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CityTokyoRoppongi is occupied by The Ritz-Carlton, Toyko. The hotel impresseswith the first waft of chocolateorangeas you step into the grand,polished marble lobby lounge 200metres above the city and impressesagain as electric blinds in my roomscroll up to reveal a view of theTokyo Tower and Tokyo Bay.After a swim in the beautifully litpool and a massage in the orangegoldESPA spa, I eat at MichelinstarredJapanese restaurant,Hinokizaka. Chatty waitressesin kimonos serve dishes fromthe kaiseki (multi-course) menu,including crispy tempura andsashimi that will make you wantto move to Tokyo, accompanied bychampagne and sake, with a fineview of the city lights to match.Tea time (top) Tea ceremonyat Hotel Chinzanoso TokyoRoom with a view (bottomleft) Panoramic city views fromShangri-La Hotel, TokyoTravel heritage (bottom right)The illuminated façade of TokyoStation, built in 1914The following night, across inEdogawa Park, I stay at the moretraditional Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo.Simple and elegant, the rooms,bar and lobby have a traditionalEuropean style, while green marbleand leafy wallpaper reference thehotel’s gardens, which feels a worldaway from the skyscrapers and citybustle, with Japanese waterwheelsand a three-storey pagoda.In a garden room with tatamiflooring and paper walls, twowomen in kimonos lead methrough a traditional Japanesetea ceremony. It’s ordered andcalm, every gesture or fold of thenapkin careful and precise. “Teaceremonies were held between toplevels of Samurai,” my host HarueKamiya explains.“To show how much the guestis respected, we take time,” shecontinues. “From childhood, welearn to use chopsticks the rightway and how to leave our shoes atthe entrance neatly. Just like thetea ceremony, there’s a proper wayto do things. It’s important not toembarrass other people or yourself.That’s why we learn precise ways ofdoing things.”I take in the city from a greatheight again from Shangri-LaHotel, Tokyo in the Marunouchidistrict, just outside Tokyo Station.At lunch in Nadaman restaurant,courteous staff present courses ofmilk tofu and sea urchin, deepfriedpike conger and green tea icecream.There are sparkling lightsinside and outside the hotel, with62 September 2013 dotwnews.com