Our first stop is Rock Fish, a hole-in-the-wall joint on the second floor of a nondescript commercial building along Corridor-dori, where the only drink available is a genius iceless Kaku-hi (Kakubin whiskey highball) concoction that never dilutes. For solo drinkers, the bar counter is thoughtfully divided with clear acrylic screens — a nod to these pandemic times — to ensure peace and quiet while enjoying their Kaku-hi.

With happy hour sorted, we whizz down Corridor Gai, known for its lively izakaya bars. Kido’s favourite is the boisterous Andy’s Shin Hinomoto. Run by an Englishman who has lived in Japan for almost three decades, hence the sports bar decor, it boasts a typical Japanese menu.

Order the sashimi platter, featuring the day’s freshest catch from Toyosu market, where the famous Tsukiji Market has relocated. Wash it down with a signature shochu sour judiciously flavoured with freshly squeezed grapefruit or lemon that each diner juices themselves at the table.

At the end of the night, it is a breezy 15-minute walk back to our digs for the night, the boutique-y 57-room Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi right on the edge of Ginza. It’s nice to see a set of comfortable pyjamas left on the bed during turndown; I soon drift off to sleep.

The next day, we continue to rack up an impressive step count when we take a subterranean stroll from Marunouchi subway station to Otemachi Station where the city’s latest Four Seasons Hotel — a Jean-Michel Gathy-designed sanctuary in the sky — is located.

There is a buzzy whirl of ekiben (train station bento) stalls with mouthwatering-looking displays of bestsellers, shops selling just about everything from souvenirs to clothing, as well as the famous Tokyo Ramen Street lining the sprawling station area. If I am ever in the vicinity on a muggy summer day or during the bitter cold of winter, I hope I remember my way around, so I can escape the elements by going underground.

At the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi, we file into the private dining room of Michelin-starred Est, helmed by chef Guillaume Bracaval. Known for his conscious approach to cuisine shaped by local produce, we are presented with a map of Japan that highlights where the key ingredients on the menu are sourced, from Kumano beef from Wakayama to guinea fowl from Ishiguro Farm in Iwate prefecture.

Don’t forget to save tummy space for the bread made with organic wheat and soya bean flour, and a spot-on pairing of organic soya bean hummus, devised specifically as a low carbon alternative to imported French butter. If it is available, you should also try pastry chef Michele Abbat’s whimsical porcini mushroom dessert, which transforms the savoury ingredient into a a sweet treat with a surprising depth of flavour.

Related: Two new 3-Michelin-star restaurants in Kyoto

It is also well worth stalking the online reservations page for Sezanne at the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi. Within six months of the restaurant’s launch in 2021, young chef Daniel Calvert led the team to earn one Michelin star before garnering two this year. Sculptural elegance is the hallmark of Calvert’s artistic approach to cuisine. For instance, the delicately minimalist Pacific saury with caramelised onions and green olive is so precisely arranged, it could almost be considered a pastry.

As evidenced by the coveted Shanghai hairy crab that arrived just in time for our meal, his philosophy of sourcing the freshest seasonal ingredients results in ever-changing degustation menus. Crab meat, marinated in Jura wine for five days, is surgically extracted to make a tartlet, and the innards and roe are used to make a delicious risotto with indulgent lashings of white truffle from Alba, Italy.

Escape Tokyo’s frenetic pace by visiting the ancient capital of Kyoto that’s a speedy 2.5 hour shinkansen ride away. For more sitting room, book a seat in a Green Car.

Despite the tourist throngs, the carefully preserved historic Higashiyama district, with its Unesco World Heritage temples, pagodas, and traditional machiya wooden houses somehow maintains a zen feel. For a true sense of being more than a visitor passing through, participate in some of the local rituals.

The Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto’s Chief Concierge and Kyoto native, Yukari, suggests taking a walk through the “Mother’s Womb” tunnel in the iconic Kiyomizudera temple to experience complete darkness, as a sign of a rebirth, or starting on a new slate. Over at the Yasaka Koshindo shrine, pick a colourful Kukuri-zaru (make a wish ball) scribble as many wishes as you can fit, before hanging them along with thousands of others here.

A personal favourite is the quirky Yasui Konpiragu shrine, where visitors crawl through a large stone entirely plastered with handwritten paper amulets to cut off toxic relationships and welcome positive ones. Taking the time to reflect and write down one’s life goals gives these rituals a deeper meaning than mere photo opportunities.

The hotel can also recommend and arrange unique local experiences that takes you behind the scenes at some of Kyoto’s long running family businesses. For instance, the Japanese royal family patronises Ryokujuan Shimizu, a traditional kompeitō candy store where we are ushered into the “kitchen” to witness how this sugar candy with distinctive tiny bumps is made. Artisans stand solemnly in front of hot giant rotating metal pans as they rhythmically sprinkle flavoured syrup and stir the crystalising candy for hours on end. Each has trained for up to 20 years, so it’s no wonder this is the last store of its kind to continue preserving this style of candy.

Getting access to a geisha entertainment experience, however, is the ultimate in rarefied Kyoto experiences. Unless you are a well-connected local, booking a geiko (geisha), as they are called in Kyoto, is virtually impossible. Thanks to the deep roots the Four Seasons Kyoto management team has established, the hotel is one of the few places that can set foreigners up for a night of cultural immersion, complete with a kaiseki, a multi-course meal characterised by small portions, subtle flavours, artful presentations, and an emphasis on fresh seasonal ingredients.

At the hotel’s beautifully constructed wooden teahouse, overlooking an 800-year-old garden that once belonged to a samurai, our maiko Kokinu (trainee geiko), beguiles us with her gentle manner, immaculate makeup, and intricate kimono. Despite being only 18, she has already been studying typical artistic practices, such as singing, dancing, and playing a musical instrument, for three years.

We are gobsmacked that she does not own a mobile phone, does not use social media, and only wears modern clothes on her two days off every month, when she watches movies, as most teenagers do.

All chatter stops when she teaches us a drinking game that involves making a series of hand gestures in time to her singing. I lose the game in less than 15 seconds, and we share a giggle at how uncoordinated I am. My forfeit is to down a glass of sake — which is no hardship at all especially when it comes with bragging rights that I was fortunate enough to have this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

1. Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto

Featuring contemporary Japanese touches, such as wood lattice wall panels and washi paper lamps, reserve a room overlooking the koi pond. The Brasserie’s kaiseki-inspired Japanese breakfast includes ingredients from local producers such as tofu, miso, and pickles and is well worth an early wake-up call. You should also schedule a private tea ceremony with tea master Kristyna Cislerova, a Japanology graduate from the Czech Republic who moved to Japan 15 years ago. She patiently explains the nuances of this elegant ritual in English.

2. Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo At Otemachi

Opened in September 2020 and located in the financial district, this is where the city’s power brokers hang out. Renowned designer Jean-Michel Gathy has created an atmosphere that evokes the tranquillity of the Imperial Palace gardens, which the hotel overlooks, with stylish elements like a reflecting pool in the lobby. Decompress from city explorations with a massage at its spa and enjoy the elegant ofuro bathhouse before your treatment. Then, make a beeline for the sexily stylish Virtu bar — helmed by Keith Motsi, Asia’s 50 Best Bars Bartenders’ Bartender award winner in 2022 — for impeccably mixed cocktails and a killer view.

3. Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo At Marunouchi

Arriving by shinkansen? Request a Four Seasons guide to meet you at the train platform at Tokyo Station and lead you on an easy five-minute walk to the hotel. From your bed, you can train spot to your heart’s content, since the spacious rooms offer views of the railway tracks. Additionally, if the two-Michelin starred Sezanne is fully booked, chef Daniel Calvert also oversees the bistro menu as well as a weekend fried chicken room service meal.

Read Next

5 new luxury hotels to stay in Tokyo and its neighbouring prefectures

Japan's travel reopening: New holiday resorts in Kyoto, Kyushu, Hokkaido and more

Fine dining in Tokyo: where to go for haute cuisine