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One of my favourite movies is Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation. It is a story of lonely newly-wed Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) and faded movie star Bob (Bill Murray) who strike up a quirky friendship in Tokyo. For me, the biggest appeal of the movie is the backdrop of the bright lights of Japan’s capital city. I knew that when I eventually returned to Japan I wanted to visit the famous Lost in Translation bar.
Where is the Lost in Translation bar?
The bar featured in Lost in Translation is The New York Bar at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Tokyo. The Park Hyatt is a 5 star luxury hotel located in the heart of Shinjuku ward. You can find it less than a 15 minute walk from Tocho-Mae subway station. The New York Bar itself is located on the 52nd floor of the hotel and offers spectacular views over the city. You are still welcome to visit the New York Bar to have your own Lost in Translation moment even if you aren’t staying at the hotel. Which is exactly what we did!
What is the dress code for the Park Hyatt Tokyo bar?
Look presentable. This is a stylish place, so wear the smartest clothing in your suitcase. For me, that was a pair of black trousers, some black ballet pumps and a pretty top. Generally sportwear and beachwear are big no-nos.
Visiting The Lost in Translation bar
The first thing to note is that the hotel applies a cover charge of 2,200Y (about £12) after 8pm, (7pm on a Sunday). If you don’t wish to pay this, then get to the bar early and allow yourself plenty of time. Once you get inside the Park Hyatt it isn’t as straight forward as heading to the bar, there are steps and elevators and plush corridors to navigate first.
We arrived at the Park Hyatt sometime between 5 and 6pm, so we had plenty of time to sip a drink and savour the view. We were also early enough to be seated at one of the small tables, closer to the window, rather than at the long bar at the back. Another benefit of having an early drink means fewer people. We didn’t get a seat right next to the window, however we did get up to take a few pictures. Sadly the camera doesn’t quite do justice to what the naked eye can see.
I already knew what drink I wanted. You can’t be a Lost in Translation fan and not try the L.I.T cocktail. Named after the film, The L.I.T consists of sake, sakura liqueur, peachtree and cranberry juice – all very Japanese and delicious. My husband just ordered a beer. The waiter brought us over a little bowl of spicy nuts. These may or may not have been complimentary, I’m not sure.
The menu has a decent selection of tipples, including classic cocktails such as Espresso Martini and Cosmopolitan. There are also mocktails, spirits, wine and beer. And of course sake.
As we enjoyed our drinks and soaked up the atmosphere, we noticed that the bar began to fill up quite quickly. Perhaps people were arriving for the jazz performance due to start at 8pm. We could have easily stayed a little longer but as it was quite expensive (around 2,400Y per cocktail), we decided to just stay for the one drink.
All in all I enjoyed my Lost in Translation moment. You never know, if I make it back to Tokyo for a third time, perhaps I’ll be wealthy enough to stay at the Park Hyatt.
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This is such an awesome view I bet! Thanks for the information I am going to have to take my husband there soon as we currently are living just outside of Tokyo 🙂
I’m glad it helped. Yes the view is amazing, my photos don’t do it justice!
[…] encourage anyone with an interest in Japan to watch it and it may even inspire you to have your own ‘Lost in Translation’ moment like I […]
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