Excellent Service in a Serene Location
Established in 1964, this superbly designed luxury hotel is known for its exemplary hospitality, elegant style and array of hotel services. Hotel New Otani has an on-site travel agency, business center, cultural museum and pool, as well as 33 banquet rooms and an elaborate rooftop rose garden — a perfect location for wedding ceremonies. Better yet, the hotel has a pristine, 400-year-old Japanese garden spreading over 10 acres. Enjoy the waterfall and koi pond, or head inside to try the “Yukata (summer traditional garment) dressing-service”.
Traditional taco trucks and roadside pop-ups have a long history in Los Angeles. But the idea of what a taco is has changed dramatically.
Chef Ben Ford has had a three-decade-long career working alongside several of the biggest culinary names at some of the most established restaurants in the United States and has performed diplomatic missions for the U.S. Department of State. As a volunteer for the L.A. Mission, the renowned chef feeds 5,000 homeless on Christmas Eve each year. His restaurant, Ford’s Filling Station, located in the Delta Terminal at Los Angeles Airport and in the JW Marriott at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles, is based on the fundamentals of teaching, cooking and foraging, and was awarded the prestigious Cochon555 prize. All of this without relying on the Hollywood fame of his father Harrison Ford. Tokyo Journal Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie spoke to Ben Ford about his career and projects.
KATHMANDU is a sprawling nightmare. A million people live within the city’s labyrinth streets. Buddhist and Hindu temples are peppered throughout the city, their crumbling ramparts propped up with timber and hastily constructed retaining walls. Ancient buildings lean threateningly to one side; the adjacent buildings are sometimes the only obstacle delaying their catastrophic collapse. Incredibly, people still live in these dilapidated structures. Some inhabitants squat, cooking their meager meals over open ames. Others wash themselves with buckets of water on crumbling second-storey balconies, unconcerned with the potential avalanche surrounding them.
TJ’S hotel reviewers and their bicultural families headed out to Southern California to scope out some of the best places to stay and the fun things to do in San Diego and Orange County. After arriving at LAX, our families headed 45 minutes south on the 405 Freeway. First stop: Orange County. We stayed at many hotels and ate at many restaurants. Here is a list of some of our favorite things to do and places to stay in Orange County:
TJ’s hotel reviewers headed to California, Arizona and Louisiana to experience the best places to stay and most entertaining things to do. Here are a few of our favorites.
TJ’s hotel reviewers headed to Las Vegas and Portland to experience the best places to stay and most entertaining things to do. Here are a few of our favorites.
If you like the personal touch and prefer to avoid the hustle and bustle of big hotels, the Hotel S is a stylish choice. Located just a short walk from Nishi Azabu crossing and near the Roppongi District of Central Tokyo, the lodging doubles as a designer hotel and residence with serviced apartments that share restaurants, a library lounge, and meeting spaces with a relaxing ambience for their international trendsetting clientele. The rooms are available in a variety of unique themes and designs such as Luxury, Japanese Style Room–Zen, Hanging Garden, Patio Room, Hollywood Twin and Four Cube. They range in size from 17-45 square meters. The bilingual staff are personable and helpful.
The Park Hyatt Hotel, Seoul is full of surprises–starting with the check-in area located on the 24 floor, at the top of the hotel. Adjacent to the reception area, guests in the lobby lounge can view the fashionable Gangnam District through the glass surrounding the indoor swimming pool. “The most spectacular views in any hotel are on the top floor,” said Janet Lim, marketing communications manager. “In most hotels, these views are only available to those who have access to the executive lounge or the expensive lounge bars, which normally dominate the upper floor of the hotel. Here the views are available to everyone.”