Palace Hotel Tokyo Ushers in New Era with Authentic Japanese New Year’s Experiences
Slurp soba, wave to the emperor and make mochi at one of Japan’s most acclaimed hotels

TOKYO (September 10, 2018) - With Japan’s Heisei era on the verge of coming to a historic end in
the new year, Palace Hotel Tokyo is presenting a suite of activities to mark one of the country’s mostsymbolic and sentimental holidays over its traditional three days of celebrations (known as oshogatsu).
From partaking in local culinary customs to enjoying a host of musical performances - bothtraditional and modern – the hotel is setting the stage for a memorable start to the year from its
enviable location on the edge of the city’s much-loved Imperial Palace gardens.
At the iconic, moat-side property, essential culinary customs such as toshikoshi soba — eating ‘yearcrossing’ soba noodles prior to midnight on New Year’s Eve — and osechi-ryori — feasting on a tiered
lacquered box of symbolic, traditional foods specially chosen for consumption in the first three daysof the year — will be presented by the hotel’s esteemed Japanese chefs.
In addition, on the first two days of January guests will have a chance to witness the first Japanese tea
ceremony of the year, hatsugama — perhaps, the most emblematic expression of Japanese hospitality— while live demonstrations and hands-on workshops will bring the tradition of mochitsuki (mochimaking) to guests’ fingertips on January 1.
The distinct sounds of koto (a traditional Japanese instrument) music will fill the hotel’s airy main
lobby throughout January 1 and 2 while two special performances by the acclaimed Gayo Nakagaki
on the 20-string koto is scheduled to take place on January 2. In dramatic contrast and to further
enliven the holiday season, shishi-mai lion dancers will shimmy and strike before audiences on thesecond day of the new year.
From mochi to melodies, there will be a jazz countdown cocktail party on New Year’s Eve featuringfree-flowing drinks and a live performance by a jazz singer accompanied by a quartet, followed by a
New Year’s Day dinner concert by the Palace Hotel Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra — when 25
musicians and a quartet of singers will take to the stage for a high-spirited performance.
The eclectic array of music planned for the dinner concert includes all-time movie and musicalfavorites from “Star Wars” to Broadway scores and to accompany, a prix-fixe feast of French cuisine
will be served, complemented by captivating views of the Wadakura moat below and the surrounding
Imperial Palace gardens.
The planned abdication of the current monarch in April 2019 makes this New Year the last with thecurrent head of state — Japan’s 125th monarch to occupy the Chrysanthemum Throne (and theworld’s oldest hereditary monarchy) — and January 2 one of only two days in the Japanese calendar〒100-0005 東京都千代田区丸の内 1-1-1

1-1-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005
Tel: 03-3211-5211
www.palacehoteltokyo.com

where parts of the Imperial Palace’s private grounds are opened to the public. The momentous day
will be the last chance for visitors to see the popular monarch and the rest of the Imperial family as
they appear together on a palace balcony. Sacred for the Japanese and surreal for foreigners, theexperience of waving New Year’s greetings to the Imperial family has long been a treasured experience.
Guests in residence over the festive season can choose their level of participation in the festivities
with three different stay packages on offer. The first, ‘Shinshun’ (‘new spring’), is the most immersive
option — encompassing a stay of two to four nights beginning on December 31. In addition to daily
breakfast and prix-fixe dinners, participation in all of the New Year’s events are included, with rates
starting at JPY 400,000 (USD 3,600).
For those who would prefer to script their own New Year’s holiday, the hotel is offering a bed-andbreakfast-only option for two- to four-night stays beginning on December 31. Package rates start at
JPY 250,000 (USD 2,250) and guests can then choose to book any of the scheduled festivities as addons. Entrance to the New Year’s Eve Jazz countdown cocktail party is JPY 7,000 (USD 64) per person,
while the dinner concert on New Year’s Day costs JPY 26,200 (USD 235) per person. Reservations
are required.
And finally, for those preferring to kick-off 2019 after the customary festivities (and fuss) of the main
event have dissipated, Palace Hotel Tokyo is offering a ‘Hatsuyume’ (‘first dream’) package featuring
one- to three-night stays beginning on January 2 and inclusive of daily breakfast and prix-fixe dinner— an option well-suited for those who would like to treat themselves to a particularly memorable
start to the new year. Rates start at JPY 150,000 (USD 1,350) per night.
Well-known for its array of cultural and celebratory festivities to mark the new year, Palace HotelTokyo typically sells out far in advance for stays over the celebratory period so those interested arerecommended to book as early as possible.
* All starting rates quoted above are based on double occupancy in a Deluxe with Balcony room** The daily prix-fixe dinners included in the ‘Shinshun’ and ‘Hatsuyume’ packages can be had at guests’ choiceof any of the hotel’s seven restaurants. Subject to availability. Reservations are required.

For full details, please visit: en.palacehoteltokyo.com/offer/tokyo-new-years-2019/

ABOUT PALACE HOTEL TOKYO
Palace Hotel Tokyo commands some of the city’s most exclusive real estate. As heir to a legacy goingback more than half a century as one of the city’s most iconic properties, the hotel remains committed
to offering Japanese hospitality at its finest.

〒100-0005 東京都千代田区丸の内 1-1-1

1-1-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005
Tel: 03-3211-5211
www.palacehoteltokyo.com

As the anchor to a USD 1.2 billion mixed-use development built entirely from the ground-up, thecontemporary 290-room hotel features 10 distinctive restaurants & bars - including elegant Frenchfine dining, exquisite Japanese and an Old World-style cigar & martini bar - an evian SPA andincomparable views of the city’s much-loved Imperial Palace gardens.
Drawing deeply from the country’s history, culture and art, the award-winning hotel redefines luxury
in Japan with sophistication and authenticity, presenting guests with the most bespoke culturalexperiences to be had in Tokyo.
Located at 1-1-1 Marunouchi, the hotel is a 10-minute walk from the landmark Tokyo Station andmere steps away from Marunouchi Naka Dori, a picturesque, tree-lined boulevard that serves as oneof Tokyo’s most posh shopping and dining destinations.
Palace Hotel Tokyo is the only independent Japanese hotel to ever be awarded the highly coveted
Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star rating, the industry’s most prestigious arbiter of luxury travel.

For more information on Palace Hotel Tokyo, please visit our online Newsroom aten.palacehoteltokyo.com.

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Tel: 03-3211-5211
www.palacehoteltokyo.com

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