Tokyo: Introduction: Why Go Now

After an extended slump, Japan in general and Tokyo in particular are on a major roll, displaying an air of breezy confidence and a resurgence of consumerism. The capital recently had a wave of superluxury-hotel openings, a trend started by the Park Hyatt (of Lost in Translation fame), in which it saw the Grand Hyatt, Mandarin Oriental, Ritz-Carlton and Peninsula launch in quick succession, filling a yawning gap in the market. The Shangri-la also plans a hotel, scheduled to open in 2009.

The glut of rooms at the superluxury end makes the present a good time to snag a deal or at least an upgrade. And Tokyo looks mighty fine from a 50th-floor room, where on a clear day you can see distant Mount Fuji and, even on a misty morning, a cityscape that allows you to figure out the geography of the metropolis’s hodgepodge design.