In the vast, modern megalopolis of Tokyo, with its skyscraper-strewn cityscape stretching to the horizon, it can feel like a challenge to find pockets of traditional Japanese hospitality and culture.
But that’s precisely why a stay at Hoshinoya Tokyo is so special. The hotel combines the elegant aesthetics of a cool luxury hotel with the classic service and sophistication of a classic Japanese ryokan or inn.
Each guest floor has just six accommodations surrounding an ochanoma, or central lounge, where travelers are invited to relax, have tea, coffee and snacks and peruse books on art, nature and travel … between visits to the open-air rooftop onsen (bathing facility), which is fed by mineral-rich waters pumped from 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) underground.
Even the hotel’s futuristic hallmarks, like its ornate metal-lattice facade and the sculptural stone elements in its subterranean restaurant, are nods to Japanese crafts and history – traditional kimono designs in the case of the former, and the foundational structure of Edo Castle in the latter.
During their stay, visitors can also enjoy activities ranging from nightly sake tastings and classical gagaku performances to incense appreciation sessions and complex tea ceremonies. This makes the delight feel like a high-level synthesis of a great excursion into Japan’s deep cultural heritage. So even a short trip to Tokyo is a rewarding experience.
Here’s what you want to know about your stay at Hoshinoya Tokyo, one of the Japanese capital’s most charming luxury hotels.
Hoshinoya Tokyo is located in Chiyoda, near the Imperial Palace. The community is filled with towering towers of work and busy businessmen going about their lives. But beneath this hive of activity are arcades filled with cafes, restaurants and shops, as well as the Otemachi. station, which is the junction of several metro lines.
Those arriving or departing from Haneda Airport (HND) can arrive or return from the hotel by taxi or shared shuttle for between $55 and $80. It takes between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on traffic. Simply taking the subway can take about an hour and requires a line change, but it costs 550 Japanese yen ($3. 70).
If your flight has you transiting Narita International Airport (NRT), expect a drive of one-two hours costing up to $200 in a taxi or ride-hailing service. The Narita Express train to Tokyo Station costs 3,700 yen per person ($24.70) each way, though round-trip options can be cheaper, and you can hop the subway to Otemachi station from there.
If you want to go to Tokyo Station to take the Shinkansen (bullet train) to other destinations in the country, you only need a shortcut on the Marunouchi subway line (180 yen, or about $1. 20), or about 10 minutes, $10 by taxi. or through the car.
Hoshinoya Tokyo has 84 rooms and suites, spread over 14 floors, with six sets each.
There are 3 categories of accommodation: the Yuri (king) and Sakura (twin) rooms for two people, which range in length from 441 to 527 feet, and the spacious Kiku rooms which measure almost 900 feet and can accommodate up to 3 people.
Rates start at approximately $400 per user per night for Yuri rooms, $550 per user per night for Sakura rooms, and $795 per user per night for Kiku rooms, meals are not included. Packages that come with breakfast and dinner charge around $500 per user per night.
The most productive way to make an electronic reservation is directly with the hotel or through an advisor who can possibly get additional benefits such as upgrades or an included activity, meal, or spa service. Unfortunately, the hotel is not part of American Express Fine Hotels. Resorts, the Chase Luxury Hotel
As a performance of Noh theater, each and every facet of a stay at Hoshinoya Tokyo feels carefully choreographed and symbolically meaningful. . . but in a way that remains subtle rather than overwhelming.
The building’s metal-clad façade features intricate patterns reminiscent of the style of a kimono from the Edo period. Guests are greeted through the street-level front and asked to remove their shoes, as they would in a Japanese home, in order to put them away. in a traditional bamboo locker until your next city break.
No, you can’t hear anything: when they reach a floor, the elevators make percussive sounds reminiscent of hiyoshigi wooden doors being slammed to signal the beginning of a kabuki play. The experiment has begun.
Check-in formalities are completed quickly in the third-floor reception area, where you might also spot items for sale, such as branded notebooks, cards and water bottles along with bespoke sake cups and tea sets (so save some room for souvenirs in your luggage).
Then, you’ll be taken directly to your terrain for a brief orientation. Each point has a communal living room enlivened through the public spaces of rural Japanese ryokans and where you can socialize with other visitors (an equivalent mix of foreign and Japanese visitors) during loose drinks and snacks that replenish the day.
Explore the hotel’s cultural and wellness offerings to e-books like a personal tea ritual or a miniature lawn design class. But leave time in the evening or early morning to head to the hotel’s onsen, or bathhouse, for a mineral-rich bath in its steaming waters.
In keeping with the ryokan theme, guests are given woodblock keys that allow them to take the elevators just to their floor as well as the top-floor spa. The idea is that you will make your floor your home away from home and not only luxuriate in your room, but also spend time in the ochanoma with other guests just from your own floor. To that end, you can even leave your room unlocked while you’re spending time in the lounge.
My Kiku room was located at the end of the tatami covered hallway and measured an impressive (especially by Tokyo standards) 894 square feet.
An entire wall made up of shoji sliding panels that can be opened to view the surrounding skyscrapers or left closed to create the cocoon-like feel of a ryokan in the field. As the sun rose in the afternoon, the building’s external lace hardware created whimsical patterns on the screens that added to the magic of the environment.
The main part of the room consisted of a small lounge area with a low daybed lined by plumped pillows and facing a glassy pillar with an embedded television (that I never ended up watching).
There is also a dining room with a table for 4 people and a minibar with loose beer, juices, water that can be easily refilled in the ochanoma, a kettle with hot water and a tea set.
For business travelers like me, there was a stone-topped desk with a chair and lamp, but the main focal point was the dais with a low-profile bed, fitted with a cloud-like duvet and fluffy pillows that practically invited you to sink into them for a leisurely nap.
On either side of the bed, the nightstands were provided with power ports and switches for the lights.
The long and narrow wardrobe offered enough space for luggage, as well as numerous hangers and drawers. The hotel provided new pajamas to wear in the room and in the ochanoma, as well as underpants, kimonos and sandals to wear in public areas. adding onsen and for meals at Nippon Cuisine.
At the other end of the room from the bed, the bathroom is almost an enclave unto itself. Black stone floors and gray limestone walls create a relaxing atmosphere. The main doleading contained a powder room with two square basin-style sinks illuminated through globe-shaped lights. finished and filled with a variety of traditional Lily skin products, adding a cleansing gel, refreshing serum, toner and moisturizer.
On one side is a bathroom with automated Toto toilet and its own small sink.
On the other side, the room’s signature space, a glass-enclosed spa suite featuring a shower fitted with a classic low stool and wooden bucket, as well as a huge cube-shaped bathtub. ‘ofuro.
It was the best position to start the day before having an early breakfast or taking a hot bath after a day in the city.
In line with the hotel’s ryokan-style roots, the dining experience at Hoshinoya Tokyo is quite distinct from what you might expect at a typical luxury hotel. You won’t find a passel of lively bars and restaurants where guests and outsiders come to mingle, though you might socialize with fellow guests in your floor’s private lounge, or have a conversation over sips at the sake tastings that take place nightly from 5-6 p.m. adjacent to reception.
Gastronomic relationships here are much more closed, with an aura of exclusivity and even solitude, especially if you’re traveling alone. Meals are served at your accommodation or, in the case of snack and dinner, in personal and semi-personal mode. dining rooms at the hotel’s formal restaurant, Nippon Cuisine.
Guests can reserve a Japanese or Western breakfast ($33 per person) delivered to their room at a set time each morning, served in a bountiful bento box-like presentation. The Western option includes various pastries with butter and jam, fresh fruit like strawberries and citrus, yogurt, steamed and pickled vegetables and a main of eggs cooked to order with a side of sausage, plus a choice of juice and tea or coffee.
The Japanese breakfast is even more alluring with nearly a dozen dishes to sample ranging from a tender filet of fish like miso-glazed black cod with lotus root, to beef with rice, fresh black seaweed, tender pickled sea bream, meaty braised octopus, pickled plum and radishes, seasonal fruits and a bowl of miso soup.
Open for specialty afternoon tea service from January to June, Nippon Cuisine is underfloor with décor that speaks to its exclusive location, adding walls that resemble the stone strata of Tokyo’s bedrock, wall-like elements founded on the foundations of Edo Castle, and sculptural arrangements of rocks mark the area. There are several tables in a semi-personal area with transparent fan-shaped dividers between tables, as well as several personal dining regions for larger groups.
It’s also the setting for sumptuous dinners of more than a dozen dishes served at a leisurely pace ($186 per person). Executive Chef Ryosuke Oka reinterprets ancient Japanese dishes with rigorous French techniques that employ the most modern produce and proteins from around the world. the country.
Your meal might start with an amuse of Japanese caviar with smoked egg yolk and unagi over a soba galette paired with light-bodied Kokuryu Kijoshu sake followed by a delicate bite of slow-cooked squid over earthy cauliflower and a tangy Shizoka cheese tartlet with black truffle.
Some dishes are enlivened through classic Japanese cuisine, with the addition of a fish appetizer enjoyed by fishermen in Oita, Kyushu, but here consisting of flounder and mackerel marinated in sake and soy sauce with radishes and escarole hidden under sesame filigree.
You’ll find yourself enjoying a delicious lobster from Mie Prefecture, miso-braised with onion and mustard seeds and topped with charcoal-grilled crab in a creamy cheese relief on traditional carrot spaghetti, much like a Japanese lobster thermidor. Continue to enjoy bites of mejina similar to lingcod. then a hearty rice-based ayamase (like paella) with thick bacon and celeriac before finishing with succulent cuts of wagyu over charcoal with candied oysters and mashed potatoes.
For dessert, there could be fluffy ganzuki bread pudding with dried fruits, nuts and chocolate topped with a whiskey sauce and light-as-air dorayaki pancakes made a la minute.
Make an entire night of it by opting for the wine pairing ($80) so you can enjoy dishes like Greek assyrtiko, German sylvaner, and French spatburgunder and Médoc, among other libations. The foreign variety of vintages is impressive and well worth the detour.
What sets Hoshinoya Tokyo apart from other luxury hotels in the city is the quintessential Japanese sense of hospitality that permeates almost each and every experience at the hotel. Sure, there may not be a fully equipped gym or all-day cafeteria to accommodate colleagues. , but it’s a small amount to pay for the ordinary (and of the highest quality) cultural activities offered by the hotel.
Upon arrival, as you head out of the busy city streets into the welcoming arrival corridor, lined with bamboo and cedar, you’ll be transported to a nostalgic hotel where everyone you meet will greet you by phone and grab a cup of your favorite tea or sweet treat. you.
Guests can spend evenings in the reception lounge learning about sakes produced around the country, then return after dinner for a virtuoso gagaku recital. Those who wish to delve deeper into Japan’s culture and capital can book signature experiences like a private tea ceremony ($64 per person) where you learn the minute details of preparation and presentation; or a (complimentary) dawn kenjutsu (Japanese sword fighting) lesson on a nearby rooftop, surrounded by Tokyo’s skyscrapers.
The hotel’s signature amenity, however, is its top-floor spa and onsen. There are separate men’s and women’s bathing areas where guests can disrobe in simple but fully equipped locker rooms with baskets for storing belongings.
After a thorough wash in the shower area, stocked with stools and buckets for thorough ablution, slowly immerse yourself in the steaming waters of the black stone-clad onsen, which is pumped in from about a mile underground. Walk through the cotton curtains to the outdoor section, where you can appreciate the open sky as wisps of steam envelop your body.
The onsen is open daily from 3 p.m. to 11:30 a.m. with a closure at midday to drain and refill the water. That’s when I was able to drop by for photos, which are otherwise prohibited.
Stop for a glass of fortifying milk in the living room while you wait for your spa therapist to check in, then indulge in a signature remedy like the gentle Wakatake full-body massage performed with soothing wheat germ oil to ease tension in your sign. to Fuertes ($137 to $186 for 60 to 90 minutes).
Hoshinoya Tokyo is surrounded by a financial district, but it’s just a short stroll to the Imperial Palace and its grounds. You can take a 10-minute taxi or ride-hailing service to Ginza for some upscale shopping, or simply hop the subway for a 20-to-30-minute ride to either Shinjuku or Shibuya for a memorable night out.
The historic district of Aaskausa is just a 10-minute subway ride away, and a combination of 30 minutes by public transportation and walking will take you to bustling Ueno Park and the Tokyo National Museum.
Although there are steps in the hotel’s street-level entrance, guests with accessibility needs can access Hoshinoya Tokyo from its parking garage or the subway station via elevator. The public areas and guest elevators are likewise wheelchair-friendly (including reachable buttons for the guest room floors).
The hotel has two wheelchair-accessible rooms with automatic sliding doors and buttons to pick the locks. Its bathrooms and sinks have bars and an additional area to accommodate wheelchairs. The lobby also has a unisex bathroom available.
Although the onsen conversion room and one of the showers are wheelchair accessible, you will have to use stairs and a grab bar to get into the water since there is no chairlift.
While some of Tokyo’s other luxury hotels look like pre-made clones, where you can be anywhere from Chicago to Shanghai, Hoshinoya Tokyo is a welcome nod that places Japanese arts, culture, and amenities at the center of the experience.
For visitors in need of an original yet incredibly exclusive stay in Japan’s ultra-modern capital, Hoshinoya Tokyo offers the perfect balance of classic hospitality and fresh amenities. It’s a wonderful starting point for a deeper exploration of the country, or a wonderful opportunity to get a feel for Japanese culture, even in brief stays in Tokyo.
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