Thursday, March 17th, 2016

It was our 12^th day after starting our trip in South East Asia, where we woke early to travel back to Manila where we’d take our jet to Tokyo (a ~3 hour flight).  It’s a bit sad to be leaving the peace and calm of Amanpulo, but we’re also very excited about getting to Tokyo and exploring all the wonders the city has to offer.

We land at Haneda Airport, one of the two primary airports in the Greater Tokyo area, and arrive at the Aman Tokyo by around 3:30.  Aman Tokyo is located on the top 6 floors of the Otemachi Tower a block east of the Imperial Palace grounds, and is also very close to the Tokyo Train Station (one of the busiest in Japan), Naka-Dori Street (filled with shops and office buildings), and the Tsukiji Fish Market.  First impressions… this was one of the most impressive lobbies in any hotel we’ve stayed at, the design throughout (lobby, dining area, hallways, our room, the pool, and spa/fitness center) is so beautiful and classy, and the staff is incredibly attentive and helpful. The Aman Tokyo is a destination in itself.

We spent the rest of the afternoon acclimating before our welcome cocktails with a special guest, Ambassador Tsuneo Nishida, the Japanese ambassador to the UN.  We had dinner along with some of other couples in our group at Ginza Sushikoh, a 15 minute walk from the Aman – this first sushi experience in Tokyo was so great!  It’s better than any sushi we had eaten in San Francisco, with fish that was just so fresh and delicious and such diligent, thoughtful preparation.