How rare, we thought, arriving at the Claska Hotel website and seeing a button for "English." An independent Japanese hotel that has an English version of their site. Alas, it seems that the button labeled English is the only thing in that language, apart from a few other headings that also lead to tantalizingly interesting pages that we can't read, and you can't actually click through on "English"--we hope it's a "coming soon".
Apart from that problem, the Claska looks gorgeous. It's just been listed as one of the top five design hotels in Japan. It's small, just nine rooms, but also features an art gallery, bookshop, organic restaurant and apparently even a poodle parlor. There's even an online shop which sells lovely-looking Japanese stuff: tea sets, a fan, even a broom, all without ugly hotel logos.
A night at the Claska ain't cheap, with double starting at over 62,000 Yen (US$600). The website suggests the possibility of weekly residence rates too, but they probably don't get much cheaper. They might throw in a free broom, though.
If we had to say goodbye to 2007 with a bang, we would hop on a plane to Tokyo and spend three party-filled nights at the Mandarin Oriental. We've never actually stayed inside a Mandarin Oriental room and we are making a point of doing this in 2008.
We've also never been to Tokyo although we done plenty of reading on it. So what better way to see a new city than from the top of this Mandarin Oriental. The lobby is actually located on the top floor (the 38th) and has panoramic views of Tokyo from every inch. So if you can't splurge on a penthouse suite, sipping tea in the lobby lounge is the next best thing.
From there, things only get better. The MO has some of the largest hotel rooms in all of Japan filled with high-tech gadgetry. The hotel also has a killer-looking spa on the 36th floor and several dining options, all with amazing views of the city.
We found a Mandarin Deluxe room from Dec. 30 to Jan. 2 for $635 a night. Wowzsa. So we won't be ringing in 2008 here but we can dream right?
What a difference a room allocation can make. Not so long ago, we featured the Keio Plaza Tokyo as a hotel with a killer view over the night lights of Tokyo. But that picture came from an entirely different side of the hotel to this one, which we can only include as an anti-view.
Checked in to a lower floor and with a view of modern but boring gray buildings, there's nothing inspiring about the view from this particular Keio Plaza window. Please ask for a room higher up if you stay here; only not too high if you're feeling a little on the depressed side.
The ever-reliable (but severely lacking in English) LoveHo site has a new list of Japanese love hotels in the Ostuka region of Tokyo, and judging by names alone, we want to book into the Hotel Sunshine Hill. While it may not have the gaudy colors of some of Osaka's love hotels, we think it just sounds cheerful to hang around in Sunshine Hill, no matter what your intentions.
And apparently the intentions of Japanese love hotel guests are not always impure. Recent research suggests that increasing numbers of love hotel visitors have no intention of having sex while they're there; love hotels are simply more affordable than many hotels and have the additional flexibility of rooms that can be rented by the hour if you're just needing a short nap after missing the last train home. Perhaps that's what's going on in Sunshine Hill for 3,750 Yen ($33) an hour instead of something more exotic.
Like most Peninsula Hotels stateside, the just opened Peninsula Tokyo is going to cost you about $500 a night. We found a twin bed room for next week for 57,000 JPY which converts to about $490 USD. We also found a room with a king-sized bed for September 14 that costs about $520. Yikes. So much for special introductory hotel opening rates.
So if you do splurge what can you expect in the rooms?
· Radio, weather panel and nail dryer (which Kitty Beyonce loves) · Bedside panel with remote control capabilities to adjust your environment with a touch of a button · Free WiFi (which we like) · Portable city-wide phones · Minimum 42" Pioneer plasma television · Nutrition Center with fully stocked mini-bar, coffee and tea making facilities · Mood lighting and a telephone with hands-free function in the bathroom.
The hotel also has an ESPA on site along with a swimming pool, three restaurants and a lobby bar.
As for the location, according to the hotel website the Peninsula is in the business district of Marunouchi, opposite the Imperial Palace and Hibiya Park and "within minutes' walk" of the shopping capital of Ginza. Although if you are paying those prices, we say have someone drive you around. Especially since the hotel is set to get some Rolls Royce Phantoms pretty soon.
One of our favorite sources for love hotel information, the unfortunately named LoveHoMap has just brought out a new page of Ikebukuro love hotels. Ikebukuro is the north-west section of Tokyo city and while it doesn't have the plethora of love hotels that Shibuya does, it does have the funky Hotel J Girl.
Like most Japanese love hotels, you can rent a room by the hour, play games, and even hire school girls' uniforms if that's what tickles your fancy. We like the Hotel J Girl because it's much cooler looking than some of the fairly staid Tokyo love hotels--it's more like some of the crazy buildings and themes that Osaka love hotels are proud of. Oh, and if you have some kind of accident and need to replace your shirt and tie, they even have a little shop on site that sells that kind of thing for you. Handy to know.
If you want to find a bunch of love hotels, why not try a Love Hotel Hill? That's what they call the Dogenzaka area of Shibuya, a famous part of Tokyo. And while the weird and wonderful names of other love hotel regions (remember Gang Snowman's?) might be missing here, you can still find some interesting places to stay for an hour or a night.
One of these is the Hotel White Box, which somehow makes us think of a refrigerator, but really is just a typical love hotel. The interesting features here are the waterbeds, tanning machines and spotlights, so you can really get a good look at what you're doing. It has funky urban style decor and if you don't get your kicks there, you can always move somewhere just near by on Love Hotel Hill.
By the way, we don't have a clue why the cat and dog are on the sign: is it a pet-friendly love hotel? On second thoughts, we probably really don't want to know.
In the popular Shibuya district of Tokyo, you'll find more than one love hotel, but our tip this week is for the P&A Plaza near Bunkamura. Word has it there are plenty of uniquely kinky rooms, like Room 805 with its exercise machines and tanning bed (wouldn't you go to a gym or solarium instead?), and the party room which holds 20 people yet has only two double beds.
If tanning beds, party rooms or exercise equipment don't tempt you, perhaps Room 902 will. It has its very own Playboy Grotto and the bathroom looks just like a cave, and fits between 5 and 8 people. Given that many love hotels turn down more than two guests per room, the P&A Plaza sounds like a particularly interesting place to stay.
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by amandak
