Upon arrival at Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo’s club lounge on the 53rd floor, I was quickly served their signature sakura cocktail, made by the head bartender, Kentaro Wada, to sip on while I was being checked in, which didn’t take long at all but allowed me time to enjoy the city’s impressive skyline with Mount Fuji on the horizon. The check-in process at Ritz-Carlton, Osaka was just as smooth. Instead of a cocktail I was served a delightful afternoon tea by Pierre Herme Paris while I waited, and while the cakes were all beautifully presented, the scones were slightly too bland.

One of the new elements of the Ritz-Carlton Club is the five-meal experience that highlights the local culture, which includes breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, pre-dinner hors d’oeuvres and cordials and desserts.

The standout dish at the Club Lounge of Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo was the freshly cooked white rice dough wrapped in a spring onion and tomato omelette served with a thick snow crab sauce. This fragrant and lavish take on the Japanese style breakfast was perfectly seasoned and filling but not greasy. Another was the crispy yet soft waffle croissant served with vanilla ice-cream and strawberry jam made in-house with locally sourced strawberries, which was balanced in its sweetness and acidity and delicately cut through the richness of the ice cream and pastry.

The pre-dinner hors d’oeuvres change according to what’s in season, and for my stay it was a cheese and wine presentation, which was led by the head chef and club sommelier and showcased around eight locally produced cheeses, each paired with a different type of bread and wine. Both the head chef and club sommelier were happy to share their vast knowledge on the production processes and labels of each item we tasted. (The Hirouchi Ezorisu tani cheese from Hokkaido, with its creamy, silky and milky profile, was my personal favourite.)

The Tokyo property also offers cordials served on a Japanese artisan drinks trolley, from which guests are invited to pick their cocktails, local gins, craft beers, ginger beer made in-house and other nightcaps. If you’re a teetotaller you can sample the hotel’s own version of cola, and there is also a wide variety of bottled teas and other non-alcoholic beverages to choose from.

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With so many wonderful venues it’s difficult to pick a favourite, but you can’t ignore that Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo’s Hinokizaka earnt one Michelin star in 2010, and is the only Japanese hotel restaurant to claim this distinction. On the first evening of my stay I sat down to dinner in one of its tatami rooms to try its Sakura Kaiseki menu, which combined the best dishes across the hotel’s seven restaurants.

The seven-course treat included a seasonal fish soup, sashimi, grilled wagyu fillet, simmered wagyu beef, five kinds of sushi and sushi rolls, and dessert. The thinly and evenly sliced blowfish from the sashimi course showed off the chef’s impressive knife skills; and the fish soup was warming with a beautifully balanced hint of herbs, including butterbur flower, bracken, Japanese parsley and Canola flower.

The dinner wrapped up with a delicate dessert that was a symphony of citrus jelly, sake lees blanc mange and strawberry served in an emptied dekopon. The dish made use of all the best seasonal produce for a complex texture and refreshing flavour profile, which was a delightful way to end the traditional Japanese meal.

At Ritz-Carlton, Osaka I was treated to another seven-course meal at the Club suite. And while every dish was intricately plated, the first appetiser—Bianco Mangiare with white asparagus and Asari clam caviar, sea urchin and Hotaru squid—that was served in a glass orb, which made it look like a colourful and fantastical snow globe, really stood out.

The creative and somewhat experimental choice of ingredients in each dish was also well-noted throughout the meal. For example, the second course of foie gras was infused with espresso coffee, kahlúa coffee liquer and dates. Meanwhile, the amadai fish gave me a delightful surprise as the roasting gave its scales a crisp and flaky texture that was in perfect balance with the fish’s tenderness.

Again, the dessert course truly stood out, and the first dessert perfectly embodied the dining team’s innovation: the bergamot, lemongrass and lemon balm was served with a glass of “refreshing aroma” that was activated when hot tea was poured into it. The dry ice created a dramatic visual experience while my gustatory and olfactory senses enjoyed the refreshing lemon balm and herbal fragrance respectively.

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Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo’s efforts to offer the freshest produce also extends to the complimentary seasonal fruit bowl placed in the guest rooms. Mine was changed daily and came with a card describing each fruit’s prefectures and features. For example, the premium white strawberries from my first night were sourced from the Ibaraki prefecture for their aroma and sweetness, while the dekopons from the following day were “checked by an optical sensor” to meet the sugar and citric acid content standards.

On to the rest of the room, the 53rd floor offered a sweeping view of Tokyo’s skyline, a clear view of the Tokyo Olympic Stadium and Mount Fuji in the distance. Inside, the room is sleek and spacious, and designed to be as comfortable for rest as it is for work.

One hiccup occurred while I was in Tokyo though: when I called down to concierge to request a different fruit for my complimentary fruit bowl, the staff struggled to communicate with me in English, and asked me to wait on hold twice before someone who could better understand me stepped in. However, once understood, the hotel staff were quick to send up my request.

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Meanwhile, Ritz-Carlton, Osaka, which was Japan’s first Ritz-Carlton hotel, has a completely different vibe. The hotel’s interior design—which was inspired by 18th-century British manor houses—along with its Georgian garden and 240 oil paintings and sculptures, categorised and positioned to complement the premise’s various venues and functions, transport guests to a fairy-tale world.

I stayed in a room on the club lounge’s floor, and while the view on the 34th floor in Osaka, which is partially blocked by nearby buildings, doesn’t compete with Tokyo’s, the space was elegantly furnishing with a sapphire blue velvet leaning couch, lamps decorated with floral motifs and the bathroom had bath salts stored in glass jars you would normally find with candy inside. It all made me feel like pampered royalty.

A highlight of the elevated Ritz-Carlton Club is its selection of local activities designed to take guests on a journey to discover more about Japanese culture and history. Both regular and club guests at Ritz-Carlton, Osaka can sign up for an ikebana (centuries-old Japanese art of flower arrangement) class or morning bike tour (you can walk or jog if you prefer) around Osaka Castle, which was built in 1853. We recommend checking the opening hours of the castle if you wish to visit, as the tour doesn’t include a tour inside the castle. Also, as the route to the castle passes by gardens and roads full of cherry blossom trees, you might want to plan your trip around cherry blossom season. This is made easy as tailor-made tours are available upon request.

Ritz-Carlton, Osaka also offers furoshiki (traditional Japanese cloth wrapping) workshops, kimono experiences and tea ceremonies exclusively to club guests. Never worn a kimono before? Not a problem, the hotel will provide attendants to help you get into and out of the outfit, it’s just a shame there wasn’t a wider range of fabric or kimono options available—just two colour schemes to choose from for women. Nonetheless, the staff was meticulous and efficient in dressing me in the multi-layered outfit. Just a word of caution: kimonos are tight at the waist, so it’s probably best to stick to just a light meal before you put one on.

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Yoga sessions are available exclusively to club guests in Osaka. I tried the yoga session in the garden, and was served hot tea after. The outdoor setting was relaxing and tranquil during the morning session, but more could have been done to ensure guests in the back of the class could also hear the instructions clearly in the outdoor space. If you’re going in early spring or winter, remember to bring an extra layer to wear until the movements warm you up.

Club guest rooms at both Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo and Osaka are also well stocked with wellness products, including two hinoki bath balls made from the trunks of hinoki cypress trees, where its signature calming scent is the most powerful, that are native to central Japan, and locally produced bath salts by Haa in Tokyo, made from mineral deposits that are nearly 350 years old and harvested from hot springs in Beppu. Guests are also provided an instruction manual on traditional touji (bath healing), which they can experience in the privacy of their hotel room. This is an alternative to onsens for travellers who are running short of time and cannot make time to visit a hot spring, or for guests who simply aren’t comfortable with a public onsen experience, which tends to be in the nude. I give the bath balls a try on my second night in Tokyo, which left my skin feeling more supple, and the warm bath relaxed me for a good night’s sleep. However, it would have been nice if the hotel had provided a small basin for rinsing my body, as recommended by the guide provided.

The hotel boasts a wide range of facilities such as the beauty salon, fitness centre, indoor pool, saunas, showers and baths at both the Osaka and Tokyo properties. We recommend getting a full body Nourished Glow massage at The Ritz-Carlton Spa. It was a 60-min treatment during which my masseur applied just the right pressure to give my arms and legs a good stretch and eased the soreness from my muscles, and  the smooth transition between movements enhanced the experience. Her attention to detail was also evident in how she made sure her hands were warm and her voice calm while she guided me to breathe and destress.

Just remember to check with reception before going to ask about the dress code, as some spa areas do not allow revealing clothing such as string bikinis. If you find yourself unprepared, swim suits are available for rent.

Overall, my stay with the Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo and Osaka’s elevated clubs was rejuvenating and fun. The comprehensive introduction to Japanese culture was a fantastic bonus, and the staff took great care of their guests with an eye to detail and eagerness to showcase not only their service but also their love of their city. The experience was a seamless blend of Japanese traditions and cultures with modern luxury travel.

At the end of each journey, both clubs were eager to leave guests with a personalised memory of their stay. I left Tokyo with a framed photo taken on the first day of my stay, and premium green tea and sweets from the Japanese confectionary shop, Higashiya. Meanwhile, Osaka went as far as to capture the fun moments during their guests’ stay on video, and had it playing on the television in my room on the last night of my stay. Some guests were a little confused when the tour guide became photographer from time to time throughout the day, but all in all, it was a wonderful surprise to come back to.

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48 Hours In Tokyo, Japan