FOOD | TRAVEL | CULTURE | LIFESTYLE The Winter Issue The Winter Issue For Kyoto reservations Tel: 075-757-6212 Fax: 075-693-9466 Email: [email protected] (English Service) Experience Kyoto, CONTENTS Page 6 Whisky Utopia Educate yourself in this luxury liqor library Travel in Style Page 9 BEST IN SNOW Airport Transfers / Sightseeing Tours / Private Charter Meat is snow joke at the Andaz Toranomon's Tavern - Grill & Lounge MK Car Service Offers Luxury Fleets for Business and Pleasure. Page 12 MEMOIRS OF A MAIKO Behind the curtain with a geisha-in-training Page 18 A Glimmer of Light Experience Japan's winter light shows Page 21 INSIDE ISSEY MIYAKE INC. Where fashion meets technology meets tradition Page 28 Winter Wonderland The ultimate guide to skiing in Japan Page 30 ESCAPES Recommended events across the archipelago Page 32 From Dusk Till Dawn Tee off when the sun goes down Page 34 Keepsakes Elegant gifts from Japan 3 MK Escape Magazine The Winter Issue 2018 TokyoMK Car Service DIVE INTO OSAKA TOKYO NAGOYA KOBE FUKUOKA KYOTO SAPPORO SHIGA See the best of Japan with Tokyo MK’s luxurious YOUR NEW car and private chauffeur services. TOKYO LIFE SERVICES High-Grade Vehicles, Reasonable Cost Fixed Airport Transportation Fares Tourism Service Plan Choose from Lexus, bmw, Toyota Zero Direct and comfortable transport from Hassle-free travel around Japan’s best Crown, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota Vellfire your home/hotel to Haneda or Narita sightseeing locations without the need You’ll find friendships, enriching experiences and Toyota Alphard and ride for a airports. Prices from central Tokyo to to worry about transportation time starting price of ¥410. Rides in Haneda Airport start at ¥5,500 per car and complicated booking procedures. and a place to call home. luxurious limousines, including Toyota and to Narita Airport, between ¥16,000 This “sightseeing taxi” plan takes you Crown and Mercedes-Benz, start from to ¥23,000 depending on the area. to different locations from your home ¥11,270. MK also has family-type and back. Cars can fit up to six people vehicles for up to six people. Golf Shuttle Plan at once. Have a taxi collect you and your play Complimentary In-Car Wi-Fi buddies at home, drop you off at one of Special Discounts Free Wi-Fi is available in MK high-grade Kanto and Koshien’s best golf courses A discount of 10% is given to all taxis and regular hire cars. Plug your and take you back to your hotel at the customers above the age of 70, custom- device in and get your work (or entertain- end of the day. The plan is open to up ers with physical disabilities and for ment) done as you enjoy your ride. to six customers at once. long-distance charges exceeding ¥9,000. RESERVATION Tokyo Taxi: +81-3-5547-5551 Limousine: +81-3-5547-5557 For airport transport book online via Sky Web (Registration required) All Other Locations From Japan: 0120-31-5547 (Free dial) From Overseas: +81-3-5547-5557 E-mail: [email protected] MK Escape Magazine is Produced by GPlusMedia Inc. Editors Alexandra Homma, Rebecca Quin, Victoria Vlisides Art Director Niklas Wendt Design/Photography David Jaskiewicz Copy Editor Chris Betros General Manager Kieron Cashell Production Manager Megumi Komiya Contact [email protected] The content of MK Escape Magazine is for information purposes only. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the owner and publisher. Both Tokyo MK Corporation and GPlusMedia Inc. assume no liability or responsibility for any inaccurate, delayed or incomplete information, nor for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Any form of reproduction of content in this magazine without the written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. © 2018 GPlusMedia Inc. All rights reserved. Celebrating life in a remarkable city Contact us today to discuss our new membership option. 03-4588-0687 | [email protected] | tokyoamericanclub.org/join 5 Nice & Neat ONE OF THEIR MOST POPULAR COCKTAILS IS AN OLD FASHIONED MADE WITH HONEY WHISKY OVER 1,200 SELECT WHISKIES TO BE RELISHED IN EVEN MORE WAYS AT TOKYO'S By VICTORIA VLISIDES Photography DAVID JASKIEWICZ Off the backstreets of Omotesando lies the Tokyo Whisky Fuji-Sanroku Signature Blend and Ichiro’s Malt Mizunara Library, a labyrinth of life’s finest pastimes. The brick walls, Wood Reserve (mwr). For a dash of decadence, try the Karuiza- leather-pleated love seats and high ceilings studded with wa 15 Years Old Single Malt, which goes for ¥35,000 a glass. chandeliers invite the eye to savor the moment before the Not looking for whisky neat or on the rocks? A standout indulgence: Top-notch whisky and cigars. You see, this library cocktail is their “Versailles Garden” — an artful blend of earl- has just one book with 103 pages. “The whisky bible,” says gray-infused Woodford Reserve, raspberry and blackberry, bartender Kengo Oda, who is one of only 200 certified whisky nuanced by flame-singe d rosemary. professionals in Japan. The rest of the menu meticulously rounds out the experi- Rows and rows of bottles line the walls of a venue established ence. Complement beverages with Hida Wagyu Beef or lamb in 2016 that is more speakeasy than pub. Bartenders pour up chops, or for something light, go with one of the 15 smoked more than 1,200 whiskies from all over the globe, with around dishes, including smoked grapes. Top it off with your choice 900 hailing from Scotland. A few Japanese favorites are from of one of 30 select cigars. At the Tokyo Whisky Library, choic- Nikka, Suntory and Hibiki, but the two most popular are Kirin’s es are endless, the atmosphere is chic and the night will be, too. Address: Minami Aoyama Santa Chiara Church 2F, 5-5-24, Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo Tel: 03-6434-1163 Hours: Mon-Fri 6pm-3am; Sat 3pm-3am; Sunday & Holiday until 2am; VIP rooms available. 6 Raising the Steaks Raising the Steaks Bestin SnowBy REBECCA QUIN AT THE TAVERN - GRILL & LOUNGE, SAMPLE THE UNIQUE JAPANESE CULINARY TRADITION OF SNOW-AGED BEEF IN A SOPHISTICATED, COZY ATMOSPHERE AS THE CITY TWINKLES BELOW. You’ve heard of wet-aged, dry-aged and even extreme-aged rounded out by more robust offerings like the slow-cooked beef, but what about “snow-aged” beef? pork belly bacon with maple bbq glaze. Seafood dishes are While the method of preserving meat in a yukimuro equally exuberant; the signature lobster bisque gets its own snow cellar is a centuries-old practice, chefs are only just moment in the spotlight as diners can artfully pour the starting to catch on to this unique tradition — and the sauce rouille over the poached lobster themselves. tasty rewards it brings. Headlining the show is, of course, the restaurant’s signa- Not so at Andaz Tokyo’s The Tavern - Grill & Lounge, ture 25-day snow-aged beef matured in Niigata, where the where snow-aged beef has been the star attraction since the technique of yukimuro renders the meat tender and juicy ENJOY EXQUISITE SNOW-AGED HOKKAIDO CHATEAUBRIAND SERVED TABLESIDE. restaurant's renewal in April 2018. Meat lovers take note: with a slight sweetness. Selected cuts of meat are brought This is some very serious steak. in from farm-rich regions like Hokkaido and Tochigi and While the sky-high restaurant needs no introduction, its transported to The Tavern - Grill & Lounge kitchen where revamped concept and menu deserves a round of applause it subsequently gets seared to absolute perfection in their for a strikingly innovative yet accessible take on time-hon- lava stone broiler grill. Choose your preferred cut, from the ored grilled dishes. Executive Chef Shaun Keenan elevates classic sirloin to the coveted chateaubriand, and pair with a the typical grill restaurant experience, starting with playful glass of premium wine for a truly decadent meal. takes on classic appetizers like the house-smoked and mar- Dessert offerings are there to help you pay homage to inated salmon with asparagus, caviar and caper berries, and another Japanese tradition, namely betsubara, or that extra 8 9 Raising the Steaks ARTFULLY-PRESENTED DISHES ARE AS STUNNING AS THE VIEW. TOP, HOUSE-SMOKED AND MARINATED SALMON WITH ASPARAGUS; FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, CHEF’S SIGNATURE LOBSTER BISQUE, NIGHT VIEWS FROM THE TAVERN - GRILL & LOUNGE, SNOW-AGED HOKKAIDO SIRLOIN. “Executive Chef Shaun Keenan elevates the typical grill restaurant experience.” stomach which exists specifically for desserts. Heartwarm- Tea with a holiday decorations theme. Diners can also ring THE KIMONO EXPERIENCE ing favorites like bombe alaska and eclairs all stage a wel- in the New Year with a luxurious course meal of snow-aged come comeback. beef with free-flowing champagne. For those in Tokyo during the holiday season, The On the 51st floor of Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills, The Hakone Sekisho Tabimonogatari-kan offers tourists the chance to be Tavern - Grill & Lounge will be celebrating the festivities the city’s premier luxury lifestyle hotel, The Tavern - Grill & professionally dressed in a kimono before touring around its most famous sightseeing spots. with its first Christmas Dinner as a modern grill restau- Lounge is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, afternoon rant, showcasing seasonal ingredients alongside snow-aged tea and weekend brunch. Whenever you visit you’ll be sure We’re located next to the Hakone Checkpoint. wagyu tenderloin, as well as a special Christmas Afternoon to leave with one thing on your mind: Can I get an encore? Address: Andaz Tokyo 51F, Toranomon Hills, 1-23-4 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo. Reservations: 03-6830-7739 www.andaztokyo.jp/restaurants/en/thetavern-grill-lounge www.tabi-wataiken.fujihakoneizu.com/en/ 10 Rite of Passage Memoirs of a Maiko By REBECCA QUIN Photography DAVID JASKIEWICZ While her friends were fretting over new school uniforms and making friends, Mitsuki was getting ready to leave her normal teenage life behind.