On January 20th, 2012, a new restaurant opened on the second floor of Keio Plaza Hotel's South Tower. Named Duo Fourchettes, it takes diners deep into both the French and the Italian culinary traditions. The restaurant offers a broad range of quality dishes in a relaxing and atmospheric space. Its menu includes, among many other delights, a la carte items like pizzas baked in pizza-only ovens, cocotte dishes that bring out the best of quality meat and vegetables, reasonably-priced pasta lunches made with fresh seasonal ingredients, and even luxury full-course French dinners.
The word fourchette is French for "fork." It was chosen for the restaurant's name based on the tradition that Catherine de' Medici brought forks, as well as Italian cuisine, to France from Italy when she married the French king in the 16th century. Some say this move initiated the entire development of French cuisine. The word duo(referring to the number two) in the restaurant's name carries the wish for its customers to fully enjoy the two gastronomic traditions of France and Italy.
The master chef, Shinichi Sato was mentored by Hirochika Midorikawa, the honorary grand chef of the Keio Plaza Hotel, who was awarded the honor of Officier du Merite agricole by the French Government and who also received the Gold Award from the Academie Culinaire de France. Sato himself has also recently been chosen a member of the Academie. The master chef describes his enthusiasm, saying: "Carrying on culinary traditions, I will keep offering works that make the most of fresh ingredients and innovative ideas." Take a trip to Duo Fourchettes for yourself to experience the alluring dishes that are the result of Sato's solid skills and sincere enthusiasm.

Hina-matsuri(Girl's Doll Festival) is a traditional event in Japan held on March 3rd and dedicated to the health and growth of girls. In February and March, the Keio Plaza Hotel held an in-house event to allow guests to experience this annual tradition.

The hotel's lobby and gallery were transformed into a dazzling free display of some 4,600 gracious "hanging doll" ornaments. Each doll was made by hand with precious old silk fabric. Other types of dolls were on display as well, including some antique dolls created more than 150 years ago. Also, during February and March, five of the hotel's restaurants displayed dolls of different kinds while offering special lunches created to suit their respective specialties. In addition, the hotel held two other related seasonal events. At the first, participants were able to make hanging dolls and savor a special lunch evocative of hina-matsuri. At the second, participants enjoyed listening to traditional Japanese music and a savoring a hina-matsuri meal. The Keio Plaza Hotel will continue to hold events of this kind, bringing the very best of Japanese culture to the guests in the hotel's restaurants and public spaces.

In November 2011, two of the Keio Plaza Hotel's staff received the Gendai no Meiko(Contemporary Master Craftspeople) Award from Japan's Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare. One of the winners from the hotel was Li Guo Chao, who has been working at Nan-En, a Chinese restaurant, since the hotel's opening in 1971. Li is currently the grand chef of Nan-En. The other recipient is Kazuya Watanabe, a bartender who proved his might at Sky Bar Polestar and other bars, and is now the vice manager of the hotel's Restaurant and Bar Division.
Li, while remaining faithful to his mastery of the Cantonese culinary art, combined features from the Beijing and Shanghai cuisines to develop his own style of Chinese cooking. This accomplishment entitled him to the award. Meanwhile, Watanabe has won awards from numerous contests and in 2006 was chosen to be the youngest chairperson ever of the Hotel Barmen's Association, Japan. The minister appreciated the bartender's superb skills and hospitality, as well as his work to promote his industry by educating younger bartenders.

Most Japanese elementary children travel to their schools each day with a special kind of backpack known as a "randsel." This boxy school satchel is used to hold textbooks, notebooks, and other essential items.
Many of the satchels are made of artificial leather, while others may be of natural horse or cow leather. Until around 2000, the preferred colors were black for boys and red for girls, but now a greater variety of colors is available, from camel to viridian and indigo. Many girls today favor brown and rose colors, while many boys still hold on to "orthodox" black. The bags' sizes have also changed. The typical main container section of a randsel used to be 215 mm by 300 mm, but several new and slightly larger sizes were introduced last year, when textbooks also became larger.
Outside Japan, some university students and young people use randsel. In Japan, however, almost nobody older than elementary school children carry them. Here, the association of randsel with elementary school is very strong. A typical Japanese springtime scene is the site of small children carrying new randsel on their backs.

Business Hours:
11:30 A.M. to 10:00 P.M.
(Business hours can be changed upon request.)
Room charge:
Sapphire or Emerald (Western-style room): 17,500 yen
Menoh or Kohaku (Japanese-style room): 9,500 yen
*The above rates do not include charges for food. For more information on available food and menu prices, please talk to Restaurant Reservations.

The Keio Plaza Hotel's Family Parlor is a versatile space that can be customized for many different events. From sophisticated private parties and casual get-togethers with friends or relatives to business entertainment events and special ceremonies, this multipurpose room offers numerous possibilities. Equipped with a waiting space and individual restrooms for each room, there are four rooms to choose from—two Western rooms, each of which can accommodate up to twenty guests, and two Japanese rooms, for up to eight people each.
A choice of French, Chinese, or Japanese food, as well as a buffet, is available for the Western-style rooms. In the two remodeled Japanese-style rooms, named Menoh (agate) and Kohaku (amber), guests can relax on comfortable chairs, while enjoying formal kaiseki cuisine or a Washoku-zen meal, with its many small servings of different types of food. The traditional interiors feature tatami mats and shoji sliding wood and paper doors.
Naoko Matsuda, a Family Parlor customer service staff member, says: "Arrangement of furniture, the way guests are served, and many other factors are flexible. This allows us to create the perfect atmosphere, whatever your needs. Please don't hesitate to contact us and we will arrange everything."

People of all ages love strawberries for their sweetness as well as their refreshing sour tang. It is thought that commercial cultivation of the berry began in the 19th century in Japan. While strawberries are often made into jams, used to flavor ice creams, or processed into puree to prepare dessert sauces, many Japanese people prefer to eat them raw.
Some love strawberries "as they are," while others pour condensed milk over them. Evidence of the berry's popularity among the Japanese is a snack called ichigo daifuku (literally, "strawberry rice cake"), which is a rice cake containing sweet red bean jelly (called daifuku in Japan) with a raw strawberry in it.
Japan is known to consume more raw strawberries than any other country on earth. Japanese farmers continue to develop new breeds and improve them. Today, even giant strawberries longer than 4 cm (1.6 inches) can be found, offering a particularly strong sweetness. Some "luxury" strawberries cost more than 700 yen apiece. The prime season for strawberries is early summer, when their taste is at its peak. The Keio Plaza Hotel's restaurants and cafes serve parfaits and many other desserts featuring strawberries.

Special Privileges for EIC Members
Customers staying with us at EIC member rates will be entitled to many special services and privileges, including use of The Club Lounge, free breakfast, and free extension of checkout time to 3:00 P.M.

"Kizuna" is a Japanese word that is used to describe an unbreakable bond between people. Each year, a contest is held in Japan to select "a single Chinese character that describes the year." For 2011, the single character chosen by some half a million votes from across the nation was the character "kizuna." One evident reason for the choice was the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11th. The devastating damages to people were followed by mutual help, which made many aware of the importance of families, friends, and local communities, as well as kizuna that bind them together. The Japanese Government took out an advertisement with the character for kizuna in some of the newspapers around the world to express gratitude to the people of many different nations who helped Japan with aid and friendship. Another occasion that brought comfort and reminded the nation of the importance of kizuna came when Japan's national team won the women's World Cup in football, taking advantage of its excellent teamwork. This word evokes Japan's hopes for the future and its enduring determination to move forward.

In gratitude for your patronage, the Keio Plaza Hotel is pleased to offer a special promotional rate denominated in U.S. dollars for a limited time. Available for an extended time in response to guest appreciation, the special rate offers savings over even the EIC member rate. We invite all EIC members to visit the Keio Plaza Hotel and take advantage of this occasion.   Special Promotional Rate EIC Member Rate Type of Room Single Double/Twin Single Double/Twin Standard (Remodeled) US$220 US$270 ¥25,500 ¥30,000 (¥17,600) (¥21,600) (US$318) (US$375) Plaza Comfort US$250 US$300 ¥26,000 ¥30,500 (¥20,000) (¥24,000) (US$325) (US$381) Plaza Premier US$280 US$330 ¥28,400 ¥32,900 (¥22,400) (¥26,400) (US$355) (US$411) * As the table shows, while the EIC member rate is set in Japanese yen, the special promotional rate is denominated in US dollars. Guests can pay both rates in either the dollar or the yen. Please note that the applicable exchange rate will be the rate indicated at our Front Cashier on the day of your check-in. * In the table above, the values in “( )” were calculated using an exchange rate of US$1 = ¥80. Such figures are hypothetical examples that are only meant to provide a rough idea of current rates, and they are neither binding nor official hotel rates. * The rates indicated include room fees, breakfast, service charge, consumption tax, and accommodation tax. * A guest staying at a special promotional rate above is entitled to the following: 1) Breakfast from a choice of three restaurants 2) Use of The Club Lounge (Coffee, tea, and other amenities are available.) * Free for guests staying at special rates; 2,000 JPY per person for their guests. 3) Late check-out (until 3 P. M.) possible upon request, subject to availability.

The Business Center's business hours Monday through Friday: 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays: 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. * The coin-operated PCs at the entrance to the Center are available 24 hours per day. Please help yourself. * The Center offers the following pay services, among others: 1. Photocopies (monochrome and full-color) 2. Fax transmission 3. Rental cellular phones 4. Arrangement of interpretation and translation services 5. Typing 6. Arrangement of international delivery service 7. Internet connection 8. Business card printing

By enrolling in the Executive International Club, you will be eligible to receive a variety of special services and discounts reserved exclusively for EIC members. We cordially invite all members of the Executive International Club to stay with us and experience these advantages.

·	Free use of The Club Lounge, exclusively reserved for EIC members
·	Extended late check-out until 3:00 P.M. upon request (subject to availability)
·	Early check-in at 11:00 A.M. upon request (subject to availability)
·	Priority room reservations
·	Frequent flyer mileage points with our 16 participating airline partners

MILEAGE PLAN		500 miles per stay
AADVANTAGE		500 miles per stay
ANA (ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS)		500 miles per stay
ASIA MILES		500 miles per stay
FLYINGBLUE (AIR FRANCE/KLM)		500 miles per stay
EXECUTIVE CLUB (BRITISH AIRWAYS)		500 miles per stay
ENRICH		600 miles per stay
KINGFISHER		600 miles per stay
KRISFLYER (SINGAPORE AIRLINES)		500 miles per stay
JAL (JAPAN AIRLINES)		500 miles per stay
JET AIRWAYS		600 miles per stay
SKYPASS (KOREAN AIR)		500 miles per stay
FREQUENT FLYER (QANTAS)		1,000 miles per stay
MILEAGEPLUS (UNITED)		500 miles per stay
VIRGIN ATLANTIC		750 miles per stay
VARIG BRAZIL		1,000 miles per stay

The Keio Plaza Hotel is a member of Summit Hotels & Resorts, an international luxury hotel group. To make your next reservation with us, please contact phone numbers below.

*	Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo Tel: +81-3-5322-8000 Fax: +81-3-3345-8269
*	Los Angeles Sales Office Toll free: +1-800-222-5346
*	Online Reservations http://www.keioplaza.com
*	Summit Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (toll free): +1-506-637-0760 United States and Canada: +1-800-457-4000 United Kingdom: +00800-3237-5001 Hong Kong, SAR: +800-96-3365 North China: +10-800-650-0379 South China: +10-800-265-0387 Singapore: +1-800-227-3126