A Five Day Escape to Tokyo
Washi Paper, opal glasses, shabu shabu, and other adventures await
A 5 Day Escape to Tokyo
This Thanksgiving I’m trading Turkey for Tokyo, and have planned a 5-day mostly solo escape to Japan. I’m usually a meticulous planner. I make lists, I make maps, I have must-sees and even a scheduled day of “room for the unexpected” to go back to places I loved.
This time, I’m doing things differently, mainly because I’m a little burnt out from a strenuous year of work. I have no agenda other than not working and getting my creative juices flowing again. I’m excited for fluffy Japanese pancakes, and hope to cop some gorgeous opal glasses by Hirota or Kimura Glass for my place in Paris. Maybe I’ll find some nice vintage things for an upcoming Ghia Antique section on our site, and take a cooking class, or go surf - weather permitting. The only ‘definite’ of this trip is there will be no Zoom meetings! There’s a short window between our Ghia Black Friday sale and our Biggest-Launch-Since-We-Launched the week after, and I plan to soak up every minute.
That being said, I am who I am so I’ve asked a few people whose taste I trust for one special spot they would recommend for me. It’s important to note I intentionally chose friends who know me well, not just Japanese locals. While I ask my Parisian friends for new openings when I go home, I’ve only been to Japan once before and am still yearning to devour the city, eyes-wide open.
I’m saving all these places in my Tokyo Google Maps (good for using while walking around) and will be thoroughly documenting all the places in Amigo, which is awesome for seeing what’s new, with real images from people I trust, as well as planning a trip with their new ‘Trips’ feature. I can’t recommend it enough, it’s free to use and you can skip the waitlist with the code MELANIEGO.
Here’s what they said:
Amahare is a lovely store with ceramics, glassware, and my personal favorite washi paper, art and objects, from maker Hatano Wataru.
Chiya-ba is an awesome Nepalese tea house with great chai and creative variations, right across the street from the tiny Nepalese tasting menu spot Adi, from the same owners.
Brian McGinn, Partner @ Supper Club Studios. Brian created Jiro Dream of Sushi and Chef Table, no big deal
Grano is a coffee shop run by an elderly couple. They have a roaster in the house and grandma makes some real OG style Japanese coffee.
Sam Jung, Tokyo local and owner of the incredible Udatsu which would have been my recommendation for this list, if anyone had asked me
Kakiyasu Ginza is a chic, special occasion shabu-shabu and sukiyaki spot, where everyone dines in their own private room with servers dressed in traditional kimonos/ garbs that cook the meat for you. The beef comes with a certificate of authenticity and its hometown, so you know exactly what you are getting. I recommend the Matsusaka wagyu!
Holly Liss Jammet, Founder of Enlisst and overall Dream Girl. She’s been to Tokyo 10 times since I’ve known her alone, and her Google Maps put mine to shame
You must visit the Odawara Art Foundation. Set within the hilly citrus-tree landscape overlooking the Sagami Bay, the Odawara Art Foundation is the perfect day trip from Tokyo. Established by the artist Hiroshi Sugimoto in 2009, the site-specific works offer a chance to reimagine how humans and nature interact.
Sofia Nebiolo, curator and author of Souvenirs Of, a beautiful book about Japan that came out this past October
If you like chocolate and coffee, definitely Kabuki.
Gray Broderick, trend forecaster and genius marketer. She has impeccable taste recently made the move from Tokyo to Paris
My #1 Tokyo rec is endlessly inspiring 21_21 DESIGN SHT - the museum was co-created by Issey Miyake. The first time I went, about five years ago, there was a Christo and Jeanne-Claude exhibit and this past time in September, an exhibit on raw materials; I will go to this place every time I visit Tokyo.
Maria Geyman, Writer (her Tokyo recs here!) and Founder of Masha Tea
Nestled in the back streets of Harajuku is Menchirashi, a delicious Udon noodle restaurant that recently collaborated with Sacai on a pop up restaurant
Rocky Xu, Founder of the very incredibly delicious Rocky’s Matcha. Rocky is going to Tokyo on a sourcing trip and he is the reason I decided to go
For surfing, Kamakura is not a good surf experience. The best one is in Miyazaki or, closer to Tokyo, Ichinomiya (Chiba) or where I live Shimoda (Tatadohama). Beach and surf are best in Miyazaki.
Markus Schlager, yuzu connoisseur, founder of my favorite sparkling water Kimino, and long-time Japan resident.
Send me yours in the comments!
Melanie
PS - My next newsletter will aim to answer the question - what shoes do I bring on a carry on, late November, if I want to look cute and walk 30,000 steps a day. More to come!