THE TIME OF JAPAN

Tokyo Monogatari

from November 9 to November 21 2009 following Leslie's footsteps in Tokyo and Hakone

click on the picture above to see the Tokyo gallery

So I asked him, “Why don’t you come to Japan?”, then Leslie said with the best smile I had ever seen, “Japan! Oh, I’d love to! My most favorite country in the world! Japan is my ideal country. I am sure I will get along well with Japanese!”

Dear Leslie, it's not surprising to know that Japan was your most favourite country in the world. Now I've been there and now I know why.

In Tokyo there are so many places related to you. Sometimes I wasn't prepared enough and I missed some of them as Bunkamura and Tanto Tanto Restaurant: it's clear that I have to study more. But starting from exciting Shibuya I could feel your spirit in many corners that you visited as HMV and Tokyo FM Radio Station. Or was it HMV in Shinjuku?

In Shinjuku we found the Milano-za Theatre and we also visited another place related to you: the famous Kabuki-za Theatre

After several months of negotiations, we finally secured the contract with the main store of Aoyama Book Centre in Tokyo

We visited the Aoyama Book Center where you held the autograph session for your photobook 'Leslie in China'.

And I haven't forgot the Tokyo International Forum in Marunouchi, where you held the Passion Tour concerts and also the autograph session for the photobook 'All About Leslie'.

The autograph event was held in the Glass Hall of The Tokyo Forum.

Leslie held his concerts in Japan from the end of November to the early December. I went to the Tokyo International Forum to see his performance. It was my first time attending his concert.

Dear Leslie, I liked a lot going around from Hibiya to Ginza imagining you and your friends strolling, chatting and having fun... those were the days...

I made a reservation at one of the oldest tempura restaurant in Ginza and we went there by taxi. Mr. Tong said he thought he had been to this restaurant before. As for Leslie, it was his first time at the restaurant.

After leaving the restaurant, we strolled along aimlessly around the night time Ginza and ended up at Hibiya. There we went into a coffee shop in the Imperial Hotel to have a cup of tea before going back to the hotel... That night nobody recognized Leslie; neither in Ginza nor at the Imperial Hotel with the exception of only one person who had some reaction. When we were crossing at the intersection in Ginza...

Was it Mitsukoshi or Takashimaya the department store where you went for shopping? It's difficult to tell because they are both huge, wonderful and absolutely elegant!

The day after the autograph event, Leslie enjoyed shopping at a department store in Nihonbashi. He said he had been looking forward to shopping around for tableware in Japan.

Talking about style and elegance, you surely visited Aoyama and Omotesando for wild shopping. And also for art, because the buildings in Omotesando, from the Prada building to the Hanae Mori building, from Cartier to Dior are amazing. It's like living in the Wonderland: architecture here is overwhelming.

Maybe this was the perfect location for your own shop...

He said he had a dream to open an interior décor and bedding shop in Japan in the future... He asked me a lot about Japanese celebrity stores. He also asked me where in my opinion would be the best place for him if he wanted to open such a shop in Tokyo... If his dream to have a shop in Japan had come true at that time, perhaps his talent in the designing world could have blossomed and it might have been what he could live for even if he could not satisfy his dream in the movie world in Hong Kong.

We know you visited Omotesando, because you loved the Anniversaire Café... and we loved it too!

We also enjoyed a wonderful afternoon tea at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chinzan-so. What a pity that it was raining and we couldn't walk into the garden!

At 10 am on April 17^th I had breakfast with Leslie at the Four Seasons Hotel coffee shop on the first floor. Leslie said that he would like to be seated at the terrace facing the garden and he began to take photos of the garden, terrace and the coffee shop with his camera.

“By the way…” I asked him another question which had been on my mind since the previous night. “How do you like this hotel?” Then he whispered in my ear, “Well, the room in this hotel is too luxurious for me. I am a bit overwhelmed but…” He pondered for a while and began to spill forth a continuous flow of words saying, “The amenities are excellent. The bathroom is very good and the shower head is working well. The tap is well positioned. If there is any shortcoming that can be said about this hotel, it would be the towels. I would like the towels to be a bit softer and smoother…” I was absolutely amazed as I gazed at the quick movements of his lips as he uttered these words!

With our friend Tae we discovered that you also liked to stay at the Westin Tokyo Hotel in Ebisu. The area is very beautiful and elegant.

Then we had a wonderful Italian lunch at Acqua Pazza Restaurant in Hiro-o.

We went around in Daikanyama, strolling in places that you loved and perfectly match with your style and beauty like Café Michelangelo....

I bought excellent pastries in your favourite pastry shop at Hillside Terrace...

... and we ended our afternoon in a very amazing way: being treated as VIP and toasting with champagne as very special guests at your Tableaux Restaurant! Simply unbelievable!!! I'm sure this was your way to say: "Welcome to Tokyo!" You were there with us, Leslie! You were definitely there.

I love Daikanyama: I can imaging you sitting there in an open coffee shop and going around for window-shopping at the sunset.

We headed to a famous club restaurant in Roppongi. As soon as we went into the restaurant, the clerks seemed to recognize him as Leslie. While dining on club dishes and drinking wine, Leslie told me about the memories of Mr. Tong and his childhood... When we left the shop, Leslie said he would like to go for a stroll for a while as it has been a long time since he last visited Roppongi. As he walked along, he pointed at one of the restaurants and said, “Oh, I have been to this shop!” Passing by a florist, he remarked, “Oh, I know this florist has a lot of beautiful orchids”. He was really delighted with his window-shopping.

The following afternoon, Leslie left for Hakone with Mr. Tong by a special train for tourists... As they were about to depart on their trip, Leslie was very enthusiastic and chirpy. He said happily that they would be going up the mountain by cable car to a hot spring where they would indulge in an open air bath... He told me about this trip in great detail later. They went to Gora by cable car, to Lake Asino by ropeway, took a ride on the pirate ship; they ate grilled cuttlefish and soft cream at a small stall, and so on. Their trip to Hakone was favored with fine weather. Both of them seemed to have enjoyed the trip very much.

After one week in Tokyo we decided to follow your steps in Hakone together with our friend Keiko. So we took the Romance Car, the mountain train to Gora, the cable car, than the ropeway...

... and we visited Owakudani where we ate the famous black eggs boiled in the vulcano. Mount Fuji blessed our visit on the first day. It was wonderful.

Then, like you, we took a ride on the pirate ship enjoying the beautiful natural scenery of Ashino Lake and at the end of our ride we found the small stall where you ate grilled cuttlefish.

Staying in the old beautiful Kansuiro ryokan in Tonosawa we tasted the spirit of traditional Japan and we indulged in a open air bath like you...

On the second day under a heavy rain we had an excellent luch at Gora Kadan. I still think you stayed there at least once, because the place is very beautiful and so stylish!

click on the picture above to see the Hakone gallery

Back to Tokyo we finally found the Park Hyatt Tokyo Hotel and stayed there for three nights. It was very expensive but all we could say when we entered our room was "WOW"!

It was already dark when we arrived at the Park Hyatt Hotel. We did not choose this hotel for the first autograph event to avoid the confusion but this time we decided on this hotel according to Leslie’s wish because of the sound security measures. Leslie seemed relaxed in this hotel. As soon as he entered the room, his tenseness dissipated; his facial features became soft and calm.

Now we know, Leslie, now we know why you loved this hotel so much! It left us speechless! My advice is that you may forget the expensive dinner at the New York Grill and rather have a great afternoon tea at the Peak Lounge and concentrate all your money to sleep there at least one night!! Everything is wonderful! Beyond words! So perfectly Leslie's syle!

I knew why Leslie loved the Park Hyatt very much. The bed, the linen, the color tone of the wall and carpet of the room as well as the built of the bathroom and amenity goods, all of these were amazingly similar to those of Leslie’s bedroom. I thought Leslie felt totally relaxed in the room as if he were in his own room.

click on Leslie to see the Park Hyatt Tokyo gallery

In the Park Tower we visited Ozone and the Conran Shop and had a nice lunch at Conran Shop Café: a place that you also like! So stylish!

On February 16^th, the eve of the autograph event, Leslie flew into Narita Airport on a JAL flight which landed in the evening.

Of course we started and ended our travel in Japan at the Narita Airport. Who knows how many times you've been here.

I've actually had many reasons to love Japan: among them Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takeshi Kitano, Yasuhiro Ozu, the Japanese cinema, manga, anime and yaoi, Murakami Haruki, JE boys, haiku, green tea, the amazing nature and the beautiful scenery of Mount Fuji, hot springs, Japanese gardens and of course Leslie's adoration for Japan. But I was a bit afraid to visit Tokyo, because I thought it was too big and a bit complicated due to the language. Instead everything was just perfect. This holiday in Japan was just like a dream.

So difficult to find the right words... I preferred to quote Chitose Shima's words, from her book "The Time Of Leslie" which inspired this travel very much. My deepest gratitude goes to her and to Keiko and Simie who translated her book into English, making possible to all of us the discovery of private lovely Leslie.

Many many special thanks to Keiko and Tae who accompany us for few days in this adventure and made of Hakone and Ebisu/Hiro-o/Daikanyama two unforgettable experiences.

Many thanks to Miho, Katsuko, Emma, Susanna, Soko, Franny and all friends that we couldn't meet this time (like Yoko), but give me a lot of info and hints about Japan: hopefully we will have another chance. Many thanks to Dorothe who made this travel possible once again.

Many thanks to Eddie and Yasuyuki, respectively Maitre and Sommelier of the Tableaux Restaurant for their special treatment on that blessed afternoon in Daikanyama.

Many thanks to Mrs Yukari, the lady who took care of us at Kansuiro Ryokan.

Many thanks to JAL which provided us with "Ashes of Time Redux" and made us fly on our way back on business class! Another miracle... ;-)

Many thanks to you, Leslie.

 I remembered that he had said that Japan was his ideal country several times. It was not just his vague image. He had a reasonable ground for such thoughts. Firstly Japan is the safest country in the world and secondly it is the international big city where he can get anything he wants from all over the world. Thirdly there are many beautiful sceneries and nature is not so far from the city. The final and the most important point was Leslie was not as famous in Japan as in Hong Kong but at the same time he was not so much an unknown that nobody knew about him. It meant that he could go anywhere freely without any fuss or being stared at, because most Japanese didn’t know him but yet he was popular enough to draw a full audience if he wanted to do something in Japan. It would be also possible for him to attend some cultural events as a guest in Japan. I thought what he had said was quite reasonable. Japan might be an ideal country for him.

I don't know where you are now. In my beloved Hong Kong you're always everywhere in an almost physical way... but I must say that here I really found your spirit.

See much more pictures visiting Tokyo gallery, Hakone gallery and Park Hyatt Tokyo gallery!

Slideshows highly recommended: Tokyo - Hakone - Park Hyatt Tokyo

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