Postcard from Tokyo
A sprawling, congested and expensive city. Ginza is the commercial area; the main business and financial areas are Marunouchi and Otemachi. Leading sectors include transport, financial services, publishing and manufacturing
Man on the ground
“Avoid taxis due to the congestion and travel by the JR Yamanote train line, which takes in the main business areas. Be cautious about hotels that sound like a bargain; they may be one of the very basic ‘capsule’ hotels,” Paul Butcher, a Tokyo-based banker, says
Refuelling Choose the good-value Hotel Nikko Tokyo, which has all the facilities you may need
Acting local Head for the Ginza to spend serious money, but for a more relaxed time try either Shinbashi, with its small bars and cafés, or Roppongi, a square kilometre of bars, discos and restaurants
Working lunch
Shackfuyu Old Compton St, Soho, London
Expect Shackfuyu in Japanese apparently combines shack, denoting a rough and ready space, and fuyu, meaning winter. The idea is that this pop-up will be around until next winter, when it will appear somewhere else. No reservations, but if you can’t get a table immediately, wait in the basement bar and try sake cherry gimlets
Order The loosely Japanese menu changes frequently. Typically, though, look out for the likes of prawn toast okonomiyaki, a kind of French toast topped with prawns, as a starter and strangely named main courses using beef or other meat and various dishes of rice and corn. Desserts all seem to involve soft green tea ice cream made in the restaurant