Café Lounge Pandora at Hotel Gajoen Tokyo

(Metropolis Magazine)

To the right of the garden at Café Lounge Pandora at Hotel Gajoen Tokyo, a placard reads: Forbes Travel Guide—verified as one of the finest properties in the world.

Walk past 21 hand-carved panels, golden fans painted with bijin (beautiful women) overhead, and a floral-patterned kimono hung in elegant display. Follow an indoor stream beneath the gold tie-adorned Daimon gate into a glass-ceiling atrium. Cross a discreet footbridge and watch marble-colored koi swirl below.

The in-house eatery, Café Lounge Pandora, doesn’t accept reservations by phone; arrive at 10 a.m. for a window seat by the waterfall. Sunlight filters through the atrium glass as birds nest in the trees beyond. Many linger over ornate afternoon tea sets, but I’m content with Assam tea and financier cake, savoring the view.

For a taste of Japan, try the premium gyokuro or the anmitsu with kuromitsu syrup. Even the powder room vestibule, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, is worth a pause—another quiet moment, perfectly placed.