Tokyo: Smart Splurges

Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi Just a three minutes’ walk to Tokyo Station (for easy arrival and quick getaways) is this 57-room den of noble, striated wood and stonework. The intimate scale, low-rise profile, and triple-pane, floor-to-ceiling windows allow you to appreciate the street life (or train life) before sinking back in your leather-canopy-topped bed on one of five types of pillows. Marble bathrooms feature slate flooring and hideaway, three-way mirrors. Be sure to visit the spa, where the ingredients in the treatments – white lotus, ginger flower, rice – sound as delicious as they feel. The Ekki restaurant and bar is an explosion of green velour with orange and yellow accents. Marunouchi & Ginza; 1-11-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku; 011-81-3-5222-7222; www.fourseasons.com/marunouchi
luxury | hotel | trendy | expensive | editor pick

Hotel Okura Tokyo The public spaces of this old-time standby and longtime favorite of North American visitors (not least for its proximity to the American embassy) feel deliberately, and charmingly, stuck in the mid-century Japonesque phase. Roppongi & Akasaka; 2-10-4 Toranomon, Minato-ku; 011-81-3-3582-0111; www.okura.com/tokyo
luxury | hotel | expensive | great location

Joël Robuchon Leave the kids at the hotel and dress in your finest for dinner at this palace boasting the full three Michelin stars. Ebisu/Meguro; 1-13-1 Mita, Meguro-ku; 011-81-3-5424-1347; www.joel-robuchon.com
restaurant | expensive | french

Mandarin Oriental Tokyo The lobby of this 179-room gem is on the 38th floor, decked out with innovative, geometric textiles by the über-modern Tokyo design studio Nuno and boasting stellar city panoramas. Enjoy a tricked-out room with features like iPod plug-ins and high-def TVs, relax on your yoga mat, or make the most important decision of the day: which of the three shower heads to use? Nihonbashi; 2-1-1 Nihombashi Muromachi; 011-81-3-3270-8800; www.mandarinoriental.com
luxury | hotel

Park Hyatt Tokyo The sleek, minimalist rooms at the hotel made famous for its starring role in Lost in Translation sit atop a tower by Pritzker Prize-winner Kenzo Tange. Top-rated restaurants include the New York Grill for steaks and Girandole for buffet breakfast with a view. Shinjuku; Shinjuku; Shinjuku-ku, 3-7-1-2 Nishi Shinjuku; 011-81-3-5322 1234; www.tokyo.park.hyatt.com
luxury | hotel | expensive

Ritz-Carlton Tokyo Opened March 2007, the Ritz sits atop Tokyo Midtown, the city’s tallest building. Get astounding views all the way to Tokyo Bay, enjoy the $5 million lobby art by Sam Francis over high tea, or luxuriate with Bulgari bath products in the 248 rooms. Roppongi; Roppongi; Minato-ku, 9-7-1 Akasaka; 011-81-3-3423-8000; www.ritzcarlton.com
luxury | hotel | new | expensive

Shunbou Inside the Grand Hyatt Tokyo (at Roppongi Hills), Shunbou serves high-flying izakaya (Japanese pub-style) cooking. Roppongi; 6-1-3 Roppongi, Minato-ku; 011-81-3-4333-1234; tokyo.grand.hyatt.com
trendy | restaurant | expensive | japanese

Takamura Kaiseki is considered the pinnacle of Japanese cuisine: course after tiny course of exquisitely prepared, seasonal dishes served on small plates. This kaiseki specialty house serves it in individual tatami rooms with hori-kotatsu seating (with a well in the floor beneath the table for your legs). Roppongi, Akasaka, Minato-ku; 3-4-27 Roppongi; 011-81-3-3585-6600
restaurant | expensive | japanese | small plates | reservations required | editor pick