It's been a whirlwind of food, drink, products, people and a little more food, but the official results of our inaugural Love Tokyo Awards are finally set to be released during our grand awards ceremony on December 21.
Before the big announcement, we thought we'd give you a little peek at what our judges from across the global Time Out network thought when they visited Tokyo on a mission to find the best of the best, all compressed into 48 hours (poor souls).
The overwhelming response was just how fascinating and diverse our beloved city is in terms of things to do and places to see. Yes, we know, we know, tooting our own horn here, but that's really what the consensus came to.
From the fancy streets of Ginza and hip Shibuya to traditional Ekoda and the eastern edges of Koto-ku, the sheer number of options and the variety on offer blew the minds of our judges. And, although it may be a cliché, the fascinating mix of old and new still always appears to impress visitors to Tokyo. As our judge Kenneth (Beijing) put it,
'[Tokyo] embraces cosmopolitan concepts and marries it with traditional values. You could go to a steakhouse and find western cuts of beef served to a table with cutlery that includes chopsticks. Or find within vintage shops antique radios that can sync via bluetooth to your devices.'
We can only agree. What's more, the extremely high level of, well, everything was highlighted by our judge Kaila (Hong Kong), who also touched on why it really is worth getting in that damn queue from time to time:
'What might make Tokyo, or Japan for that matter, stand out the most is the exceptional service you get at each and every venue. Whether it’s wrapping something meticulously perfect or following guests out of a restaurant with a bow, there’s no place more courteous or polite.'
'It was also a pleasure to visit shops, cafés and restaurants that really focused on what they do best. They might be overflowing with customers or have a queue lined out the door, but we appreciate their attention to detail – from a coffee shop focused on making the perfect cup of coffee to a restaurant with a well-executed menu.'
Over on the Western side, both judges Alex (London) and Carla (New York) were blown away by Tokyo's energy – our city with its constant juxtapositions is 'impossible to summarise [...] to people back home' according to Alex, and Carla had a little confession to make:
'I was also super impressed by how hard Tokyo peeps go at night – every morning around 5 or 6am, there were people on the street just leaving the bars and clubs. They put New York to shame! I thought we were the nightlife capital of the world, but Tokyo puts us to shame.' Well, if you say so...
Our Bangkok sidekick Top had visited Tokyo before and as the de-facto veteran, he perhaps expected to just stumble through the same highlights again. Luckily, he didn't:
'For example, Ginza was always on my to-visit list when I was in Tokyo because I just love to browse around those fancy boutiques and posh architectures. But I wasn’t aware that there are cool places that offer unique experience hidden between those fancy facades.'
And on a similar, parting note, judge Chee Wah (Kuala Lumpur) wrapped it all up for us:
'Just when you thought you've seen it all, you'll come across something so new, so surprising that you can't help but fall deeper in love with this city. '
Keep on exploring, dear readers – we'll be doing the same.