Travel
Wall Street Journal
2012 July
Imperial Ambitions, and Green Space, in Tokyo
by Robert Michael Poole
Japan
The Palace Hotel Tokyo first opened its doors by the Imperial Palace’s moat in 1961, when buildings were forbidden to rise above 30 meters. Reopened in May after a $1.2 billion overhaul, the property has a new, 23-story design that towers over the home of the country’s figurehead, though it avoids overlooking it thanks to an ingeniously curved facade.