My addresses: Olivier Krug on Tokyo

Tokyo is like my second home after Reims. It’s where I started my career in champagne in the early 1990s. Japan was a very small market for champagne then. Today it is by far our biggest market, and I feel very attached to Tokyo as a city. It is a fantastic, multi-layered place. You have to be patient and learn how to reveal each of the layers. If you are not open-minded, you probably won’t get there, but as soon as you understand, it’s completely endless. Life can go from ultimate refinement to crazy moments.

— My local friends tell me where to meet. Tokyo is very much about having a good Japanese friend to show you the unexpected places. I love eating a bowl of ramen noodles with them late at night, sometimes at just a hole in the wall. Ippudo Ginza, in the heart of the city, is open until 3am.

— In the Imperial Hotel, I love Kitcho (pictured above), which is a branch of the original Kitcho in Osaka. Very traditional but brilliant.

— Another place I love is Kanda. Outside there is just one kanji character to announce its presence; if you walk too fast, you miss it. I love sitting at the counter — you can smell the freshness of the ingredients — and they sell some great sakes. Try the crispy eryngii mushrooms with shirako (milt of the male cod). The chef at Kanda is a friend and he takes me to some great places — last time we had spicy gyoza at Cave Cinderella in Roppongi.

— My home from home would be the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The bar is very lively, you have one of the best Chinese restaurants in the city, and you can see Mount Fuji from the lobby.

For Tokyo details go to ft.com/myaddresses

Olivier Krug is director of Krug Champagne