DC to Dubai and Tokyo via… Santiago? Four Days in Tokyo: Day 1

Introduction
Planning
TAM Economy Class New York JFK – Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Santiago
LAN Economy Class Santiago – Sao Paulo
TAM Economy Class Sao Paulo – New York JFK
United BusinessFirst Denver to Tokyo Seattle (Emergency Landing)
United BusinessFirst on the 787 Seattle to Tokyo
Cathay Pacific Regional Business Class Tokyo Narita – Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific “The Wing” Business Class Lounge Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific Business Class Hong Kong – Dubai
Dubai, Day 1 (Traiteur Brunch, Park Hyatt Dubai, Burj Khalifa, Atlantis Palm Islands)
Dubai, Day 2 (Shark Dive at Dubai Aquarium, Burj Al Arab, 360)
Cathay Pacific Business Class Dubai – Hong Kong – Tokyo Haneda
Tokyo, Day 1 (Park Hyatt arrival, Roppongi)
Tokyo, Day 2 (Imperial Palace, Shibuya Crossing, Ebisu, Kendo, Dinner and drinks in Shinjuku)
Tokyo, Day 3 (Ramen lunch, Harajuku, Meiji Shrine, Baseball at the Tokyo Dome, Dinner at New York Grill)
Tokyo, Day 4 (Tsukiji Market, Tokyo Subway, Airport Transfers)
Park Hyatt Tokyo

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I arrived at Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport and headed to investigate the bus situation into town.  I had read that there was the Airport Limousine bus available to take guests directly to the Park Hyatt and other Shinjuku hotels from Haneda airport, and that I should look for the orange bus at the transportation desk.  Sure enough, this transportation desk stuck out easily.

I inquired about a bus to the Park Hyatt, and there was one leaving in 20 minutes.  Perfect.  The cost was 1200 yen (~USD$12).  These busses run between both Haneda and Narita airports and a number of Tokyo area hotels and metro stations.  It’s probably the cheapest way to transit directly between the airport and your hotel.  The important thing to remember is that it’s the orange bus that reads “Friendly Airport Limousine”.

Park Hyatt Arrival

The bus ride from Haneda took just under an hour during Monday afternoon rush hour traffic.  As I exited the bus at the Park Hyatt, I was greeted by name by a bellman.  I have no idea how they knew it was me – all I had indicated was that I was arriving mid-afternoon from Haneda — but they did.

I was escorted with my luggage up to the lobby on the 41st floor.  There, the bellman introduced me to very nice lady at the front desk for check-in.  Then, to my surprise, she escorted me, along with the bellman to my room – an “executive twin room” on the 44th floor.  There, she pointed out features of the room, setup my folio, and checked me in from the comfort of the desk in my room.

WOW.

This was a spectacular start to what would ultimately be the best hotel in which I have ever stayed.  I will write a separate post solely on this hotel at a later time.  But do know this – the Park Hyatt Tokyo blew away any and every expectation that I had.  The stay was simply phenomenal.

Roppongi

After checking in and unpacking, I was beat.  I got in touch with a friend from grad school (my old roommate) and arranged to meet him and his cousin out later that night.  I had missed them in Dubai (where they live) due to my flight issues on the way over to Asia, and instead they met me in Tokyo.  A short nap ensued, and then I walked a few blocks to the Tokyo Hilton, also located in Shinjuku, to meet the roommate.

His cousin had gone to dinner in Roppongi, so we decided to track him down — and this proved more difficult than we were anticipating.  After a brief metro ride to Roppongi, we set out looking for the restaurant where he dined called Omae XEX  to find him.  For what it’s worth, while I did not eat here, he raved about the place and proclaimed that he had the best steak of his life there.  Rated as the #10 restaurant in all of Tokyo, I don’t think he was lying.

We had limited navigation capabilities, but I used the data on my phone to navigate with Google Maps.  By the time we got to the restaurant, he was gone.  Luckily, he left some bread crumbs, as the hostess knew who we were and told us that he’d gone to a bar nearby for drinks.  We eventually made it to R2 Supperclub to meet him for drinks.  This place was very low-key and relaxing speakeasy-type establishment — an overall perfect place for drinks and conversation.

After sipping on a couple Suntory Yamazaki 18 single-malts, we decided to take a walk around the lights of Rappongi to find another place.  After about ten minutes of walking around to the never-ending harassment of soliciting club promoters, we decided to go back to R2 Supperclub.

Eventually, we called it a night and cabbed back to the Shinjuku to get some rest.  Maybe it was the fact that it was a Monday night, and there weren’t all that many people out, but I was not impressed with Roppongi, other than the gem of a lounge that we found.

 To be continued with an installment for each day I spent in Tokyo…

Tokyo, Day 2 (Imperial Palace, Shibuya Crossing, Ebisu, Kendo, Dinner and drinks in Shinjuku)
Tokyo, Day 3 (Ramen lunch, Harajuku, Meiji Shrine, Baseball at the Tokyo Dome, Dinner at New York Grill)
Tokyo, Day 4 (Tsukiji Market, Tokyo Subway, Airport Transfers)