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The Tavern - Grill & Lounge Brilliant creative food in a casual upscale atmosphere

An area that has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last few years is Toranomon 1-chome. This classic Tokyo business town has evolved into a modern, youthful promenade, thriving around Kanata Street. Towering over the district is yet another remarkable Mori Building Co. creation, Toranomon Hills. On the top 6 floors, nestled over a plethora of blue chip companies and the JOC, is the Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills hotel, which is the focus of our attention. In particular the newly conceptualized The Tavern - Grill & Lounge, which under the creative brilliance of Executive Chef, Shaun Keenan, and his dedicated team, has come into its own.

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Japanese golf legend Isao Aoki speaks to CNN

This month ‘Living Golf’ is in Japan, a country that can boast the second largest golf market in the world behind the United States. It’s a country that has fallen in love with the game and its traditions. But also where the economic recession in the 1990’s threatened the survival of many clubs. With the emergence of cash rich regions such as China and the United Arab Emirates dominating where the game is played in the East, some say Japan has become the forgotten land of golf.

It’s not all doom and gloom however. CNN presenter Shane O’Donoghue travels around the capital of Japan, Tokyo, to showcase how the game is starting to prosper once again. Thanks to the emergence of Hideki Matsuyama as a world star, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that will feature the game; and the expansion of...
WINWIN Style Golf Store

Japan Golf Entrepreneur Series WINWIN Style

Like so many industries in Japan, golf product makers here are renowned for their high standards of workmanship, reliability and quality. Unfortunately, high labor and material costs can make it difficult to compete with big international brands that produce overseas in bulk. Because of this and other reasons, golf manufacturing start-ups are not common in Japan, but in recent years a few promising local brands have emerged, from fledgling companies to niche bespoke brands. Trailblazers such as Miura popularized the notion of custom, hand built Japanese clubs, in which feel and personal touch makes all the difference.

One company following in Miura’s footsteps is golf bag manufacturer WinWin Style. This Tokyo-based company has not only taken on the domestic market, but is also...

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Maduro Lounge Premium booze and all that Jazz at Tokyo Grand Hyatt.

It had been a fair few years since I had visited Maduro- the Tokyo Grand Hyatt’s plush Jazz bar located in Roppongi Hills. The entrance is a little hidden, its large wooden doors tucked away in between floors of the plush five-star property.

It’s a Thursday and the bar has just opened its doors, no band yet and it’s relaxingly quiet. Besides me, 3 suits are finishing off the day's business over a drink and two couples are having an aperitif before dinner.

The interior is exactly what you would expect for a luxury jazz joint. Tastefully backlit, comfortable chairs and round candlelit tables are around a typical jazz band stage. To the right is the bar, boasting a hefty selection of rare whiskeys-more on that later. I settle into a back table and peruse the menu.

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The Tavern - Grill & Lounge Brilliant creative food in a casual upscale atmosphere

An area that has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last few years is Toranomon 1-chome. This classic Tokyo business town has evolved into a modern, youthful promenade, thriving around Kanata Street. Towering over the district is yet another remarkable Mori Building Co. creation, Toranomon Hills. On the top 6 floors, nestled over a plethora of blue chip companies and the JOC, is the Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills hotel, which is the focus of our attention. In particular the newly conceptualized The Tavern - Grill & Lounge, which under the creative brilliance of Executive Chef, Shaun Keenan, and his dedicated team, has come into its own.

BMW X7

There has been a buzz with BMW owners since the unveiling of the BMW Concept X7 iPerformance at the Frankfurt motorshow, the BMW Group is not only pulling back the covers on a new model concept for the luxury segment, it is also introducing a whole new take on luxury for the BMW brand. The Concept X7 iPerformance is it's largest SUV to date. It's striking exterior composed of intently focused lines with simplified accents. The interior offers 3 rows of luxurious comfort and cleant elegant design. The BMW TwinPower Turbo petrol engine to create an exceptionally efficient and dynamic plug-in hybrid powertrain that excels in all driving situations – including running with zero local emissions.

The X7 will join the 8 Series, the 7 series, the BMW i8 and new BMW i8 Roadster in the...

Volvo XC90 Review Fantastic styling takes Volvo to top of the SUV offering in Japan

I grew up in Europe, where car manufacturers have a distinct design and style and target distinct demographics. Volvo has always been a family car... safe, reliable and built like a tank... when we talk about stylish good looks and sex appeal, well let's just say, traditionally, Volvo would not get a look-in. In recent years though Volvo has started to move in a different direction- starting with the XC90 SUV.

Volvo started looking at a completely different styling and design, gone were the clunky tanks, and in came the innovation that forced everyone to look at Volvo cars and the Volvo brand, in a new light.

The XC90 came onto the scene with a lot of heavy hitters in the backdrop: BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Lexus as well as the uber-luxury models like the Cayenne and Levante...

Il Figo Ingordo Cosy Italian, in the Roppongi neighborhood

On a brisk January evening, I made my way through Roppongi’s lesser traveled streets to find what can only be described as a cozy neighborhood eatery not out of place on the streets of Milan or Rome. This encounter was not by chance though, on a recommendation from a seasoned Italian expat friend, who said with a wink “Carne Fantastico” I decided to come and see for myself.

Il Figo Ingordo has been in Roppongi for 10 years now and has a sister location in Daikanyama, the restaurants' owner studied in Italy before returning to Japan and building his team of chefs all of whom share his passion for Italy and their take on the Italian classics which keep you coming back for more...

Can Matsuyama Be Japan's First Major Winner? PGA Championship Preview

According to the current World Golf Rankings, Japan's Hideki Matsuyama is the third ranked player in the world, and after his emphatic victory yesterday at Firestone, he is now No.1 in the FEDEX Cup standings too. To date, the Japanese suerstar has chalked up 13 wins with 5 of them on the PGA tour, and three of those in 2017. Add to this 6 top ten finishes on tour this year, two of them at majors, including a runner up at the US Open (Matsuyama had the day's lowest round, a six-under-par 66, to finish four shots adrift of winner Brooks Koepka) and you can see both his pedigree and consistancy.

The under-hyped Matsuyama is often forgotten about by the international media, which seems to suit the quiet Ehime native, who has yet to conduct an interview in English, preferring to...

Tesla's Model 3 To Take Electric Motoring To The Masses

After ten years of waiting, Tesla has revealed the Model 3, the vehicle that CEO Elon Musk hopes will take the electric car to the masses.

At the unveiling of the Model 3 at the company's design studio in Hawthorne, California, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the car will deliver at least 215 miles of range beginning at just ¥4,000,000— that's a bold claim, and an important one for Tesla to meet. Musk is "fairly confident" that deliveries will begin by the end of 2017, and "you will not be able to buy a better car for $4,000,000 even with no options." And it will be one of the safest cars in the world, according to Musk.

GinzaSix The newest in Tokyo luxury

Just this past April, a new department store opened in Tokyo after much anticipation. GINZA SIX is located in Ginza’s sixth district and, unlike other shopping centers, is built with international clientele in mind. Ginza, one of the most luxurious shopping districts in Tokyo and the world, attracts visitors from all over with everything from the latest tech to exclusive runway pieces. Now, GINZA SIX promises to further delight and better assist discerning visitors.

Photo: By GinzaSix

Hot Jazz in Tokyo-- The City’s 5 Best Music Makes Magical Memories

New Orleans, Harlem… Tokyo? While Japan and jazz may not immediately go together in your mind, on any given night in Tokyo, there are hundreds of clubs playing vinyl jazz classics and dozens with live jazz band performances. Now ubiquitous to Tokyo nightlife, jazz was introduced at the beginning the 20th century by American soldiers via the Philippines. It’s been popularized in novels by Haruki Murakami, who ran a popular jazz bar in the 1970s. Although Murakami’s bar is long gone, while you are here on your golf holiday, you can check out these five spots to experience real Tokyo jazz nightlife!

Japanese golf legend Isao Aoki speaks to CNN

This month ‘Living Golf’ is in Japan, a country that can boast the second largest golf market in the world behind the United States. It’s a country that has fallen in love with the game and its traditions. But also where the economic recession in the 1990’s threatened the survival of many clubs. With the emergence of cash rich regions such as China and the United Arab Emirates dominating where the game is played in the East, some say Japan has become the forgotten land of golf.

It’s not all doom and gloom however. CNN presenter Shane O’Donoghue travels around the capital of Japan, Tokyo, to showcase how the game is starting to prosper once again. Thanks to the emergence of Hideki Matsuyama as a world star, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that will feature the game; and the expansion of...

5 Things to Know About Sake As a Souvenir The wine of Japan

You would be hard pressed to find a souvenir as perfect as sake to commemorate your time in Japan. Nihonshu, or the wine of Japan, is steeped in history, having been brewed here for over 2,000 years. For a simple beverage made up of only 4 ingredients- rice, water, yeast, and koji- sake comes in a startling array of flavors, representative of different regions and seasonal events. If you’ve decided to pick up some sake as a keepsake of your travels, here are 5 things you need to know.

Neon and Bottles cc from flickr by Jimmy https://flic.kr/p/7U57KK

Top 5 Seve Ballesteros quotes

Here at AIR, we love Seve. He inspired us on and off the course. He was a gentleman, a man of great passion and a fierce competitor... and well just Seve...

Here are 5 Quotes that aplified his unique and charaismatic sense of humor as well as his passion for the game:

1. I look into eyes, shake their hand, pat their back, and wish them luck, but I am thinking, I am going to bury you.

2. I'd like to see the fairways more narrow. Then everybody would have to play from the rough, not just me. 3. A detailed analysis of his four-putt at the 1986 Masters: I miss the putt. I miss the putt. I miss the putt. I make. 4. I always putted without a glove but I have no idea why - I saw others doing it and copied them. 5. They say I get into too many bunkers. But is no...

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Five Japanese Drivers for 2018 Buying guide for the latest J-Drivers

Currently, the driver club market has no end of new tech to salivate over, new ways of adjustability, added yardage and more forgiveness promising to take your game to the next level. But before we get into all of that here are some key things to remember before you start shelling out your hard-earned yennies!

Custom Fit

With all the different launch angles and designs it's important to have a go of some different models with a pro or fitting professional to check the data and see which suits your game best. Most of the large chains of Golf shops such as Nikki Golf, Victoria Golf and even some Golf partners carry have the correct equipment to give you a good fitting experience, plus they carry enough different brands to give you the best choice....