If bigger is better, than Bulgari gets top prize. The luxury Italian jewellery has just opened its largest jewellery store in Tokyo's Ginza district. The 10-storey  building has a VIP lounge, and floors showcasing jewels, watches and accessories, as well as a restaurant, bar and bridal salon. Next year, the Ginza tower will also showcase Bulgari's new skin care line and in-store beauty treatments. The two store mark the 20th anniversary of Bulgari's debut in the Japanese market. But Bulgari isn't the only luxury brand moving into the area; earlier this month, Giorgio Armani opened Armani Ginza Tower and Alfred Dunhill will open its Ginza store later this month.

During our big “Shop Around the World” trip, one of our more glamorous stops was the Peninsula Hong Kong. I loved the plushness of the rooms, the discreet service- and making a grand exit from the hotel in one of the signature Rolls-Royces. The newest Peninsula just opened a few days ago in Tokyo. Located in Marunouchi, the Peninsula is the first free-standing luxury hotel to be built in Tokyo in more than a decade. There are 314 spacious guestrooms, a wedding chapel, The Peninsula Spa by ESPA and three luxury jewellery shops, all making their retail debut in Japan ”“ Graff, de Grisogono and Chantecler Tokyo. And yes, those all important Rolls-Royces are on hand to whisk guests to and from the airport in style. The Peninsula Tokyo, 1-8-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, 100-0006, Japan Phone: (81-3) 6270 2888

The newest one stop shopping destination in Japan is Tokyo Midtown, which opened at the end of March. Tokyo Midtown will include the tallest building in Tokyo and also houses the city's first Ritz-Carlton hotel, as well as luxury serviced apartments, a design museum, restaurants and shops, and a large park. The resident shops include Savile Row tailor Richard James, who is opening his first stand-alone shop outside London, Italian fashion brand hLam, Shu Sanctuary for Shu Uemura beauty products, and a Muji housewares store. And for those of you craving a skinny soy latte, there will even be a Starbucks. Tokyo Midtown will be a direct competitor to Roppongi hills.

I frequently slip in and out of a hotel without so much as a peep. With today's automated check-in kiosks, voice activated wake-up calls, and key-activated 24-hour fitness centers, I can be remarkably self-reliant while on the road, and even somewhat anonymous. It's easy to feel at home when travelling to familiar cities, and travel is always easier when you speak the local language. But when traveling to unfamiliar places, I can be at the mercy of a hotel, for just about everything: strange plugs that might fry my laptop, restaurants with English menus, directions, flagging a taxi. Thankfully, at The Four Seasons at Marunouchi, Tokyo, a hotel renowned for its intuitive service, I was in good hands.