OliverB

There's a really amazing concierge at The Peninsula who's booked like two dozen hard to lock down restaurant reservations for me. We've been writing back and forth for a month now and I really appreciate all of her (name is Satoru - female I believe?) time and effort. I'd like to give her something small ($25-50) to thank her. Any suggestions? Also, would it be more appropriate to gift in person or to send ahead with a thank you note?

Thanks

RichardInSF

Typically in Japan, no gift or tip is given or expected in this situation. If you want to givde her a token, something representative of your home area would be nice. Local food specialities, with a nice note, work well. But it should not be obviously expensive as that would be improper and almost certainly rejected.

NewbieRunner

Satoru may appreciate it more if you choose a gift for a male.

abmj-jr

Probably not.

robyng

I have always found that for people who work at concierge desks - travel books - including Michelin guides you have used - are appreciated.

Once you get to your destination - you can learn about who the person who has helped you is - and you might consider something more personal. My go-to gift for people I know even just a bit is always books in various flavors.

When it comes to a concierge desk - you never know who exactly is doing what (as opposed to the person who is writing to you). So - if I were pleased with a concierge desk - and wanted to give a gift - I'd get a gift for the concierge desk. Perhaps a nice box of sweets/chocolates. Just like you'd do with a nurse's desk at a hospital if you/a family member was happy with a hospital stay. Robyn

evergrn

Personally, I would not do gift (certainly no tip) in that type of situation in Jpn. Better thing to do may be to write a heartfelt note to the management praising Satoru. But wow, two dozen restaurant reservations?!

OliverB

Hmm, mixed feedback with this one. Would it seem appropriate to send a local bottle of California wine or perhaps something from the SF Ferry Marketplace? I'd prefer to send ahead as I'm trying to pack really light given the nature of our trip. I like th egift basket for the concierge desk idea, although I have been communicating with just one person the entire time and he's always made a point of letting me know if he'll be away and someone else will be responding. I'm pretty sure he's been handling all of my requests personally or at least coordinating them with his team.

ainternational

Personally, I would email the GM praising him. That will likely go far further than a bottle of Napa wine.

robyng

I would avoid shipping items internationally due to possible issues with customs - breakage - etc. Also - it might be awkward for a concierge to receive a shipped personal gift at his place of employment.

I personally don't buy wine for people unless I know they drink wine (I don't) and know their taste in wine. And if Satoru Masuda (that's the last name) is indeed a "he" - I'm not sure chocolates/sweets would be the best thing either.

If I were in your shoes - I'd pick up something like the latest version of the Tokyo Red Michelin Guide (in Japanese - there's no English verion) in Tokyo and present it as a gift to him/her and the staff. Make sure the gift-wrapping is swell (no guarantee of that in the US but it's par for the course in Japan). For some reason - even at the best hotels - I've found that concierge staffs never have enough books/the latest books/etc. And they seem to be genuinely welcome useful gifts. Robyn

robyng

Regardless of anything else - I'd definitely do that too. Robyn

OliverB

That's already been done!

Thanks for the suggestion on the Tokyo Michelin Guide, I might just do that. ^

RichardInSF

This trip of yours sounds like it will be the most thoroughly mapped out and planned trip ever taken. I understand that can be a lot of fun but I have a suggestion: one of the great pleasures of Tokyo for me are the little, unexpected surprises that one invariably sees on a random walk. Tokyo is much more a city of many little surprises than of huge world-famous monuments -- of which there really aren't any. So leave a bit of time free to just do a few things at random or to choose a restaurant on the spur of the moment.

robyng

^. Although I think what you say is true of travel everywhere.

For example - my husband and I were mesmerized by depachikas (department store food basements) and wound up spending way too much time in them. I loved exploring all the foodstuffs. And my husband enjoyed practicing his very basic Japanese with the young ladies who were giving out free food samples. Robyn

OliverB

Other than dinner reservations and maybe a couple of lunches, this is exactly what we intend to do. My Tokyo itinerary is basically a list of neighborhoods starting with those closest to our hotel and filled with all points of interest (not necessarily tourist attractions or major sites but many local things that would never find their way to this forum) and our plan is to just spend each day walking until our feet hurt, exploring as much of the city as we can!

As for chosing restaurants at random, I've selected a couple of low-key spots to mix with locals and enjoy casual meals (such as Ishii) and that's what we'll be doing for most lunches. We have some room to explore and discover during the day, but there's honestly so many places that I want to try and so little time that I've opted to do as you've suggested for other cities instead. We're basically spending a week in Nagasaki doing just that. We really only have 7 days in Tokyo, so while I'm sure wandering into random places for chance meals could be really rewarding on many levels, we plan to return in a year or two and spend more time doing just that. We'd probably get an apartment through AirBnB for a couple of weeks and do exactly as you suggested. With only 7 days for our honeymoon, I'd prefer to seek out as many of the places that I've read about and anticipated visiting for the past 2 years as possible. We have plenty of time to spend drifting through depachikas as Robyn suggested, tsukemono shops, etc. I've not planned out anything for our days beyond highlighting a few *must visit* places, the rest will just be left to chance and circumstance. I've only really planned intricately for the small towns that we're visiting for 1-2 days at most, since they're destinations that we're seeking out for specific sights and have limited time and more focused plans as a result. I agree with your advice though!

Yahillwe

There are some hotels that I often frequent, as a thank you, I always bring some local chocolates to everyone, from the front door to housekeeping. A big box for each dept.

Something for everyone is better than for one individual, imo.