Author(s): Time Out Guides Ltd

Travel

Tokyo is a city that evolves with breathtaking pace, thanks largely to a local obsession with renewal and innovation. Combine this with the resurgence of the Japanese economy and there's never been a more exciting time to visit. Spectacular restaurants and bars, with designs from Tokyo's young hotshots, are opening across the city, and the luxury hotel chains are finally descending, with a Mandarin Oriental, Conrad, Ritz Carlton and Peninsula all joining the fray. The wildly popular lifestyle complex Roppongi Hills has new rivals in the form of Ando Tadao's Omotesando Hills and the soon-to-open Midtown Project. Yet in the midst of this consumer frenzy, the traditional Tokyo is also enjoying a renaissance. Zen practices are making a comeback and traditional Japanese design is now all the rage. With foreign interest in Japan showing no signs of waning, "Time Out Tokyo" is the most reliable commentator on its dazzlingly fast paced, ever-changing capital.