Trader Vic's Tokyo

Visiting Trader Vic's is now on my To Do list for my visit to Japan this spring.

Last time I was in Tokyo I had an inadequate camera and lens which was very limiting. Equipped with better gear this time, I strove to take some pics that do this place justice. This is one of the nicer existing Trader Vic's in my opinion as it has kept the old-school feel. It reminds me a lot of the Munich location in that way.

The first pic is a special setup in the foyer to commemorate the centennial anniversary of Tokyo's gift of 3,000 Sakura (Cherry Blossom) trees to Washington D.C. I have memories of when I used to attend the annual Cherry Blossom parade in D.C. back when I was in high school. Special menu items and brunches will be part of the commemoration.

The secret party rooms. Okay, maybe not secret per se but I had never seen them before and they generally aren't visible when you walk in. I guess private is a better word.

It's strawberry season in Japan and many establishments have strawberry-themed specials. Trader Vic's has this great strawberry mojito in an ice cone right now. The wife really enjoyed it.

A number of photos that explore the elaborate decor. Note: every one of these was done hand-held without a flash.

Sure, it's pricey eating here but it's hard to get this experience anywhere else and every other restaurant in the New Otani is just as expensive if not more. The crowd at this hotel is typically well-heeled and the parking garage reflects that as it is full of Mercedes, Porsches, and the occasional Bently or Ferrari. The beef they use, even for their burgers, is Japanese grade A4. This is above USDA Prime. So, you get what you pay for in the food department.

• fm

Just had an amazing meal there! Spent $200 and it was worth every cent of it! I shared mai tai with a non-drinking friend who really enjoyed it despite his usual disdain for booze and even though it wasn't out on the menu or out front they made me a sakura mai tai (which is 300 yen cheaper than a regular mai tai), thanks Michelle66 for posting about that. Both drinks exceeded my expectations and the food even had my friend, a gourmet chef himself who always nitpicks, happy and complaintless. Without a doubt one of the top two meals I've ever had, the other was from One Harbour Road in Hongkong.



It's finally happened- Mai Tai in Trader Vic's!
(I live on a small island in the middle of nowhere, getting to a TV is hard to do)

[ Edited by: Wayfarer 2012-04-29 18:23 ]

Wow, that and fezmonkey's stunning photos prior really make one gonna go! Not that I had any other reason why I would wanna be in Tokyo... :D

Awesome!!!!! Great photos. Place looks great.

Thanks for the compliments on the photography folks. It's much appreciated and provides incentive for me to do more of the same.
I don't make mugs or paint so this is my way of contributing.

[I just wish it were easier to upload photos to TikiCentral. Multi-image uploading would be exceptional and allow me to share a lot more imagery.]

• fm

On 2012-04-29 09:23, Wayfarer wrote:
Just had an amazing meal there! Spent $200 and it was worth every cent of it! I shared mai tai with a non-drinking friend who really enjoyed it despite his usual disdain for booze and even though it wasn't out on the menu or out front they made me a sakura mai tai (which is 300 yen cheaper than a regular mai tai), thanks Michelle66 for posting about that. Both drinks exceeded my expectations and the food even had my friend, a gourmet chef himself who always nitpicks, happy and complaintless. Without a doubt one of the top two meals I've ever had, the other was from One Harbour Road in Hongkong.

Glad you had such a great time! (I can see you've got a Sakura Mai Tai in one of the pics! Since they're only served from 3/1-4/30, you lucked out!)

And speaking of the Sakura Mai Tai, last year I tried making one at home and it was a disaster...

But, I tried again last night, and got it right! So, for those of you who'd like to try one of these things, here's the recipe (straight from TVT):

1.5oz Bacardi Superior white rum
1oz Dover Sakura Liqueur
1oz cranberry juice (I use Del Monte 20%, which is generally what liquor stores sell here.)
3/4oz fresh lime juice
1/2oz sugar syrup
2 shiso leaves (1 for the cocktail, and 1 for the garnish)
2 cups of crushed ice

TVT uses Bacardi Superior for this cocktail, so I recommend the same. Last year, I tried using Havana Club 3-year, which ruined the drink as its rather strong flavor totally overpowered the sakura liqueur.

Be sure to mince one shiso leaf until it's almost a paste. (Really chop the heck out of it!)

Also, prepare this drink in a blender. The blender will evenly distribute the tiny pieces of shiso throughout the crushed ice. (I used a shaker last year which resulted in a mess, with bits of shiso stuck all over the place. (5 seconds is a enough to mix the drink.)

Garnish with the second shiso leaf, lime shell, and a fruit stick.

Here's what you need!

And the finished drink (There should be a chunk of pineapple on the stick, but I was all out.):

Enjoy one at home today!

Great pics! The Japanese do everything with such a zeal for style!!!

Thanks for the recipe! When I asked about it the bartender mentioned the ingredients but wouldn't say how to make it. I look forward to making one if I can find sakura liquer on Guam. (Fat chance, if it's not Bud Light Guam doesn't want it.)

We're going back tomorrow to try the burgers on the lunch menu, and of course more crab rangoons (my friend is still talking about them) and another round of cocktails for me.

There probably won't be a lunch menu tomorrow, as it's a national holiday and TVT will be having one of their amazing brunches.

You really should try to make the brunch. Fantastic food and lots of it! :)

We did the brunch Thursday (Thank you Golden Week!), originally planning to drop by for burgers and more rangoons since my buddy couldn't get their flavor out of his head. The meats floored him, said it was the best roast beef he'd ever had, which as a fourth generation gourmet made him need to call his parents the next morning to inform them that the impossible had happened and he'd found a better roast beef than his father's. I thought the lvie music and Hawaiian dancing was a nice touch.

Well, the dog days of summer have arrived in Japan, so it's really HOT and humid here right now...

Just the excuse to visit Trader Vic's Tokyo!

I went there today as I was craving the shrimp fritters that are part of a four-course ladies lunch special the restaurant is now offering. (And for those folks saddled with a "Y" chromosome ( :wink: ), you can still get the lunch, but at a slightly increased price.) (Many hotels in Japan offer special lunch deals for women in order to lure in groups of ladies who like to dine together. This type of promotion is quite common here.)

Instead of eating in the main dining room, I decided to sit at my favorite table in the bar area and look out at the trees:

Since I planned to do some shopping in crowded Shinjuku after lunch, my cocktail today was the high-octane "Tiki Puka Puka":

The first course is a bowl of wonton soup, which I forgot to photograph until it was half gone... (guess the 151-proof rum had started to work its magic on me!) The soup has bamboo strips, water chestnuts, slivers of pork, and a meaty wonton dumpling. It's REALLY good!:

Up next is a green salad that's covered with TV's delicious Javanese dressing!:

The main course is a special plate with four different items:

1. Two big shrimp fritters that are covered in sweet chili sauce and fresh cilantro. (It's soooo good!)
2. Chicken, onions, snow peas, water chestnuts, (and usually shiitake mushrooms, which I have them hold), all inside a small crunchy cup. (Another delicious favorite!)
3. Fried rice
4. Steamed veggies.
   (It's hard to judge scale in the picture, but the plate is quite massive. The portion size is more than enough(IMO).
   

Dessert is mango sherbet and coffee:

The price for this meal is 2800 yen for women, or 3500 yen for men. (The lunch special is available Monday through Saturday.)

For the service and the quality of the food, it's really a great deal! (Those shrimp fritters will keep me going back again and again!)

Well, I'm sad to report that TV Tokyo's long-time general manager, Larry Murakami, has left the company...

Larry's final day was 10/31/13 and his departure is sure to leave a void.

The reason Larry had to step down is because he reached the New Otani Hotel's mandatory retirement age of 60... (If any of you have ever met Larry, he looks and acts much younger than that.)

I'm not privy to any more details, but apparently if he had continued, it would have set a precedent with the hotel which they obviously didn't want to deal with.

There are bound to be changes to the restaurant now that Larry's gone. He championed things like classic Trader Vic's recipes, as well as special seasonal events (like the amazing Cinco de Mayo brunches in May and June), so the new manager will need to be on his toes if he wants to balance the classic and the modern as well as Larry did it for more than 20 years.

Most of the decorations that the restaurant was decked out in for the holidays were Larry's own, so with him gone, things are sure to be less colorful and festive from a visual standpoint.

The New Otani Hotel also used Larry's departure to make changes to the staff, and some of the long-time waiters and waitresses have been reassigned to other areas of the hotel.

I'm very leery of how things will play out at TVT now that Larry is gone.

Most American restaurants that open branches in Japan will sooner or later adapt their menus to Japanese tastes - often becoming nothing like their US counterparts, apart from the name.

I've seen this play out countless times before, and I just hope that TVT bucks the trend and continues to offer the same food I occasionally crave and can only get there.

[ Edited by: Michelle66 2013-11-09 01:17 ]

[ Edited by: Michelle66 2013-11-09 01:17 ]

That's a shame. He's a nice guy and was always happy to talk about TV's. It was clear that is more than just a job to him.

• fm

Found this postcard today

As you can see from an earlier post, Larry Murakami (Trader Vic's Tokyo GM for more than 20 years) left the company at the end of October.

While I have missed Larry, the food and atmosphere at TVT is still top-notch.

This past Thursday night I dropped by for the first time is about a month, and met their brand new general manager!

His name is Karim Belgnaoui, and he's been working at Trader Vic's locations around the world for the past 18 years.

We chatted for a little bit and he's very friendly and warm. I think TVT is in good hands.

TVT has also started a new promotion that is an AMAZING deal - Tiki Hour!

Tiki Hour is TVT's new happy hour promotion and runs from 4:00pm to 7:00pm Monday through Saturday (until at least July 31).

For 2,400 yen, you get a cocktail (any one from the menu!), plus a Cosmo Tidbits for one (pork strip, pork rib, fried shrimp, crab rangoon).

Some of the cocktails go for upwards of 2,000 yen each, so the promotion is a great way to save some money in light of the new increase to Japan's consumption tax.

Karim also told me that their is an upcoming Senior Pico's lunch special that will begin in May, so I'm looking forward to that as well.

BTW, the Sakura Mai Tai is now available again! This delicious concoction is only made in March and April, so I suppose the next two months are going to see me eat lots of Cosmo Tidbits as I enjoy Trader Vic's springtime cocktails.

Hadn't looked at this thread in a long time, but it's great to see how current it is, especially with all the great updates from Michelle66 - thanks for all the pics you've posted! Fun to see all the seasonal stuff and the spirit there.

In April we had a return visit to the Tokyo Vics and had a great time. They've got the chinese ovens (my favorite!), they've got the bar and the drinks, and they've got the hospitality! Talked to the new manager Karim while we were there (more below), and apparently Tokyo Vics is coming up on its 40th anniversary. He mentioned plans for Vics VIPs coming to town for that celebration, including Claudette from the Emeryville location. I took a ton of decor photos, so I'll post some here, but most of the views may have been covered already.

We got there kinda late in the evening, this is the New Otani from the outside as we came up.

The New Otani has two towers; Vics is in the Garden Tower.

Entrance off the elevator.

Starting down the hallway, looking back toward the entrance.

Continuing along, the Boathouse Bar is just around this corner.

Looking back to where we came into the bar area.

Other side of the jade tiles, in the actual Boathouse Bar.

Starting down the hallway to the dining area, and looking back at the bar.

I think that's the Puka Room on the left, and the Menehune Room further down.

Friendly staff girl said hello, curious about all the pics I was taking.

Inside the Menehune Room, looking out across the hall to the chinese ovens.

Outside the Menehune Room, and its lattice dividers.

We ate in the Captain Cook Room - this is looking out from there to the main dining area with its amazing shell chandelier.

Eastern Sour - east meets west!

One of our favorites Vics traditions the Coffee Grog, presented spectacularly!

After dinner, took some more pics. This is in the main dining room looking back toward the Captain Cook Room.

Heading back down the hall toward the bar, Menehune Room on the right again.

Puka Room again.

In the bar area, the general manager Karim Belgnaoui warmly introduced himself when I was loitering around with the camera. Absolute pleasure talking to him - lots of interesting info about the Tokyo Vics, and also other locations where he's worked before and visited. The gentleman he was with popped up and offered to take pics of us with my camera.

Arigato, kampai, and we'll be back again!! This dinner was the capper on our last night in Japan for this trip, and it was fantastic!

-Randy

(ps - if any mods are looking, I wasn't sure whether to post in this thread or the less active Locating thread, maybe merge them?)

Oh my goodness, it's heaven. Thank you for these pictures!

A nice photo collection!

You always post fantastic pictures Randy, please travel more often. :)

Nice pictures, love the coffee grog pictures, nice place.

Cool pics! The Coffee Grog pics are awesome! I always wondered what the insurance company thinks when the establishment states: "Oh yeah....we're also going to be slinging flaming liquids from one container to another inside the restaurant. There's no problem with that....right?"

howlinowl

Thanks for the comments, yep it was heavenly! The coffee grog is always a great finish to a Trader Vics meal - we order one on almost every visit to the Emeryville Vics. This one in Tokyo was presented by the bartender, and he really knew how to make the most of it!

Forgot to mention, also about the manager Karim. He knows about TikiCentral and this crowd, so by all means if any readers get a chance to visit, ask if Karim is around, and have a chat! They're so welcoming there that it's pretty hard to have just an "anonymous" visit anyway. Like with one of our waiters - after he heard we were from CA, he told us a story about his vacation where he drove on PCH down the coast from SF to LA.

-Randy

Fantastic pictures! I almost felt like I was at the old Chicago Trader Vic's in the Palmer House. Did you happen to take any pictures of the Gun-Ship Restaurant at the New Otani? I've only seen one picture of the place, but it looked awfully nice.

Wow…now THAT'S how they all should look! :) Love that slender Marquesan Tiki at the entrance in the first pic.

We didn't see the Gun-Ship Restaurant at the New Otani, but it's amazing how many restaurants, cafes, lounges and bars they have! Check out the list on the right on this page (which has a link for the Gun-Ship with a pic), and also that snapshot of part of the directory.

They've got rooftop panoramic dining, fancy french, two kinds of nautical, etc. Last time we were there, we visited the garden too, which is also nice (and 400 years old, according to the website).

We did walk by the Garden Lounge on the way to Vics. Nice mural, and probably a great view of the garden during the day. :down:

Maybe Michelle66 will have more to add, being a more regular customer!

Speaking of which, there's some great stuff earlier in this thread. F'rinstance...

On 2012-02-11 03:00, Michelle66 wrote:

Here's the chicken mole station - with chicken covered in chocolate mole sauce, toppings, and steamed flour tortillas:

I can't tell for sure if that mask server object is the same thing, but it looks similar to the one on the old Vics cookbook (pic borrowed from a search). Maybe a lot of branches use those and I just never noticed, but anyway, looks cool (and the mole sauce sounds great). :down:

On 2012-03-05 17:29, fez monkey posted some great pics, plus this one:

It's strawberry season in Japan and many establishments have strawberry-themed specials. Trader Vic's has this great strawberry mojito in an ice cone right now. The wife really enjoyed it.

That's another preparation you don't see so often in person. Maybe it's a pain to make. Over on the crypto mugs thread some of us had been trying to figure out a menu image from Delmonico's, that ended up resembling this too (plus a pineapple top). That was cleared up when DC posted a similar image of the Iceberg from the Shangri-La in Chicago. Just another example of how the lineage of these drink preparations spread over the whole world. And also an indicator of just how old-school the Tokyo Vics is about going the extra mile for a nice presentation!

-Randy

Awesome pictures, I, too, was reminded of the old Chicago Vics. Very classy.

Thanks for posting all the pictures. Looks really nice... must go!

Wonderful photos! It looks as good, if not better, than when I was there in 2007. I am sorry Larry has left, though. I got to know him at the opening of Trader Vic's Las Vegas. A true gentleman who always made you feel welcome.

Man this makes me miss this place and my time in Tokyo with Mickey Mouse and friends! lol Awesome post!!!

I picked up this little table topper drink card for the Tokyo Sour from when Trader Vic's first opened in Tokyo.

I find it very interesting that it makes sure to announce that it is in no way affiliated with the Trader Vic's in Hawaii!

DC

LOL - yeah - the rift must have been quite fresh back then!

It has been a few years since this Trader Vic's Tokyo thread has been updated, so I figured I'd add another 2¢ to it...

The big news I guess (and I'm surprised no one has mentioned it yet) is the redesign the Boathouse Bar area received at the beginning of 2015.

The entire central sofa/table section that had been facing the bar was removed and replaced with a few high tables and bar stools. Blue lighting was also put under the bar at the same time.

This photo is courstesy of the Trader Vic's Tokyo website:

The redesign opened up the bar area quite a bit, and when the section is now set up for the Sunday brunch, the platters of food have easier access than before. (A large central table allows more platters to be offered than the old setup.)

(Full disclosure time: I guess the redesign had dampened my enthusiasm for TVT. However, after returning for brunch after not visiting for well over a year, it wasn't so bad after all. The tasty food more than made up for any reservations I still had. I had even felt very silly for letting my distrust of any sort of change get in the way of enjoying my favorite restaurant.)

Karim Belgnaoui is still TVT's general manager and he often arranges special events – like recent dinner buffets done for both Halloween and Thanksgiving (not to mention a countdown party on New Year's Eve). (I have the New Otani's TVT website bookmarked and check it quite frequently. The Japanese-language page gets updated more often than the English page, so it's better for learning what's going on. http://www.newotani.co.jp/tokyo/restaurant/vics/index.html )

After visiting TVT for the first time in over a year, I had been pleasantly surprised to see that they had begun offering some TV glassware and mugs for sale in the front showcase. Since the Trader Vic's Online store in the USA doesn't ship internationally, it was fantastic to finally be able to buy an authentic Fog Cutter mug. (Kudos to Karim for opening the "store". Much appreciated!)

Anyway, I kind have been making up for lost time recently and had lunch at TVTs four or five times in the past couple of months. I haven't been by for evening cocktails yet, so haven't seen the newly-designed bar area in action yet, but I'll post some new pics once I do.

If you click on the above link, you will see that Trader Vic's Tokyo is offering a weekday-only special "business lunch".

The menu changes monthly, and you can choose either a salad or soup, one of four main courses, ice cream or sherbet for dessert, and coffee. It's a pretty sweet deal for ¥2800 (plus tax and service charge).

Went in on Friday for lunch and had the following:

Started with a Hot Coffee Grog because I was cold after just enduring a long walk in frigid Tokyo as part of my job.

Went with the avocado and grapefruit salad (with Javanese dressing), and the Thai glass noodles & shrimp for the main course:

Finished with vanilla ice cream and coffee (the coffee at Trader Vic's Tokyo is amazingly good):

All in all, it was a well-needed break from a hectic Friday workday!

Thank you Michelle for all the updates, glad Trader Vic Tokyo is still going strong, the food looks amazing and that coffee looks really good.

I hadn't been to TVT for a few months, but ended up going with a small party of my coworkers last Sunday for the brunch.

It was a great time!

We had made reservations a couple of weeks early, so our table was located in the Tiki Room (the main dining room), right next to one of the two windows overlooking the New Otani's garden (it was a gorgeous afternoon, so the green trees outside the window really enhanced the atmosphere)..

The theme for May's brunch is Hawaii, so most of the dishes are tied to the island in some way. (June's theme is "Señor Pico", so I guess the menu will be heavy on Trader Vic's Mexican recipes.)

Traditional Trader Vic's appetizers are generally rotated for the brunch. This month, Crab Rangoons got the nod, which was why I was so eager to go. (The Señor Pico brunch looks to mean another trip in June.)

TVT has been promoting their line of fancy, gourmet hamburgers for some time. For the brunch, they had set up a cook at one of the stations grilling up mini hamburgers for the diners. They looked to be quite popular, as there was always a line of people waiting to get one of the little burgers. (There was also a full line of toppings, so you could create the exact type of burger you wanted.)

After eating my fill of tradtional dishes (not to mention a huge slice of the amazing Trader Vic's roast beef), I decided to have one of the mini hamburgers myself. (I made a simple cheeseburger, and just couldn't pass the Crab Rangoon tray without grabbing one more...)

One key aspect of the brunch is the all-you-can-drink sparking wine (which my coworkers took advantage of), but as someone who just doesn't like any sort of wine, I went the cocktail route. (They offer a price break on Mai Tais during the brunch.)

So, if you're coming to Tokyo, you really need to check out Trader Vic's holiday brunch. It's one of the best meals you'll ever have!

[ Edited by: Michelle66 2018-05-25 05:22 ]

Trader Vic's Tokyo has posted its brunch menu for June.

As mentioned above, the restaurant will be serving dishes based on Trader Vic's Señor Pico recipes.

Check this out:

BBQ CHINESE OVEN:
BBQ Roast BeefGravy, Horseradish & Chimichurri [CARVING]
BBQ Pork & BBQ Chicken [CARVING]
BBQ Spareribs

HOT APPETIZERS:
Spicy Beef Quesadillas [PICO]
Refried Bean Dip [PICO]
Steamed Dim Sum

BREAKFAST:
Chorizo & Potatoes [PICO]
Mexican Omelette [PICO]
Breads

SOUP OF THE DAY:
Tortilla Soup [PICO]

COLDS, FRESH SALADS:
Santa Fe Coleslaw [PICO]
Quinoa ＆ Beans Salad [PICO]
Shrimp Cocktail
Salad Bar
Assorted Cheese & Cold Cuts

CHEF TAI SELECTION:
Lemongrass Beef
Thai Red Fish Curry & Rice
Malaysian Rice Noodles
Stir Fried Vegetables

TRADER VIC'S FAVORITES:
Mexican Stuffed Peppers [PICO]
Seafood Enchiladas [PICO]
Chicken Mole [PICO]
Pork Chili Verde [PICO]
Mexican Rice [PICO]

PASTRIES FROM OUR OWN KITCHEN:
Freshly Baked Waffles [LIVE]
Tres Leches Cake [PICO]
Orange Flan [PICO]
Senor Pico Cheesecake [PICO]
Mango Lime Pudding [PICO]
Strawberry Shortcake
Fruits Roll Cake
Churro Cream Puffs [PICO]
Mexican Chocolate Cockies [PICO]
Coffee Jelly

FRESH FRUITS・ICE CREAM・SHERBET:
Fruits
Ice Cream & Sherbet

SELECTION OF JUICE:
Mango, Guava, Orange, Tomato, Cocoa

COFFEE OR TEA:
Coffee,Tea

[On the notations: "Carving" means a chef is on hand to carve you a slice of meat from the entire roasted item. "Pico" would be something only served during the Señor Pico brunch. "Live" means a chef will be set up at a table, cooking fresh waffles for the diners.]

The Señor Pico brunch is one of my favorite TVT spreads. The chicken mole is fantastic, and so is the tortilla soup (if they use the same recipe from a few years ago).

I can't wait!

We're going to be in Tokyo the first week of December and I've already reserved time to stop by Trader Vic's. Probably at the end of our day of shopping on Tuesday or Wednesday. for an early happy hour in the bar. Anything in particular I should be on the lookout for specific to the Tokyo TV's? I already hope to pick up their Tokyo Sour glass to go with the London Sour glass I got last year.

On 2018-11-02 14:50, JasonMa wrote:
We're going to be in Tokyo the first week of December and I've already reserved time to stop by Trader Vic's. Probably at the end of our day of shopping on Tuesday or Wednesday. for an early happy hour in the bar. Anything in particular I should be on the lookout for specific to the Tokyo TV's? I already hope to pick up their Tokyo Sour glass to go with the London Sour glass I got last year.

I believe I saw a new glass for sale in their showcase – one that shows support for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

If possible, you really should visit TVT for one of their Sunday/holiday brunches. For December, they are sure to have their delicious roast turkey as one of the available sliced-to-order meats (to go along with their roast beef, roast pork, and chicken).

The brunch buffet has a tremendous variety of dishes, and is the best way to get totally stuffed on wonderful Trader Vic's food.

Happy hour is great for ¥1000 Mai Tais, but I think the brunch is more of a memorable experience.

On 2018-11-07 15:39, Michelle66 wrote:

On 2018-11-02 14:50, JasonMa wrote:
We're going to be in Tokyo the first week of December and I've already reserved time to stop by Trader Vic's. Probably at the end of our day of shopping on Tuesday or Wednesday. for an early happy hour in the bar. Anything in particular I should be on the lookout for specific to the Tokyo TV's? I already hope to pick up their Tokyo Sour glass to go with the London Sour glass I got last year.

I believe I saw a new glass for sale in their showcase – one that shows support for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

If possible, you really should visit TVT for one of their Sunday/holiday brunches. For December, they are sure to have their delicious roast turkey as one of the available sliced-to-order meats (to go along with their roast beef, roast pork, and chicken).

The brunch buffet has a tremendous variety of dishes, and is the best way to get totally stuffed on wonderful Trader Vic's food.

Happy hour is great for ¥1000 Mai Tais, but I think the brunch is more of a memorable experience.

If that glass is available its a must get for me. The combination of TV's and Olympics is great.

Sadly we're only in Tokyo Sat-Sat, mainly as a bucket list trip for my wife and her Dad to go to Tokyo Disneyland. So we get in Saturday evening, stay that night at the off-site Disney property, then Sunday morning transfer to the Miracosta for the rest of the trip. No real time to go to TV's that day. We're going to spend one day shopping in Shibuya and Nakano Broadway and swing by TV's on the way back to the resort but otherwise its a Disney trip (my mother-in-law worked for Disney for 16 years before she passed away, the last almost 10 at Walt Disney World, and they always wanted to see the foreign parks, especially Tokyo). My wife and I plan to return just the two of us at some point in the future to really "do" Tokyo.

[ Edited by: JasonMa 2018-11-07 18:18 ]

I see.

Too bad about the timing. Going from Maihama station to the center of Tokyo after checking in into the Miracosta proably wouldn't be worth the hassle (considering the brunch starts at 11:30).

If the days you plan to visit the parks are flexible, this site might be helpful:
http://www15.plala.or.jp/gcap/disney/

The site forecasts the expected crowd size for any specific day, based on stuff like special events, public holidays, school vacations, past crowds, etc. I use it before planning my trips, and it has saved me a lot of angst. (It's not perfect, but it is very good tool.)

I hope you have a great time! Both parks are lots of fun! (But, weekends there are pretty brutal...)

[ Edited by: Michelle66 2018-11-08 02:33 ]

Thanks for the tips! We are aware of the weekend crowds which is part of the reason we planned the trip the way we did (airline schedules/fares was the other reason). We plan to use Sunday as our "get our feet wet/acclimated day" and not try to knock off any of the big attractions or anything. Maybe some of the daytime entertainment. Then the Saturday we leave will probably just be doing some shopping/sightseeing at the hotels and Main Gate area without park admission before heading to the airport.

On 2018-11-07 15:39, Michelle66 wrote:
I believe I saw a new glass for sale in their showcase – one that shows support for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Just went to TVT the other night for cocktails and dinner (before heading out to the movies).

I saw that I was completely wrong about the glass I’d seen in their showcase (as quoted above).

The glass they actually have is similar to the Trader Vic’s Tokyo 40th Anniversary glass from 2014 – but in black instead of white.

Below are pictures of the 40th Anniversary glass. Just picture the artwork in black...

Also learned that Crab Rangoons will be part of TVT’s December brunch...! (My favorite of the rotating appetizers.)

And speaking of the brunch, TVT has a fantastic campaign going on right now where the prize for completion is a free brunch!

All you need to do is drink six different versions of the Mai Tai! (No, not all at once...unless you want to!)

That’s all there is to it. Drink one of each variety (while getting your “Mai Tai Club” card stamped each time), and you’re good to go!

These are the six drinks you need to have:

1. Trader Vic’s Mai Tai (And, yes, you can still get the stamp for this one when they’re only ¥1000 during happy hour.)
2. Mango Tai
3. Guava Mai Tai
4. Maui Mai Tai (I’m told this one is made with pineapple juice.)
5. Honi Honi
6. Menehune Juice

This is such a great campaign! A free brunch (worth about $50) for just drinking cocktails...

Mmm...

Thanks for the update. I got the London version of that glass and was planning (before I thought there was an Olympics glass) to get the Tokyo one while I was there. So I'm happy to see they still have it. Is it served with their Tokyo Sour (the London one is used with their London Sour).

We'll be at TV's a week from Tuesday!

We had a wonderful early Happy Hour on Tuesday. Got to TV's about 3:30 or so after a day of shopping in Shibuya and Nakano. We had drinks and an early dinner in the bar. I had the Tokyo Sour and my regular go to, the TV's Sling. My wife had a Mai Tai and my father-in-law had the Doctor something (once I unpack I can look at the menu). We also split the fried rice, which was great, and each had our own entree. My shrimp po-boy was wine except for some sort of cheesey sauce on it. My wife enjoyed her roast beef sandwich and my father-in-law liked his chicken chow mein. And the french fries were excellent.

I bought the Tokyo skyline glass to go with the London one I got on that trip. Interestingly, The Tokyo TV's had a nice display case with all the available mugs with prices listed. London had nothing like that. I also asked if I could take the drink menu as a souvenir and our server disappeared in the back and brought back one for each of us! So that was awesome and I need to send an email complimenting her on that.

We would absolutely go again on our next trip and try to hit the brunch. Next up though in 2019 is probably a road trip to Emeryville.

Hi All!

My family and I are traveling to Japan for two weeks during the second half of June. We'll be staying at the New Otani in Tokyo for a week of that and plan on going to Trader Vic's at least a few times while we're there.

The website for Tokyo Trader Vic's is great, but we can't figure out a way to make a reservation without telling them in advance that we will be eating a specific meal while there. For those that have been before, is it really necessary to make a reservation at all?

We'll hopefully be able to see The Kazan Room in Kobe as well. I'm very nervous about the whole trip so any advice is welcome.

Thanks! Eric

I'm envious, Ned! I can't offer much advice, but I would recommend reaching out to the Kazan Room. They get a regular flow of tiki tourists from the States and can probably give solid advice on how to get there without stressing too much.

You could call them. Call: +810332654707