In the lead up to World Environment Day (June 5), one of Japan’s most-lauded home-grown brands is launching ‘Sustainable Tokyo’, a stay package that highlights local, environmentally-considerate elements and excursions alongside omotenashi (Japanese hospitality) in harmony with Mother Nature.
With ‘Sustainable Tokyo’, the hotel’s endeavoring to present travelers with a glimpse of how the country’s culture is inherently rooted in sustainability and harmony with the environment by offering a more natural perspective on the megalopolis.
The two-night stay features several exclusive elements to be enjoyed on-property as well as optional off-site pursuits such as recreational activities on land and water and an introduction to kintsugi, the art of beautifying imperfections in pottery in the spirit of mottainai – a Japanese philosophy rooted in reducing waste by not discarding objects until they have been utilized in every imaginable way.
Whether food enthusiasts or spa lovers, guests have the option of a prix-fixe dinner at Wadakura, the hotel’s signature Japanese restaurant, or a treatment at evian SPA TOKYO. Washoku, recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, is a culinary expression of the Japanese people’s respect for nature through the sustainable sourcing, preparation and consumption of natural ingredients. At Wadakura, this is reflected in its seasonal dishes, which include organic, local produce and sustainably-sourced delicacies. For the custom-tailored experience at evian SPA TOKYO, guests can enjoy a 75-minute body treatment incorporating products made in Japan with naturally derived, domestically sourced ingredients.
In addition to its ongoing efforts to reduce the consumption of single-use products, the hotel has a number of eco-initiatives in place, including a cyclical food-waste management project dubbed ‘Eco-Palace’, which turns the property’s compostable kitchen refuse into biodegradable fertilizer for use by local farms. The resulting crops of rice and produce are then bought by the hotel for incorporation into the staff canteen’s daily menu. The early stages of this project date as far back as 1992, two decades prior to the property being razed and rebuilt from the ground-up, and at a time when the hotel was the first in its industry to repurpose organic refuse to produce compost.
More recently, Palace Hotel Tokyo’s culinary team launched a collaboration with Food Loss Bank to incorporate imperfect-looking, but entirely edible and delicious produce into select menu offerings, such as the hotel’s desserts and its pastry shop’s popular veggie bread loaf.
‘Sustainable Tokyo’ can be booked for stays between June 1, 2023 until May 31, 2024 (subject to availability). For more information, please visit here