The Shangri-La Hotel in Tokyosaid Monday it would not accept any new bookings “until further notice”, citing the city’s uncertain power supply following Japan’s massive earthquake and tsunami.

The hotel said it hoped to resume normal operations as soon as possible but the decision highlighted problems the tourism industry will be forced to confront as Japan recovers from the deadly March 11 twin disasters.

“Following the natural disasters in Japan on 11 March 2011 and the resulting logistical difficulties and hazards, Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo will not be accepting any new guests until further notice,” the statement said.

Virgin Atlantic has become the first airline to lay on a complimentary helicopter transfer for its Upper Class passengers between Tokyo’s Narita International Airport and the center of the city.

Around 75 km to the east of Tokyo, Narita is infamous for its remoteness and poor links to the heart of the metropolis.

New bus and train links have reduced the time required to make the transfer to under an hour, but Virgin has realized there would be solid demand for a faster and more efficient method of beating the traffic.

According to a Women’s Wear Daily report, young Japanese shoppers are less impressed by designer brands and more value-driven than their parents.

The consulting firm McKinsey & Co. already reported last July that “almost 30 percent of shoppers under 30 in Japan named price as the most important factor they consider when shopping, compared to just 21 percent for those over age 50″.

As a result of its economic collapse, Japan’s per-head spending has radically declined — a trend that will continue — with the luxury market being particularly affected, having shrunk by 23 percent between 2006 and 2010.

Mercedes Benz on Wednesday unveiled a chocolate-themed version of its Smart car in Tokyo, just a couple of weeks before Valentine’s Day.

In Japan, there’s a tradition which says that women have to buy chocolate for men on this occasion.

Designed by designer Tadaaki Wakamutsu of Japanese luxury jeweler/chocolatier Q-Pot, the unique Smart city car features a special chocolate-themed paint scheme.

Swiss luxury watch maker Franck Muller has designed a special case for the iPhone, which is now available for pre-order in Japan for a whopping $1,270.

The cases will be sold as a limited edition, with Japanese iPhone provider SoftBank offering a total of 6 different models that will be produced 500 times each.

A monster bluefin tuna sold for a record 396,000 dollars in the year’s first auction at the world’s biggest fish market in Tokyo Wednesday amid intense pre-dawn bidding.

The 342-kilogramme (752-pound) fish — caught off Japan‘s northern island of Hokkaido — fetched a winning bid of 32.49 million yen (396,000 dollars).

It was the highest such bid yet, topping the previous record of 20.02 million yen paid for a bluefin tuna in 2001, the officials said.