instead ended up as an undertaker!

Haunting musical score by Miyazaki, of Totoro & Spirited Away fame.


There is a scene in the movie where he goes up to his boss' s flat and he is grilling fugu Shirako over a charcoal fire.

Then they ate it together.

Looked absolutely delicious. Classic Japanese food porn.

Ever since I've been wanting to try. So Hyatt Concierge booked us this place in Shibuya.

Worked out very well. Normally we decide which part of the city we want to visit, then look for restaurants to eat there.

This time, we chose the restaurant which happens to be where we want to explore. Never been to Shibuya.


Shibuya

The sensory overload I received walking through this neighborhood is unique in my experience.

The lights, noise, sights, mass of humanity. Interesting but only because I was just visiting.

Red Man..



Green man..



Yet a short walk up the hill, things calm down, and our fugu restaurant comes into view.



Kawa sashi: Fugu skin



Tessa: Fugu sashimi



Tecchiri: Fugu steam boat.

Fish bones go in first for 6-7 mins, followed by the fish fillet for 2-3 mins.

The vegetables go in last. After finishing, add an egg to the remaining stock to make delicious rice porridge.

The sashimi was so-so but the fugu steam boat was great!!!













Significantly, shiroko was out of stock. Will have to come back..

Some interesting trivia:

1. Best time to eat is in winter, when they have a lot of fat to ward off the cold
   
2. Farmed fugu is not poisonous anymore so try it! Very firm textured flesh

And another thing, if you get poisoned eating wild fugu, the toxin paralyses you.
The only treatment is mouth-to-mouth resuscitation till you can get to a hospital to be artificially ventilated.
So not the kind of place you would go on a first date..

[9V-SIA]

Dessert

A thought... Is there a market in your city for a Dessert Restaurant?

If so, take a look at these two.

The first is a pretty conventional ( yet hugely popular ) patisserie.

Both can be found at Tokyo Midtown.



They don't allow picture taking at the counter where the cakes are so I took from outside



When the sand runs out, your tea is ready..



I had the degustation menu



And the other dessert place is Toshi. Kinda like sushi bar meets dessert restaurant.

You order your dessert and watch it being made in front of you.





I ordered this...



.. and settled down to watch the show.












Pretty neat I thought.