I’ve done wild things in Tokyo, but charading as Tom Cruise is a first

I wasn’t planning to pretend to be Tom Cruise today, but it’s hard to avoid when you’re 24 storeys up, climbing through the metal grates and stairs at the top of a Tokyo skyscraper, about to make your way to the helipad above.

I’m even carrying a weapon, though in this case it’s a wooden katana, a practice sword that might be gripped tightly in my hand but is still unlikely to help me overpower the security guard keeping a close eye on my progress.

I’ve done some wild things in Tokyo. The Japanese capital is ripe with possibility for the bizarre and the unexpected, and after 20 years of visits you can begin to think you might have exhausted all opportunities. But then, you don’t know Tokyo very well. Because here I am, emerging onto a high-rise rooftop, on a windswept, grey morning, ready to fight.

And what a place to do it. The city is laid out in crystal clear detail everywhere you look. There’s Shinjuku, with its cluster of tall buildings. There’s Ikebukuro, another sky-scraping hub amid an otherwise low-rise city. There’s Asakusa and the “golden poop”, a large gold flame perched atop the Asahi Beer Hall. And there, soaring above them all, is the Tokyo Skytree, the tallest tower in the world.

It’s breathtaking. Or, maybe I’m just puffed from all those stairs. The reason I’m here on this Mission Impossible is to get some exercise, though it’s as much exercise of the mind as the body. I’m staying nearby at Hoshinoya, a luxury urban ryokan that offers a range of traditional and wellness-related Japanese activities, including rooftop kenjutsu classes in the early morning.

Kenjutsu is the Japanese art of swordsmanship, with many practical applications – supposing you ever find yourself in a sword fight – though just as much benefit for the mind. The idea is to control your movements, to follow a strict pattern of poses, to focus on your task and omit all outside influences.

In other words, the perfect way to begin your day. Mindfulness, but with swords. My teacher today is Nana Owada, a staff member at Hoshinoya. I meet her in the hotel lobby, we pick up wooden katanas and attach them to our wrists with little drawstrings, and then make our way onto the street and into the office block a short walk away.

From there, a security guard escorts us into a service elevator, we ascend to the 24th floor, and then make our way through quiet corridors to a door leading outside, where the wind blows and steel stairs ascend to the helipad above.

One foot after another, step, step, until finally you emerge and are greeted by one incredible view. There are plenty of tall buildings in Tokyo – but how often have you stood out in the open at the top of one? I can almost hear the Mission Impossible theme music as Owada-san and I take up our positions in the middle of the helipad (it’s huge, so there’s little chance of vertigo), and begin the lesson.

It’s worth considering what else I could be doing right now. Hoshinoya has a rooftop onsen, with warm waters plumbed from deep below; there are Japanese tea ceremonies, incense-making classes, massage treatments, and ryokan-style Japanese breakfasts. I will go on today to eat one of those breakfasts and dine tonight at Sushi Otemon, the omakase-style sushi restaurant recently opened at the hotel.

For now though, it’s time to stand on a roof and swing a sword. You forget to look around sometimes, to appreciate the views as you concentrate on the kenjutsu. We warm up with a few simple exercises, before learning to grip the katana, and then to cut.

There are three simple motions to learn, though each requires concentration, and patience. Raise the sword and slice through the air. Bring your hands back to the ready position. Repeat. Focus. Breathe.

Take in the incredible view, watch as clouds drift by and Tokyo wakes to a beautiful morning, and pretend – maybe just a little bit – that you’re Tom Cruise.

THE DETAILS

FLY
Qantas has non-stop flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Tokyo Haneda. See qantas.com

STAY
Hoshinoya Tokyo is a luxury “urban ryokan” near Tokyo Station, with rooms from $1560 twin share, including onsen access. Other activities and meals at the hotel are extra. The “Sky-High Morning Kenjutsu Practice” costs ¥4546 ($44) a person. See hoshinoresorts.com

The writer stayed as a guest of Hoshino Resorts.