Tokyo and its twenty-three hotels
Luxury hotels in Tokyo
23 hotels
Tokyo is a city of districts rather than a center, from the Imperial Palace moat to the bay. Those districts are the banks and the station towers of Marunouchi and Otemachi against the moat, the merchant streets of Nihonbashi, the shopfronts of Ginza and the park at Hibiya, the tower districts of Roppongi, Toranomon and Akasaka with Tokyo Tower among them, and the garden estate of Takanawa above Shinagawa on the way to the bay. Twenty-three hotels, chosen on merit: ten that hold five-star standing and thirteen four-star addresses listed at exactly the tier they hold.
Marunouchi to Nihonbashi
The palace side of Tokyo Station, from the Imperial Palace moat to Nihonbashi, with six of the twenty-three hotels. Here are the moat and the East Gardens, the red-brick station and the Marunouchi towers, Otemachi's banks, and the old merchant quarter of Nihonbashi with its bridge and its department stores.
The neighborhoods
Marunouchi to Nihonbashi
The palace side of Tokyo Station, from the Imperial Palace moat to Nihonbashi, with six of the twenty-three hotels. Here are the moat and the East Gardens, the red-brick station and the Marunouchi towers, Otemachi's banks, and the old merchant quarter of Nihonbashi with its bridge and its department stores.
Ginza, Yaesu, Hibiya & Shiodome
Ginza's shopfronts and Hibiya Park, out to the towers of Shiodome, with four of the twenty-three hotels. Here are Ginza's avenues and the Kabuki-za, Yaesu on the station's east side with Tokyo Midtown Yaesu, Hibiya Park and the theaters of Yurakucho, and the towers of Shiodome above the Hamarikyu gardens and the bay.
Roppongi, Toranomon & Akasaka
The tower districts, from Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown to Tokyo Tower, with ten of the twenty-three hotels. Around them are the museums of the art triangle, Toranomon Hills, Shiba Park below the tower, Hie Shrine and Nagatacho, and the garden hotels of Akasaka and Kioicho.
Takanawa & Shinagawa
The garden estate on the hill above Shinagawa Station, with two of the twenty-three hotels. Here are the Takanawa Prince grounds with their Japanese garden and the temple of Sengakuji nearby, and below them the Shinkansen and the trains to Haneda.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels in Tokyo?
Ten. The five-star hotels we list in Tokyo are Palace Hotel Tokyo, on the Imperial Palace moat; Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo, above Nihonbashi; The Peninsula Tokyo, facing Hibiya Park; Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo, at the top of Tokyo Midtown Yaesu; The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo, at the top of Midtown Tower in Roppongi; The Okura Tokyo, in Toranomon; The Capitol Hotel Tokyu, beside Hie Shrine; The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho, at Tokyo Garden Terrace; Hotel New Otani Tokyo Executive House Zen, in the New Otani's Garden Tower; and Takanawa Hanakohro, the inn inside the Takanawa garden. Alongside them we keep thirteen four-star addresses that hold four-star standing and are never called five-star: Aman Tokyo, Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi, Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi and Shangri-La Tokyo around the station and the palace; The Okura Heritage Wing Tokyo, Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills, Hotel New Otani Tokyo The Main, Grand Hyatt Tokyo and The Prince Park Tower Tokyo in the tower districts; Imperial Hotel, Tokyo and Conrad Tokyo by Hibiya and Shiodome; The Prince Sakura Tower Tokyo in Takanawa; and Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo in its garden at Mejiro. Each has its own page, reached from the list above, with a concierge behind every stay.
Which part of Tokyo should I stay in?
The twenty-three hotels sit in four districts, with one outside them. Marunouchi to Nihonbashi holds six – the Imperial Palace moat and its gardens, Tokyo Station and the Shinkansen, the towers of Otemachi, the old merchant quarter of Nihonbashi – for the trains and the palace walks. Ginza, Yaesu, Hibiya and Shiodome hold four – the shopfronts of Ginza, Hibiya Park, the theaters of Yurakucho and the bay-side towers of Shiodome. Roppongi, Toranomon and Akasaka hold ten – Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown, the museums of the art triangle, Tokyo Tower and Shiba Park, the shrine and the garden hotels of Akasaka and Kioicho – for the evenings and the galleries. Takanawa and Shinagawa hold two, on the garden estate above Shinagawa Station, for the trains south and the airport at Haneda. Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo stands apart in its own forest garden at Mejiro, north of the center.
When is the best season for Tokyo?
The cherry blossom from late March into early April – along the palace moat at Chidorigafuchi, in Ueno Park and along the Meguro river – is the season the city fills for, and rooms go weeks ahead. Golden Week, from late April into early May, and the year-end holidays close what is left. May is warm and clear before the June rains, the summer is hot and humid with the fireworks on the Sumida, October and November bring the clearest skies and the autumn colors into early December, and the winter is cold, dry and bright, the quietest time in the hotels. The rates shown are mid-season.
How do you get to Tokyo – and do I need a car?
Haneda is the close airport, about thirty minutes from the center by train or car; Narita is about an hour by the Narita Express or the Skyliner. No car is needed – the Yamanote loop, the subway and the taxis reach every district, the Shinkansen leaves from Tokyo Station and Shinagawa, and Marunouchi, Ginza and Hibiya are walked between. Roppongi and Akasaka are ten to fifteen minutes by taxi from the station.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
