Within a few moments, I was escorted to my room by my butler, a young woman who introduced me to the many features of my room, including a bar stocked with juices and water (all complimentary), a large bathroom, and an adjacent dressing room, stocked with a lovely selection of toiletries from Lady Primrose. Most welcome was a warm and cozy pajama set (with matching slippers) which I immediately donned and a thick terrycloth robe that would have been my permanent attire if I could have gotten away with it, plus my multi-channeled (some in English) TV. By the way, Hotel Seiyo Ginza features the most spacious bathrooms in Japan, and some suites come equipped with private steam baths.

After relaxing for a while, hunger plus curiosity drew me out of my room and downstairs for dinner- but where should I go? “Repertoire”, which means “concert program” in French, is the hotel’s signature dining room, serving the finest contemporary French cuisine prepared by Grand Chef Shoji Hirota. A fun feature of this restaurant is the daily “Chef’s Tasting Menu”- which features a variety of delicious treats served in small portions. Also tempting me were “Attore”, an Italian Restaurant honored by the Italian government for its genuine Italian cuisine, “Kitcho” (Japanese), renowned for its superior quality, and the new “Takewaka”, featuring perfectly made Sushi, with fresh fish from the famed Tsukiji fish market (a tourist’s delight if you can manage to get there at 5 a.m.). I decided to take the Zen approach to choosing, and after a lovely martini in the lobby bar, I decided on “Repertoire”. After dinner, I managed to talk the Chef into sharing several of his recipes with me, including my favorite, “Samaki Shrimp with Mango-Yuzu Vinaigrette and Salad of Sprouts and Chicory”, which tastes as exotic as it sounds! (For recipes, click here!)

Not yet done exploring, I hooked up with a friend and we made our way to the “Members Bar G1”, a private club open only to members and guests of the hotel. Located on the parking level, we made our way through a gaggle of Mercedes, Jaguars, and exclusive Century’s before we could enter the dimly lit space. Somehow, another martini seemed in order, and I enjoyed it enormously in the company of those elegant car owners and their finely dressed friends, some in Western attire, others in Japanese-style clothing.