17 of the best hotels in Tokyo

Times

6 days ago

Tokyo doesn't ask visitors to understand it — it dares them to keep up. No one who's ever spent any time in Japan's sprawling, neon-lit capital will wonder why it was once nicknamed 'the city of 808 villages': one minute, it seems, you're sipping single-origin espresso in Shimokitazawa; the next, sampling exquisite sushi in Golden Gai, or getting lost in the silence of an ancient Shinto shrine, or gazing in awe at the Imperial Palace (while perhaps wondering if it's too soon to eat again). With so much to take in and so many diverse neighbourhoods to explore, choosing the right base is key. It might be that you're drawn to a gleaming, high-tech tower overlooking the financial district; a hip reimagining of a capsule hotel in lively Shibuya; or a family-friendly crash pad in Akihabara, aka Electric Town — where thousands of computer games beep and flash in giant arcades. Whatever your dream bolt hole looks like, you'll find something to suit. This is our pick of Tokyo's best hotels.
This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for ultra-luxe living
This six-floor behemoth in the upper echelons of Tokyo Midtown Yaesu tower gives guests another tempting option near the already in-demand Ginza district. Coursing through the decadent spa (treatment rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows displaying gorgeous city views), intricately lacquered bedrooms and expansive roof terraces is a pleasing marriage of Japanese courtesy and Italian exuberance. Everything is meticulously placed, from the gold and green mosaic tiles of the 40th-floor swimming pool to the Bvlgari bedside lamps. As with anything gem-encrusted, it's not cheap, so expect to splurge for the pleasure.
• Discover our full guide to Japan£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for luxury
The top six floors of the 38-storey Otemachi Tower provide the unlikely home of the Aman Tokyo, found in the city's slick financial district. Decor is inspired by the country's heritage, with stone, washi paper and wood all adding to the understated design. Each of the 84 ryokan-inspired bedrooms is a delight, with low beds and stone bathtubs; while the spa, spanning two floors, has an onsen-style tub to soak in and a 30m pool where you can peer out across the city through floor-to-ceiling windows as you rack up some lengths. Dine at the sushi restaurant where fish is sourced daily from the Tsukiji Market and rolled by the dedicated sushi chef — or pull up a seat at Arva, an Italian-inspired restaurant with a show kitchen. Book ahead for afternoon tea: the pastry chef's creations have become so popular that the hotel has opened a shop in the subway station downstairs.£££ | SPA | Best for foodies
This is a hotel made for foodies, who can dine at the flamboyant eight-seat Tapas Molecular Bar, the upscale Cantonese restaurant Sense, or the French fine-dining option Signature, which has sensational views across Tokyo to match its cuisine. The stylish 179 rooms (including 22 suites) also have similarly dramatic panoramas (binoculars help Fuji look even closer), bespoke MO smellies, and in the slick spa there's a hot tub guests can soak in for a small additional cost. Back on street level, you will find yourself in the Nihonbashi district, one of the more historic neighbourhoods to survive downtown.£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for cityscapes
Views of the biggest city in the world don't come better than those at the Ritz Carlton. By day it's your perch from which to wonder at Mount Fuji, by night a front-row seat for watching a sea of city lights sparkle. Its never-ending rooms are as sleek and contemporary in design as they are vast in space; rich grey fabrics, floor-to-ceiling windows and lavish marble-clad bathrooms. The hot tub and pool feel equally indulgent and you can dine at one of seven restaurants, choosing between sushi, kaiseki, tempura and teppanyaki at Japanese restaurant Hinokizaka.£ | Best for hipsters
If you thought that Shoreditch and Brooklyn were full of hipsters, brace yourself for the mad world of the Harajuku district. For some young Tokyoites, every day is Halloween here — no costume is too wacky, and no style is too strange. Matching this outlandish locale, the Millennials Shibuya offers a new high-tech take on the famous capsule hotel model, with beds that morph from seats to beds in front of their own projector TVs. They also have a (very) happy hour every day, with free beer for all guests.£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for Imperial Palace views
It's hard to beat Palace Hotel Tokyo for location — sitting adjacent to the Imperial Palace and overlooking its gardens, its 1-1-1 Marunouchi address is among the most expensive in Japan. The rooms are remarkably spacious, especially the Premier Suites. Tradition is key here and is what draws its often kimono-clad guests. Afternoon tea is served on lacquerware stands while its Japanese restaurant Wadakura has private rooms with tatami flooring. Esterre, the Michelin-starred collaboration with legendary French chef Alain Ducasse, has handmade washi paper adorning its walls.£ | Best for families
For some, visiting Akihabara will be a trip to the Tokyo of their imagination. Once dubbed Electric Town, today it's the heart of the city's nerd (or otaku) culture, with thousands of computer games on offer in colossal arcades, a dizzying selection of tech shops, manga and anime meccas and (in)famous maid cafés. Leaning into its unsubtle surroundings, the BnA STUDIO is a loud art hotel in the heart of the action. Rooms are designed by local Japanese artists, including one by the wonderfully named collective 81 Bastards.££ | SPA | POOL | Best for restaurant choice
If hotels are supposed to match their surroundings, the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi Hills fulfils the brief admirably. This huge, stylish hotel is cool enough to tempt well-to-do residents from this much-envied postcode to join hotel guests in dining here (there's a choice of ten excellent restaurants). Any first-time visitors to the city will be able to begin their sushi journey at Roku Roku, while Shunbou offers much more elaborate kaiseki menus. For anyone who can't be bothered to leave their room, it's possible to get room service delivered to your balcony.
£ | Best for old meets new
While super-traditional ryokans are rare in Tokyo, modern takes on the historic Japanese inn formula have become more common. Few do this better, or for a more reasonable price, than Andon Ryokan. Instead of hot baths there are hot tubs, and there are plenty of western dishes alongside Japanese options at breakfast. That said, guests can still participate in authentic tea ceremonies, while it's futons rather than four-poster beds in the rooms. Anyone staying here will also be walking distance from the Kappabashi district, renowned for expertly crafted tempered steel kitchen knives.££ | Best for couples
There are many fine hotels close to the Imperial Palace gardens but none quite like Hoshinoya. At once a modern luxury hotel, ryokan and skyscraper, it offers a uniquely Japanese experience in the heart of Tokyo that begins with the impossibly enthusiastic greeting. Incredibly, there's an onsen on the 17th floor, allowing guests to unwind in hot spring water at an improbable altitude. The decor is authentic and practical, with tactile touches tempting you every few yards as you pad around in your yukata and slippers. In the low-lit, wonderfully pared-back basement restaurant you will be served exquisite French-Japanese creations; factor in the whole evening for dining because you will spend plenty of time lingering over each dish before reluctantly compromising the quite extraordinary presentation.££ | SPA | POOL | Best for location
The Conrad may not be the most imaginative hotel in Tokyo but its service is first-rate and it has an enviable location in Ginza. A host of Japanese artists have contributed to works around the property too, while its position — spread over ten floors of a 37-storey skyscraper — afford it superb city views. The five restaurants on site are worth considering but for gourmands, the fact that the property is within walking distance of Michelin-starred restaurants will alone justify the reservation.£ | Best for nightlife
Tokyo has more oddities than most cities, and not just because of its colossal size. It perhaps shouldn't be surprising, then, that one of the most popular experiences is simply crossing a road. Thousands of pedestrians simultaneously cross Shibuya Junction during rush hour and this intense activity has resulted in it being featured in dozens of films. The Shibuya Stream Hotel is remarkably close to this curious attraction, and all of Shibuya's great nightlife. The decor inside is western in style, with exposed brick and polished woodwork to the fore, and the Torrent Bar is ideal for a couple of looseners before heading out into Shibuya's sea of neon in the evening.
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for guests with tattoos
A hotel with a pool is virtually useless in Japan if you have tattoos; while no longer illegal, body art is still frowned upon due to their association with the yakuza (the Japanese mafia), with guests often asked to leave gyms, pools and bath houses. Not so at the Tokyo EDITION, where cocktail maestros in the edgy Gold Bar proudly sport them. Modernity streaks through the rest of the property too, from the indoor jungle that's the lobby to the spacious rooms in muted colours reminiscent of Scandi-chic and Japanese minimalism.£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for early check-in/late check-out
With a dedicated exit from Hibiya Station, the Peninsula Tokyo is all about thoughtful extras. Take the dressing tables for example, where a discreet fan exists solely to dry your nail polish. Need to send something to the laundry? There's a dedicated cubby where you can leave items for your valet and vice versa. Even the smallest rooms resemble suites, with their own seating area and double-sinked bathrooms. But perhaps best of all is Peninsula Time — you can check in from 6am on arrival and enjoy a late check out of 10pm if you book direct.
peninsula.com£££ | Best for your own private world
The geisha districts in Kyoto and Kanazawa may be more famous but Tokyo's Kagurazaka was once renowned too. Opened in 2019, Trunk (House) has been built inside an old Geisha house. The novelty doesn't stop there — it has just a single room and, intriguingly, a miniature nightclub as well. Karaoke is available on request but such is the bijou nature of this unique boutique property that you won't have to worry about a big audience. The decor is a clever blend of traditional Japanese and western, while the cypress-wood bath will feel like a treat for anyone who makes time for it.
trunk-house.com
£ | Best for tradition
While ryokans are more typically associated with Kyoto and rural areas of Japan, Tokyo has managed to retain a few amid its rampant growth over the past 70 years. Few are more popular, or offer a more traditional Japanese experience, than Ryokan Sawanoya. Guests will be expected to leave their shoes at the door and wear yukatas (cotton kimonos) inside. Nights are spent sleeping on futons rolled out on the tatami mat floors, while the staff do their utmost to make sure you're comfortable. Even their website feels traditional, having been designed in the 1990s and stayed almost heroically lo-fi ever since.
sawanoya.com
££ | SPA | Best for peace and quiet
Serene spaces are few and far between in Tokyo's heady metropole, but this blissful blend of neat Japanese design and sleek, modern touches may just mark the start of a new trend. Skirting the edge of the funky Shimokitazawa neighbourhood, Yuen Bettei Daita is a hot spring onsen, ryokan and tea house all rolled into one. Designed in the style of a spacious Japanese house, this stone, wicker and wooden property oozes tranquillity; voices involuntarily drop to near whispers on entry and heart rates plummet in the warm, alkaline-rich waters of its many baths.
uds-hotels.com
• Best things to do in Tokyo• Best things to do in Japan
Additional reporting by Lucy Perrin, Qin Xie and Julie Alpine