Celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo has spoken out about his 22-year marriage, making the shocking admission that he sometimes lives ‘the single life’.

The Italian, 47, revealed that the secret to longevity in a relationship is actually time apart and confessed that he only talks to his wife Jessica for ’20 minutes a day’ while he is away.

Gino and his wife Jessica Morrison first met when he was 17 years old and working at Sylvester Stallone’s Mambo King restaurant in Marbella, where she was a waitress.

The couple tied the knot in 2002 and recently renewed their vows in 2021, but outside of the marriage, Gino is making the most of time for himself, disproving the idea that time spent apart could lead to affairs.

Speak with OK! MagazineGino explained, “You have to balance your married life with your ‘single life’.”

He confirmed that he enjoys spending time as a family with his wife and children, Luciano, 21, Rocco, 19, and Mia, 11. He also emphasized that he and Jessica also need time apart.

“I can be away for a month and talk to my wife for about 20 minutes once a week. Then when I come back we can all talk about it.’

The TV chef confessed that he doesn’t understand what some of his friends talk to their wives about when they’re on the phone for over an hour, as he chooses to keep his phone conversations with Jessica short and sweet.

Gino also admitted that he will go out for dinner and drinks with other women while on one of his solo vacations.

He added: ‘Do you think if I wanted to be unfaithful to my wife I would have to organize a holiday? I can do it anytime, anywhere. So once you get that out of your mind, just going on holiday doesn’t matter anymore.’

Gino previously opened up about how he met his wife in an interview on Good Morning Britain in 2022.

He revealed: ‘When I met my wife I never had any experience with other women because I was only 17. She had beautiful blonde hair and a huge…personality. And after a few weeks she showed me something I had never had before.

‘So I got there and basically all I thought was, “Am I going to get laid?”

‘Can I say that? Or I say: making love, is that better? Anyway, yes, she invited me and cooked for me.’

Hosts Ben Shephard and Susanna Reid started laughing at his anecdote and tried to keep the conversation on cooking by asking what meal she was making.

It comes after Gino was forced to defend his reputation as a businessman after he was accused of failing to hand over millions of pounds to staff and tax authorities when his pasta chain collapsed.

The star has spoken out for the first time following suggestions that he could not pay £5million to his former employees and tax following the liquidation of My Pasta Bar in 2022.

According to reports, 49 creditors have not been paid, with £4.8m owed to trade creditors, £113,975 to HMRC and £53,304 to staff.

Three London restaurants on Fleet Street, Leadenhall Market and Bishopsgate had to close two years ago.

But Gino has now hit back, insisting his philosophy was to ‘make sure your gain is greater than what you lose’.

In a final statement to creditors and members, the company had this to say: ‘On the whole, I can confirm that the realizations in the liquidation are insufficient to pay a dividend to the unsecured creditors after defraying the costs of the proceedings .’

Key stakeholders included Gino, who owned ten percent, and IRG, which had an 85 percent stake in the company, with the remaining five percent owned by Vernon Lord.

IRG is owned by Icelandic founder Malcolm Walker and CEO Tarsem Dhaliwal, after Gino previously had a food range at the supermarket giant

But speaking for the first time about the company’s apparent collapse, Gino has defended himself on the Off Air podcast.

He said of this week’s reports: ‘That’s an old story – it’s something that happened before Covid and I always say to people, I don’t really answer to things like that or I don’t really get upset about things like that. .

“I just get upset in a way where you say, ‘Wait a minute, do you understand that as a businessman, which is what I do, unless you have some failures, you’re never going to be successful?’

“The secret of what it is is making sure your gain is greater than what you lose.

‘Because no one ever talks about me opening another restaurant in Manchester, no one ever talks about me opening four new restaurants by the end of this year.

‘Nobody ever talks about the fact that I currently employ more than 1,000 people.

“Everyone is very quick to point the finger and say, ‘Ah, but, but, you closed this, you closed that.’

“Guys, in life, unless you try to do something new, you’re never going to be somebody and you’re never going to hire other people – you try some things and they go well, and some things don’t go well.

‘Like I said: the secret, what is it? It is to ensure that those who are going well are greater than those who are not going well.”

Gino was asked if there were any people left behind, such as former employees, who had not been paid.

He replied, “At that point you have to be careful not to believe everything you read.”

He again claimed it was an old story and when asked why there were new headlines in the media at the time, he added: ‘I have no idea why they were on the run today.

‘Given that, as I said, I just opened a restaurant in Manchester last week and employed 45 new people in my new restaurant, you’d think they’d have to encourage me to say, ‘Gino, come on. man, keep going, keep going. Don’t worry about failure, just keep going.”

“Because the more you go, the better this economy is going to be: you hire people, you open a new restaurant.

‘But instead of choosing the negative, they always choose the negative: why they do it, that is a question you have to ask the person who wrote the article.

‘I think life is really full of negative things. We need to celebrate positivity, we need to celebrate people’s achievements.

‘We need to recognize that people fail, but not point fingers like that. That’s not a nice way and I don’t believe in that kind of thing anyway.’

GOOGLE has put six games in your iPhone – and chances are you’ve missed them.

They are all completely free to play and can give you hours of fun.

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FIRST GAME – DINOSAUR GAME

One of the most famous Easter eggs that Google has hidden for you iPhone is the dinosaur game.

It is designed to keep you entertained when you lose internet access.

So it’s great if you’re stuck on a plane or your WiFi goes out, or if you’re just a bit bored.

To get this, turn off your Wi-Fi and mobile internet or turn on airplane mode.

Now load any website and wait for this to happen failure because you don’t have internet.

An error page will appear with a small dinosaur icon visible.

Tap the dinosaur and it starts running. Keep tapping to make him jump.

The idea is to run and jump to avoid the obstacles and achieve the highest score possible.

SECOND GAME – FLIPPER BALL

But wait, there’s more! Google has also put a secret game into its main iPhone app.

Go to the App Store and find the Google app if you don’t already have it.

Launch the app and then tap the tabs icon at the bottom of the screen.

Start quickly swiping up on the page with your fingers and thumbs.

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Get it right and a secret pinball game will appear.

Tap the left and right paddles to move them in an attempt to keep the ball up.

You earn points by breaking shapes, and lives are lost when the ball falls between the paddles.

Once you run out of lives, the game is over.

AND THE REST…

If these games aren’t enough for you, there are some code words that will help you unlock four more.

Go to a web browser and go to the regular Google search website.

You can type Snake and a version of the game will appear.

The same trick works if you type Solitaire, Tic Tac Toe and even Pac Man.

So if you’re a fan of arcade classics, this is the trick for you.

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SHE’s the Love Island presenter with an infectious personality and oh-so-radiant skin.

But the secret to Maya Jama’s glow from within is a lot cheaper than you might think.

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The 29-year-old religiously uses a store-bought product to this day, after her mother kept it permanently in the house during her childhood.

“I’ve been using Bio-Oil for years,” Maya revealed in an interview with British Vogue.

“My mother always had medicine at my house for stretch marks or scars and things like that.

“If you are a little damp immediately after showering and you put it on, I think it retains moisture better.

‘But I don’t know if that’s true!

“So yes, Bio-Oil, that’s what I immerse myself in.”

And thanks to the Amazon Spring Sale, the brand’s popular skincare oil has been reduced from £17.10 to just £13.13.

“It is clinically proven to help improve the appearance of new and old scars, stretch marks that form during pregnancy, growth spurts in teens, periods of rapid weight gain and helps with uneven skin tone,” according to a blurb.

“It contains vitamins and essential oils to improve your skin.

“The unique combination of PurCellin Oil and vitamin A and E complex improves skin texture and elasticity and provides non-greasy hydration.”

Skincare brand bosses recommend using their products for at least three months to see results.

It was previously crowned the best-selling scar and stretch mark product in Britain and is also loved by Kim Kardashian, Kate Middleton and Priyanka Chopra.

However, Maya has one more than Bio-Oil in her secret beauty arsenal.

The Rimmel ambassador washes her face at the end of each day and applies double the amount of concealers.

“I get quite dark under my eyes, so one is to hide the darkness, and the other is to brighten it,” she told Who What Wear.

She also keeps spoons in the refrigerator to instantly cool puffy eyes and reduce swelling.

“I try to get a facial at least once a month, just because of all the traveling,” Maya added.

“I have a pretty simple skin care routine.

“I use the CeraVe cleanser and cream, and it really does the job.”

THE world’s largest Wetherspoons can hold 1,500 people, but it’s said there’s a sneaky advantage that sets the boozer apart from its smaller siblings.

Ramsgate’s watering hole, known as the Royal Victoria Pavilion, is located on the seafront and welcomes hundreds of guests every week.

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The pub’s secret weapon is its outdoor terrace, which offers stunning views of the sea and extends to the side, allowing a panoramic view of the bustling harbor for up to 200 customers.

The Grade II listed building started out as a concert hall and meeting rooms, designed by architect Stanley Davenport Adshead in 1904.

The interior is based on the style of a Robert Adam Orangery and is said to have been derived from the Little Theater at Versailles and was simplified in the 1930s.

After a nightclubthen a casino, the venue closed its doors in 2008.

But in August 2017, the previously abandoned building was transformed into a Wetherspoons pub and welcomed customers for the first time in almost a decade.

With 11,000 square meters of drinking space spread over two floors and 400 seats, the popular drinking spot can accommodate as many as 1,500 punters.

Following a dazzling £4.5 million renovation, the inside features a grand staircase leading to a carpeted mezzanine balcony, which overlooks the enormous wood-panelled bar.

Ornate pendant lights illuminate the drinkers gathered around the round bar stools downstairs and the building is located in the seaside town’s pretty harbor area.

Some of the pavilion’s original features remain a nod to the building’s past, including the classic round windows.

Derek Bates, in his mid-70s, a retired NHS manager who has lived in Ramsgate for 44 years, said: ‘I’ve been here hundreds of times.

“The point is that you can sit here with a view when the weather is nice.

“This is probably the best Wetherspoons.”

Adrian Bates, 51, casino worker, said: “I think this is the nicest Wetherspoons I’ve been in. I worked here for 14 years when it was still a casino.

“It’s unrecognizable; there used to be no upper floor, so the stairs weren’t there.

“It was completely different, the only thing that remains the same are the front doors. They have certainly breathed new life into it, I think it is a very good use of the building.”

Jackie Richardson, 67, a retired lawyer, said: “I like the open space, it’s big enough and you’re always served.

“This has a nicer setting than other Wetherspoons, the outside terrace gives it an edge.”

Rose Neale, 70, a retired payroll clerk, said: “This is one of the best pubs around.

“When I’m in the area this is always my favorite thing to do, the atmosphere is my favorite part and being outside in the fresh air.

“Everyone is very friendly here and you have a good selection of food. It has everything.”

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Christopher Palmer, 55, a laborer born and bred in Ramsgate, said: “I’ve done a lot of other Wetherspoons.

“This is the flagship. It’s beautiful, it’s right on the beach. You can’t beat it.

“I’ve been in many others and they are all substandard compared to this one.

“This is definitely an improvement over the space that was here in the past: it used to be a nightclub and now it’s a family restaurant.

“They definitely took advantage of the great view.”

Sophie Street, 20, a student said: “I go to university in Canterbury and I thought it was a lovely day. I’m supposed to be going to the coast, so I’ve never been here before.

“It’s a beautiful view, it’s breathtaking.

“It is also very easily accessible. I caught the bus literally across the road so it’s really nice and easy to get to.

“And Wetherspoons are cheap, so it’s a win.”

Sunny McHugh, 21, a student, said: “I had a recommendation: one of my friends told me to come because they had been here before.

“Normally I get a Malibu Coke, but today I got a strawberry daiquiri.

“I definitely think being here has changed what I want to achieve.

“It’s like we’re on vacation in March.”

Andrea Dale, 56, mother of six and grandmother of seven, said: “I’ve been here before, I love the balcony overlooking the sea.

“The one in Margate is the same, but their balcony is really small, so when I have my grandchildren with me we can’t get out the pram, so we usually come to this one.”

Samantha Dale, 30, who has always lived in Ramsgate, said: “The view is what makes it here. It’s so spacious and great for enjoying the sun.”

Shams Rahman, 34, a student born in Ramsgate, said: “I like the building with the interior and the balcony.

“It’s historic and the way they’ve redecorated it, they’ve tried to keep a lot of the history so it doesn’t feel like they’ve tried to make it brand new. It feels like they fixed it.

“It’s nice to sit outside and it’s different to any other Wetherspoons in a city center.”

Neighbors of the colossus boozer include several other pubs and restaurants, as well as British seaside classics with fish and frying, entertainment and ice cream kiosks.

Carley Muslun, 38, who works at Boulevard Kiosk next to the pub, said: “The Wetherspoons haven’t affected the trade as much as people think, it’s different people coming to the beach for Wetherspoons and different people coming for an ice cream.

“We are very lucky here, the pub is so easy and convenient.

“On a sunny day you can sit on the balcony and order your drinks and they will come to your table.

“The view makes this better than other Wetherspoons.

“I’m originally from Epsom, there’s a big Wetherspoons there, but the view here is a lot nicer. It’s good what they did with the location.

“It was previously empty and I think any building in a seaside resort that is not empty is better: you bring people in.”

Hannah Todd, 25, a student who works at a nearby ice cream shop, said: “I think they did a really good job with the balcony; it is really nice there in the summer, it is always busy. It’s beautiful up there.

“Overall, though, I’m not a big fan of it.

“My family owns local food and drink businesses and if you have £10 for lunch and a drink, compared to £12 for lunch and £4 for a drink, that just doesn’t happen.

“The visitor numbers are no longer what they were, but it is nice that the building is no longer empty. I grew up here and it was deserted, I had never seen it alive before.

“But now that it’s alive, it’s taking things away from all of us who really need it, especially when it comes to the cost of living in which we live.

“Every company needs more customers. This brings in a lot of customers and we don’t.”

This comes after a Haven resort opened the very first Wetherspoons on a holiday park earlier this month

Earlier this year, the much-loved British pub chain confirmed it would be opening a new venue at Haven Primrose Valley Holiday Park in Filey.

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If you’re having trouble waking up and actually looking like you got enough sleep the night before, you might want to try a new eye cream that can get the job done. If you’ve tried most of them, here’s the good news: There’s one more celebrity-loved cream that can transform your skin overnight. You would trust Kate Hudson to steer you in the right direction, right?

The 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream is an integral part of Kate’s daily routine, as she showed on a TikTok, where she showed exactly what products she uses to get ready for the day and in what order she uses them. TikTok, the actress showed herself first rinsing her face with just water and then adding a few additional products. She used the eye cream as the fourth part of her skincare routine, before using the hydrating Ilia Lip Wrap treatment mask.

Grab the 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream at Amazon for $29! Please note: Prices are correct at date of publication, March 19, 2024, but are subject to change.

This eye cream is from a smaller brand, but has everything you need to really make a difference when it comes to the way your eyes look. It contains a “powerful” blend of caffeine to boost circulation, collagen production and antioxidant protection. It contains three types of natural caffeine to get you going in the early morning, eliminating puffiness, puffy eyes and dull under-eye areas.

Grab the 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream at Amazon for $29! Please note: Prices are correct at date of publication, March 19, 2024, but are subject to change.

It also contains natural anti-aging elements, of course with rosehip oil, vitamin E, vitamin C, aloe and rose hydrosol to reduce the visual effects of aging. It’s also great to moisturize the lower eyelids with vanilla and soothing herbs to help you look even more awake.

Grab the 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream at Amazon for $29! Please note: Prices are correct at date of publication, March 19, 2024, but are subject to change.

Take Kate at her word and see if this eye cream can deliver results – she uses hers every day to get ready, so it could definitely be worth a try, right?

Not what you’re looking for? View more 100% pure products hereand don’t forget to check out Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!

Shop with us tip: Find the best gifts on Amazon, personalized based on your shopping history here!

By Rebecca Davison for MailOnline

Published: 6:00 AM EDT, March 20, 2024 | Updated: 6:01 AM EDT, March 20, 2024

The Princess of Wales may have made a subtle hint she will be ready to return to work soon after donning a shirt from England Rugby team –  one of her patronages –  during a trip to a farm shop with Prince William.

Kate Middleton, 42, opted for black leggings, £128 Adidas Ultra Boost 20 Sneakers and an England Rugby Icon Hoodie Mens in Black & Orange for the shopping trip to the Windsor Farm Shop on Saturday lunchtime.

The snap was taken ahead of England’s game against on France in the Six Nations later that evening, perhaps suggesting Kate was picking up food to watch the match with her family. 

Kate has been patron of the Rugby Football League and the Rugby Football Union since 2022, and often cheers on the England team.

She has missed the whole Six Nations tournament due to her recovery at home, but is perhaps showing a sign of support from home. 

Kate took over the roles from her brother-in-law Prince Harry who used to enjoy cheering on England before he was forced to give up the patronage as part of the Megxit agreement. 

Kate, who grew up watching rugby with her family, is known as one of the sportiest members of the Royal Family and has gamely taken on her husband in everything from dragon boating to wind buggy racing at royal engagements.

‘[The Duke and Duchess] are famously competitive with each other and this will be no different – probably even more so now that they have an invested interest in the outcome of the game,’ a source said when Kate’s patronage was announced. 

It’s the first footage of the royal since her abdominal surgery in January, which also puts to bed concerns about her health and discredits bizarre and baseless conspiracy theories being spread about her online. 

The mother-of-three is said to be believed to royal duty after Easter, when her children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, go back to school.

She is also royal patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and is a frequent visitor to the Wimbledon Championships.

Less well known is her love of rugby.  Her sister, Pippa, wrote in Vanity Fair magazine in 2014: ‘Rugby was a big thing for our family, we’d plan our weekends around the big matches.’

A clip published by The Sun, also shows the royals carrying their own shopping.

Body language expert Judi James has told MailOnline that Kate was exuding body confidence and showed no ‘frailty’ – in an appearance that was deliberately ‘reassuring fans and quashing all the toxic rumours’ swirling around her.

She said: ‘Kate walks ahead of William, taking large enough strides to suggest no hint of any ongoing frailty. While William keeps his face partially hidden under his cap and his head lowered, Kate’s body language here suggests a desire to be seen.

‘This is quite extraordinary body language behaviour for a leading royal out “incognito” in public and it suggests a point is, quite naturally, being made in terms of reassuring fans and quashing all the toxic rumours.

‘Her head is up and her long hair is billowing while she wears a cheek-rounded smile that seems to signal she is completely upbeat and cheerful’.

Judi added: ‘It is completely stunning to see the most sought-after woman in the world and the subject of speculation and rumours on social media suddenly appearing like this looking not just healthy, full of energy and incredibly happy but also making no apparent attempt to hide while out in public’.

Kensington Palace has not commented on the film where Kate strides from the Windsor Farm Shop – much loved by the couple and set up by William’s late grandfather Prince Philip – while carrying a substantial shopping bag on Saturday afternoon.

The couple had gone there for supplies having reportedly spent the morning watching their three children – George, 10, Charlotte, eight, and Louis, five, play sport.

Kate and William were not accompanied by their three children. The couple have, in recent weeks, been left deeply distressed by wild social media speculation and gossip about Kate’s health and whereabouts.

This has since been reported by publications ranging from the New York Times to British Vogue – and even become the subject of cruel mockery on prime time American television.

Global superstars such as Kim Kardashian have added fuel to the fire with posts about Kate’s ‘disappearance’ to their millions of fans.

The debacle over the princess’ well-meaning Mother’s Day photograph, which she later admitted to having tried to edit, only added to the swirl of speculation.

This was preceded by William’s sudden announcement he was pulling out of his godfather’s memorial service last month on what was only described as a ‘personal matter’ just 45 minutes before he had been due to give a reading.

Against the backdrop of the King’s cancer diagnosis, the drama has created a febrile atmosphere of gossip and conjecture around the Royal Family.

Sources close to the Wales’ have told the Mail they have found the speculation hugely hurtful and hard to deal with, but were determined to focus on what was important to them – their family and the princess’ recovery.

It comes amid reports that Kensington Palace is working with PR gurus to devise a Kate’s schedule when she returns to work.

Her new private secretary Lt Col Tom White and Williams private secretary Ian Patrick are believed to be part of a senior team working around the clock after outlandish rumours swirled around her absence from the public eye, The Mirror reports.

A source told the publication: ‘The teams are working round the clock to devise the Princess of Wales’s back-to-work plan after weeks of immense pressure. They all know that the world will be watching after weeks of heightened speculation and often outlandish commentary on social media.’ 

It is anticipated that the new image, showing the couple going about their normal lives, will go some way to calming many of the wilder rumours that have gripped people across the globe.

The snap was taken at 12.43pm on Saturday by a member of the public who was also at the farm shop, just a mile’s drive from the Wales’ Adelaide Cottage home, on their Apple iPhone 12 Pro phone.

The person concerned said they were visiting the shop to ‘kill time’ while on the way to meet someone to buy an item from Facebook when they recognised William and Kate and were struck by how ‘happy’ they looked.

They spotted the couple again in the car park and decided to capture the moment to share with their own delighted family.

‘When I went inside I looked around and noticed them. They all looked happy,’ the person, who wishes to remain anonymous, said.

‘To be honest I don’t follow this type of news but I shared [it] with my family – they were like ‘oh, she’s alive!’ ‘

He told TMZ: ‘I noticed a couple choosing loaves of bread and the woman turned her face and I felt like I had seen the face before. It was familiar.

‘I went to my car and as they came out of the shop I just filmed them. I think they walked out through a gate out of the grounds. They just vanished and I didn’t see a car.

‘Kate looked happy and relaxed. They look happy just to be able to go to a shop and mingle.

‘Kate looked relieved, like it was a success going to a shop. It felt natural.’

The prince and princess are both dressed casually, each carrying a white shopping bag in their left hand.

Kate sports black leggings, tucked into socks and trainers, with a zip-up top and is wearing her hair loose.

William is wearing blue jeans, trainers and a jacket with a baseball cap pulled low down over his forehead.

As they chat, the pair – who will celebrate 13 years of marriage in April – couldn’t look happier.

And the fact that the princess seems to be walking with such ease suggests that she is very much on the mend.

On January 17 Kensington Palace announced that Kate had been admitted to The London Clinic in Marylebone, Central London, the previous day for ‘planned abdominal surgery’.

It said the operation had been successful but would result in a two-week stay in hospital before a period of lengthy recuperation at home.

Her spokesman added that, based on the current medical advice, she was unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.

That advice has not changed.

A spokesman stated that it was the Princess’ personal wish to keep her medical information private and said it would only provide an update if there were ‘significant new information to share’.

However their clear statement failed to stop social media and overseas publications, websites and television from speculating wildly about the Princess’ whereabouts and what may have happened to her. The hashtag #whereiskate began trending.

Even the BBC website tackled the issue, highlighting the outlandish speculation under the title: ‘Royal dilemma as public curiosity over Kate’s health grows.’

Some of it has been farcical, including the much-repeated rumour that she is recuperating from a ‘Brazilian bum lift’ or hiding away after a bad haircut.

Other claims, however, have been downright offensive – including that made by a journalist on Spanish television that she has been in a coma that gained huge international traction and had to be openly denied by Kensington Palace.

However trolls and conspiracy theorists have continued used her absence and the lawlessness of social media to spread deeply sinister and highly libellous claims to this day.

A spokesman recently re-iterated their previous advice that they were not going to provide a ‘running commentary’ on the Princess’ health.

‘From our perspective, we were very clear from our statement at the start of this in January that the Princess of Wales planned to be out of public action until after Easter and that hasn’t changed,’ they said.

They’re bullet trains, but not quite in bullet mode.

Rather than shooting along at speeds of up to 200mph (320kph), these glossy marvels of engineering are trundling in and out of Tokyo Station.

I’m watching this scene from my room at Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo At Marunouchi, both a boutique sanctuary and a trainspotter’s fantasy fulfilled.

My room, a Deluxe King, overlooks the eastern side of the station, which sees more than 4,000 arrivals and departures each day. As well as a commuter hub, it’s Tokyo’s main Shinkansen (bullet train) terminal, serviced by the majority of the eight major high-speed lines, including the ever-popular Tokaido line, on which bullet trains rocket past Mount Fuji towards Osaka and Kyoto at up to 177mph/285kph.

A Four Seasons representative can greet you from your train, ushering you from the platform to the hotel in under five minutes via an underground passageway.

The intimate 57-room hotel, which has been welcoming guests for two decades, occupies the lower seven floors of the glass-walled Pacific Century Place tower in the Marunouchi district in dazzling downtown Tokyo.

While east-facing hotel rooms offer ample opportunity for train-track-gazing, the prize for the best view goes to Maison Marunouchi, the Michelin-recommended restaurant on the seventh floor, where a corner table looks directly onto the Shinkansen platforms.

During dinner, I watch as Shinkansen passengers swarm into carriages, marshalled by white-gloved conductors.

The trains themselves line up like bullets in a belt of ammunition, ready to set off right on time – Shinkansen are rarely delayed.

My waiter tells us the view is especially popular with children, with staff occasionally having to clean mini fingerprints off the windows.

Taking note of their fascination, the hotel created a package that gives children the chance to dress up as a conductor and play with a Takara Tomy Plarail toy train set as they watch the trains go by.

But this trackside vantage point isn’t the only ace in the hotel’s hand.

It has cut through the high-stakes culinary competition in Tokyo and become a big player in the city’s gastronomy scene with its two-Michelin-starred restaurant Sézanne, where British chef Daniel Calvert masterminds classically-derived French fare.

Calvert also oversees the menu in the more casual Maison Marunouchi, a Parisian-style bistro with teal leather booths and Art Deco room dividers.

There I have Japanese ‘kegani’ crab meat in a brioche bun, steeped in a moreish fish broth (3,800JPYyen/£20/$25), followed by buttery monkfish from Japan’s Hokkaido region (6,300JPY/£33/$42) and a delicate strawberry mille-feuille (3,000JPY/£16/$20).

I sample another slice of Calvert’s wares at breakfast the following morning with a serving of avocado on Sézanne’s light yet crunchy sourdough bread (3,000JPY/£16/$20).

The Surrey-born chef’s deft touch is also seen in the savoury section of the afternoon tea menu (7,600JPY/£40/$51), while jewel-like desserts such as a ruby-red strawberry tart are crafted by Executive Pastry Chef Patrick Thibaud.

Afternoon tea is served in the seventh-floor Bar and Champagne Lounge, a space filled with elegantly dressed Tokyoites, asymmetrical sofas and a colourful stacked-ball sculpture by British artist Annie Morris.

Along with Maison Marunouchi and Sézanne, it’s been dreamt up by Hong Kong interior designer André Fu, who says he wished to cultivate ‘a sense of escape from the city’ for diners.

Toronto-based firm Yabu Pushelberg designed the rest of the hotel, with lustrous black-walled hallways leading to spacious guest rooms.

Simple in design, my room has mint carpet underfoot and a sweeping headboard, with slate grey pyjamas left thoughtfully during the turndown service.

Panoramic windows are the star attraction, with triple-glazed glass reducing the lull of train traffic to a faint rumble.

The understated luxury continues in the bathroom, with a deep limestone-edged bathtub and Epsom salts to sprinkle in it, along with Diptyque toiletries and thick bathrobes.

The hotel sets out to be a peaceful haven away from Tokyo’s high-energy streets, and you feel this sense of calm the most in the spa, a bijou space with an ‘onsen’ hot spring bath and steam room.

There I try a ‘Dermadrop’ facial (23,908JPY/£127/$160), during which a wand gently sprays ‘supercharged ingredients’ onto the skin.

After the treatment, my skin rosy with the promise of boosted moisture levels and elasticity, I’m invited to relax with a steaming cup of ginger and lemon tea and crepe-wrapped ‘wasanbon’ sugar sweets, a Japanese delicacy.

My whole stay is underpinned by service that’s ultra attentive but never overbearing, which Four Seasons says is based on Japanese ‘omotenashi’ – a centuries-old culture of wholeheartedly looking after guests. 

One staff member shares advice for sightseeing in the nearby Ginza neighbourhood, kindly pointing me in the direction of the Kengo Kuma-designed Kabukiza Theatre and the stellar seafood and crockery stalls of the Tsukiji Outer Market.

Meanwhile, those who are too relaxed to leave the hotel can sightsee from the comfort of bed, watching as one of Japan’s most iconic sights – the Shinkansen bullet trains – parade below the window.

If you’re using Tokyo as a jumping-off point for exploring the rest of Japan by rail, this is just the spot for a luxurious night’s stay before you catch a bullet train to your next destination – with superior gastronomy, spa facilities and service making the ride all the more memorable.

A KNOWN tipster has leaked what is reportedly a roadmap for Apple’s planned products going forward.

The document is said to come from a financing company called Samsung Securities.

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A well-known tipster known as @Tech_Reve leaked the document on X.

They posted an image of the plan that runs from 2023 to 2027.

“Apple’s next product roadmap. Source: Samsung Effects,” the Tipster wrote.

Looking ahead to 2027, the roadmap suggests that Apple plans to make augmented reality glasses and a foldable iPad by that date.

An additional detail is that the rumored iPad will be 20 inches.

Let’s take a step back: 2026 would be the year we see a foldable iPhone.

It is suggested that the foldable iPhone will be available in 6-inch and 8-inch variants.

Apple’s rivals like Samsung already make foldable devices, but a foldable iPhone has yet to be announced.

An OLED iPad Air and Mini are also on the list.

Additionally, an Extended Reality MacBook is reportedly in the works for 2026.

Extended reality includes augmented, virtual and mixed reality.

It could mean that the rumored MacBook will offer virtual reality experiences.

In 2025, the roadmap states that an iPhone SE4 is in the works with a triple 48 MP camera.

There is also a 2023 section with confirmed gadgets released.

The 2024 section lists the Vision Pro and an OLED iPad.

We’ve reached out to Apple for comment on the roadmap.