Get the full guide

Free taste · 3 of 60 places · Big in Japan

二 · Chapter Two

Where to Stay

The room shapes the trip. From a hidden ryokan in the backstreets to a cliff-top onsen retreat — a few places worth planning a journey around.

Tokyo's Iconic Hotels

The world's flags planted in Tokyo — and the city's own grand houses

名宿

Tokyo has, by most counts, the largest concentration of five-star hotels of any city on earth. The international chains all planted flags here decades ago — usually on the highest floors of the city's most prestigious towers — and the city's own great hotels, several dating from before the second world war, have evolved into something just as remarkable. Many travellers come to Tokyo without realising that the hotel bars and restaurants are themselves part of the city's culture. A drink at the right hotel is a small Tokyo ritual.

🌍The International Luxury
  • Park Hyatt Tokyo map
    Shinjuku — the 52-storey tower in West Shinjuku, made famous by Lost in Translation. The film's interiors are real: same lobby, same library, same New York Bar. Refined, calm, deeply established. Currently undergoing renovation through 2025.
  • The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo map
    Roppongi — occupies the top nine floors (45F–53F) of Tokyo Midtown, the highest hotel in central Tokyo. Vast Mt Fuji views from west-facing rooms. Towers (51F) is arguably the city's most polished destination restaurant.
  • Mandarin Oriental Tokyo map
    Nihonbashi — the lobby starts on the 38th floor, in a building styled after a forest. Famous for one of the world's most decorated hotel restaurants (K'shiki) and a spa with floor-to-ceiling Skyline views.

That was 3 of 60 places in this chapter. The rest are in Big in Japan.

Plan a trip around thisDay by day, only with places from the guides Get the full guide€33 once · all three guides + 3 personal plans · 12 languages

Keep exploring

Tokyo, neighbourhood by neighbourhoodEbisu, Nakameguro, Shimokitazawa… where to stay in one and walk the next.Eating in TokyoCounters, izakaya and the reachable top tables, area by area.After darkCocktail bars, standing bars and the small rooms worth the climb.Records and listening barsWhere to dig, and the rooms built around a sound system.Shopping and what to bring homeFrom the 100-yen shop to Japanese knives and fine stationery.Onsen, tea and matchaHot springs inside the city, tea houses and the matcha trail.Temples, shrines and gardensWhere the city goes quiet, and when to arrive.KyotoThe thousand-year capital: temples, kaiseki, the old streets.OsakaJapan's kitchen: street food, bars and the loud, warm city.Hakone, Fuji and IzuRyokan nights, Fuji at dawn and the Izu coast.What's on in JapanSumo, festivals, marathons, seasons: what falls on your dates.