14 days

10MoRe Kyoto 11 Kyoto to toKyo 13 _{MoRe toKyo}

Yaeko, who has guided Walter Cronkite and Yaeko will escort you to Aizenkobo to meet _{For a different experience, move to a richly} Japan’s top CEOs, will escort you to the ul- one of Japan’s foremost indigo dye masters. _{appointed, three-bedroom 1,400-square-} tra-luxurious restored ryokan yoshida Sanso Kyoto artisans, once purveyors to the Im- foot executive Apartment at tokyo Midtown (where Lisa Marie Presley got married). Your perial household, still create goods of the _{oakwood Premier, where Sofia Coppola has} Private Villa is $507 per night with meals. highest quality. Do some final shopping and _{stayed, complete with a gourmet kitchen and} Your wraparound terrace overlooks the fra- then board the bullet train to tokyo, where _{24-hour supermarket on-site. Experience} grant azalea garden. Enjoy gourmet Kyoto- a driver will escort you to the new Ritz-Carl- _{oRIGIN, a VIP orientation into Japan’s tradi-} style kaiseki cuisine served in your villa and ton, tokyo. Stay in the 53^rd floor Ritz-Carlton _{tional arts and culture led by famous ameri-} presided over by owner Kyoko Nakamura. Suite ($16,900 per night) and enjoy sweeping _{can author and Japanese cultural expert alex} Ryokan Yoshida Sanso views of the city from Tokyo’s tallest build- _{Kerr at a Shinto Shrine. To end a perfect day,} Contact: Kyoko Nakamura, ing. Before dinner, go to the lobby bar for a _{enjoy your last evening dining at one of the} Phone: 81-75-771-6125; “Diamonds are Forever” martini ($15,000 _{best kept secrets in Tokyo, Sushi Dai.} Fax:81-75-771-5667; complete with a real diamond). Dinner is at _{Originarts Program}

Email: ask@yoshidasanso.com; Nihonryori for traditional Japanese hot pot _{Contact: Manager Bodhi Fishman,} Website: www.yoshidasanso.com cooked at the table. _{Phone: 81-80-3804-3969;}

Guide Yaeko Miyazaki The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo Email: bodhifish@gmail.com;

Phone: 81-75-222-2066; Contact: General Manager Ricco M. DeBlank, _{Website: www.alex-kerr.com}

Fax: 81-75-222-2066; Phone: 81-3-3423-8000; _{Tokyo Midtown Oakwood Premier}

Email: yaeko-m@xvh.biglobe.ne.jp Fax: 81-3-3423-8001; _{Contact: Country Manager Martin Fluck,}

Email: ricco.deblank@ritzcarlton.com; _{Phone: 81-3-5412-3131;}

^{Website: www.ritzcarlton.com}Email: martin.fluck@oakwoodasia.com;

Website: www.oakwoodjapan.com

12 exPloRe toKyo 14 SAyoNARA Begin the day with a dip in the Ritz-Carlton’s Shinji, a food expert as well as a guide, will 65-foot pool, then enjoy the panoramic city pick you up at 5 a.m. (it’s worth it) and take view from the Jacuzzi. Shinji, guide to best- you to Tokyo’s tsukiji fish market. Here, 4. 5 selling author, chef, and TV host anthony million pounds of seafood are handled every Bourdain, will escort you to the brand new day, including 650-pound tuna. Watch the Midtown complex next door for every brand- tuna auction, then stroll past stalls selling name boutique, gourmet specialty shop and everything from sardines to caviar before trendy eatery. Next, he’ll take you to Hara- buying some serious Japanese knives and juku, the center of extreme youth fashion enjoying a sushi breakfast at Sushi-Bun. where you can gawk at teens dressed in after, Shinji will escort you to Kappabashi, gothic baby doll and leather getups. Head the kitchenware shopping district. Your last on to the ometesando shopping district for stop is ozu Washi, a famous paper store and Chanel, Ralph lauren, Dior, and high-end museum, where you can watch paper being Japanese boutiques. a traditional Japanese made by hand and purchase stationary, jour-tasting dinner awaits you at Hinokizaka in a nals, and calligraphy brushes, a perfect way private room of the authentic 200-year-old to say sayonara to Japan. Japanese teahouse. Sushi-Bun Restaurant Culinary Tour Guide Shinji Nohara Contact: Owner Mr. Maki, Phone: 81-90-3043-8138; Phone: 81-3-3541-3860; Email: shinji_247@yahoo.comEmail: maki69sea@aol.com; Website: www.sushibun.com Ozu Washi Phone: 81-3-3662-1184; Website: www.ozuwashi.net

TaIzO GaRDEN / KYOTO

168

First Class to asia Korean Air’s first class ergonomic Kosmo Sleeper Seat is designed for the ultimate comfort and privacy. Passengers slip into their silk jersey Gianfranco Ferre-designed sleeping suits and use the seat’s massage features while enjoying on-demand in-flight entertainment. For those who prefer to work, there is an in-seat power supply. The dining experience includes Western, Chinese, Japanese and Korean gourmet dishes, accompanied by champagne and award-winning wines. Contact: Director John E. Jackson III, Phone: (213) 484-5770; Email : jejackson@koreanair.com; Website: www.koreanair.com