Tokyo’s Lost in Translation Bar Still Shines

The hotel bar has long played a pivotal role in films, serving as a cinematic crossroads where chance encounters, confessions and transformations unfold. For a generation enraptured by Sofia Coppola’s 2003 film Lost in Translation, that place is the New York Bar at the Park Hyatt Tokyo, the liminal space where Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson’s characters find connection in their loneliness and sameness as strangers in a strange land.

Unlike the many fictionalized hotel bars that have appeared in film and television, the New York Bar is very real. Perched on the 52nd floor of Shinjuku Park Tower, designed by Pritzker Prize winner Kenzō Tange it hovers above the city, and through its 360-degree, floor-to-ceiling windows stretch cinematic views of the Tokyo skyline. Jazz floats through the air, the warm glow of soft lighting reflects off high-polished wood, and for the cult film’s fans who flock to the location every year, the space feels suspended in time.

When the Park Hyatt Tokyo reopens Dec. 9, 2025, after a 17-month renovation, the New York Grill & Bar will once again become the hotel’s crown jewel.

The iconic bar remains steadfastly true to its original spirit unchanged but refreshed as do the Japanese restaurant Kozue, Club on the Park fitness center and spa, and The Library, a curated collection of more than 2,000 books.

Film fans will be delighted to discover that the New York Bar has kept its soulful design and live jazz, while introducing a new cocktail program inspired by both the film and the city’s evolving cultural identity. The Hollywood Reporter got a first look at the bar program, which includes the Jet City, an homage to Seattle, where Boeing was founded and where the wine used in the cocktail Charles Smith’s Kung Fu Girl Riesling originates. Blended with Japanese musk melon, the drink evokes what the bar team characterizes as “the verdant streets of Seattle” in an unexpected yet harmonious expression of cross-Pacific creativity. For purists, the New York Sour will be a highlight, a bourbon-based classic topped with Zinfandel.

Among the carryover creations is the Lost in Translation, or L.I.T., a pink-hued elixir that pays tribute to the early-2000s cosmopolitan while blending Japanese and American influences. Made with sake, cherry blossom liqueur, peach liqueur, cranberry juice and lime, the drink nods to the film’s delicate tone sweet, tart and faintly bittersweet.

“As it is a movie directed by an American in Japan, we thought about making a cocktail that blends both cultures by using sake as the base,” said a member of the bar team. “Drawing inspiration from the cherry blossom decorations in the heroine’s guest room, we incorporated cherry liqueur for its fragrance, used peach liqueur to add color and taste, and included cranberry juice, widely known as an American fruit, to create a central scent in the cocktail that reflects the identity of those involved in the film.”

The hotel, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, has undergone a sweeping transformation, including its guestrooms and suites, the Peak Lounge & Bar on the 41st-floor atrium, and a new brasserie, Girandole by Alain Ducasse all under the creative direction of Parisian design studio Jouin Manku.

The number of rooms and suites has been reduced from 177 to 171, introducing a new Park Suite category with a separate living room and bedroom, dining table, and walk-in closets spanning 915 square feet with views of Harajuku, Shibuya and the Meiji Shrine.

Specialty suites such as the Tokyo, Diplomat and Presidential offer up to 3,100 square feet of living space, kitchens, entertainment areas, hinoki soaking tubs, mist saunas and cinematic skyline views.
“We hope that when guests return, they will feel at ease and recognize the hotel’s spirit while also sensing a renewed energy,” says Patrick Jouin, designer and co-owner.

“It’s like a film remake the same story, reinterpreted by different generations. The deeper you explore, the more you will notice a thoughtful balance, refined in a way that will remain relevant for another 30 years,” adds Sanjit Manku, architect and co-owner.