Japan’s capital has to be seen at night – and what better place than from the heady heights of some of its best hotel bars? Felicity Cousins picks five
The Peninsula
Hotel bars can sometimes feel staid, so for a livelier, younger vibe head to the Peninsula at Hibiya station, where you’ll find Bar Peter on the 24th floor. Seating about 65 people, it’s a cosy spot, and as the evening goes on a party atmosphere kicks in – visit during happy hour (5pm-8pm) or after 10pm to see it at its best.
The décor is modern and funky, with silver trees adorned with pink and white lights, black plastic pod-like chairs and kidney-shaped tables. The idea was to “bring nature inside”, and the look contrasts well with the views of Tokyo Tower outside.
Bar Peter’s signature cocktail is the electric pink Tokyo Joe (after the Humphrey Bogart film) – a little like a Cosmopolitan, it has a gin base with ume (Japanese plum) liqueur, cranberry juice, Drambuie and lemon juice. The bar also serves molecular cocktails – food and drink fusions. “Comfort cuisine” is served from 12pm to 11.30pm, with options including Oscietra caviar, burgers, and fish and chips.
Adjoining the bar, Peter restaurant has an interactive light wall that reacts to your movement, and the vistas from here are spectacular, taking in the Imperial Gardens and Hibiya Park. Also on this level is an event space called the Sky room.
- Bar Peter open 12pm-12am (1am weekends)
- 1-8-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-Ku; tel +81 362 702 888; peninsula.com
Shangri-la
The Shangri-La opened in March last year, so its Lobby Lounge is the newest of the five venues here. The hotel is next to Tokyo station, inside the Marunouchi Trust Tower, and the reception and bar are on the 28th floor.
In true Shangri-La style, the property’s attention to detail is impressive – there are more than 2,000 original works of art, with striking pieces on display in the bar. The chandelier over the bar is a mass of carved glass shaped like ginkgo leaves – the symbol of Tokyo and a popular motif in Japanese art – while a tapestry tells the story of a country man who moved to the city.
It is a particularly cosy venue – several tables are set in alcoves by the windows, so you feel as if you have your own private view. A huge table with high-backed sofas is good for groups. The drinks menu is extensive, with Japanese whisky cocktails in the evenings and a broad range of champagne and wine – you can also order food all day. Afternoon tea, served from about 2.30pm to 5.30pm, is popular with the business set.
- Open 10am-12am (1am at weekends)
- Marunouchi Trust Tower Main, 1-8-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku; tel +81 3 6739 7888; shangri-la.com
Park Hyatt
Famous for its starring role in the hit film Lost in Translation – it’s the venue where Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson together seek solace from their loneliness and insomnia – the New York bar on the Park Hyatt’s 52nd floor lives up to expectations. As with all the bars here, the views over Tokyo at night are breathtaking, with the city lights glittering before you framed by full-length windows, in front of which jazz musicians play at sundown. (See our cover picture.)
As well as the long table with atmospheric lamps that Murray sits at nursing his Suntory whisky, there are plenty of smaller tables to commandeer. The discreet service and lively atmosphere make it an easy spot either to sit in alone and savour a drink, or chat with a colleague or client. Happy hour is at 5pm-7pm (two glasses of wine and a plate of canapés for ¥3,200/£24), and at about 10pm it starts to get busy, so it’s best to grab a spot a bit earlier.
To get here you have to go up to the 41st floor, walk through the Peak lounge and into another lift, which whizzes you to the top. There’s a ¥2,200 (£17) cover charge for non-hotel guests after 8pm (7pm Sundays).
- Open 5pm-12am Sun-Wed (1am Thurs-Sat)
- 3-7-1-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-Ku; tel +81 353 221 234; park.hyatt.com
Mandarin Oriental
The sleek design of the Mandarin bar, on the 37th floor of the luxury chain’s Tokyo property, sets it apart from the other venues here. Featuring plenty of glass, with lights glowing through clear tables and a transparent wine tower behind the square bar, it has a unique layout, with more focus on the venue and the people in it than the city views. A channel of water flows around the musicians’ area (they play from about 8pm to 12am daily except Sunday), and there is a more intimate section by the window if you are after privacy.
To mark the hotel’s fifth birthday, the cocktail list includes the bar’s most popular concoctions from the half decade. For 2010, this is the Mandarin Sunset – Japanese pear sake, sparkling sake, lemon juice, green apple syrup, grenadine syrup and fresh passion fruit (¥2,500/£19).
- Open 11.30am-12am
- 2-1-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku; tel +81 332 708 800; mandarinoriental.com
Conrad
As the name suggests, Twenty Eight is on the 28th floor of the Conrad, the same level as the hotel’s restaurants, which include the Michelin-starred Gordon Ramsay at Conrad. With its cherry wood furnishings and flickering fire, it’s a great place to retire to after a meal for a cigar or quiet drink, plus it offers great views over Tokyo Bay and Ginza.
A lighting consultant was brought in to get the right ambience, and it worked – the bar is perfectly lit for seeing your companion without feeling everyone else can observe you too. The drinks list is strong on martinis and whiskies, and live music plays most days.
- Open 10am-12am (from 9am on weekends)
- 1-9-1 Higashi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku; tel +81 363 888 000; conradhotels1.hilton.com
