Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
The long-established Otani new 'Shin-Edo'-style rooms, though only 26 sq metres, pack in plenty of style and amenities, including cypress-wood bathtubs…
Must-see hotels in Tokyo
Tokyo
Representing a return to the classics, the Tokyo Station Hotel has brushed up handsomely as part of the heritage building's restoration. Rooms are…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
This capsule-hotel brand makes a statement with its cool contemporary architecture and clean design. This eight-floor branch features a kind of atrium on…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This old standby lacks the designer charm of Tokyo's newer hostels but makes up for it with its multilingual, four-star-hotel-level front-desk service…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
Henn na Hotel's USP is that it uses (in this branch's case) humanoid-looking robots at the reception for check-in (don't panic, there are real humans just…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Hotel Mets is part of Shibuya Station’s quiet south side, with direct access to the JR lines; the location can be confusing at first, but once you get the…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
Prince Hotel's luxury flagship property occupies floors 30 to 36 of the main tower at the Tokyo Garden Terracw Kioichō mixed-use development. Designers…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Fukudaya offers the ryokan experience, with futon bedding on tatami (woven reed mats); some rooms have private bathrooms (single/double from ¥9000/12,000)…
Ueno & Yanesen
Falling somewhere between a boutique hotel and a hostel, this place has a hip, modern vibe with a spacious lounge, a kitchen, a roof terrace – even a yoga…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
A traditional Japanese design with a contemporary spin in the public areas and the reasonably spacious hotel rooms put Niwa well ahead of the usual bland…
Ueno & Yanesen
Although it's a little out of the way in a residential neighbourhood, this beautifully crafted wooden ryokan is an old-world oasis in the middle of Tokyo…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This large outpost of the rather generic Japanese hotel chain Sunroute offers a winning combination of price and location. The comfortably modern rooms…
Tokyo
One almost gets a feeling of guilty extravagance when sprawling out in the Peninsula’s vast rooms (starting at 51 sq metres). Latticed caramel woodwork,…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Kimi Ryokan has been a traveller favourite for decades and it's easy to see why: the tatami rooms and shared bathrooms (including a Japanese cypress bath…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Reasonably priced and with more personality than the average business hotel, the Granbell is a popular pick. There's a big variety of rooms, with…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This is really an ordinary business hotel masquerading as a boutique one, but the stylish lobby, local info and helpful English-speaking front-desk staff…
Asakusa & Sumida River
Right at the heart of Asakusa, this spotless and atmospheric ryokan has mainly Japanese-style rooms with shōji (sliding rice-paper screen) doors and…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
This stylish, upscale hostel is pricier than average but has more amenities and services, like fresh towels every day and sheets changed every other day…
Ginza & Tsukiji
This hotel's present building is the successor to Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1923 masterpiece, and small tributes to the architect's style can be found in the…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This long-running independent hotel, located among the restaurants and bars of Nishi-Shinjuku (a five-minute walk from Shinjuku Station), offers great…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
Neighbours with Japan's National Diet as well as the PM's residence and office, this tastefully luxurious hotel exudes power and prestige. It sports sleek…
Tokyo
When JR discontinued its overnight sleeper service the Hokutosei, it had the ingenious idea of reusing the sleeping bunks from the carriages to create…
Agnes Hotel & Apartments Tokyo
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
Tucked away on a side street in atmospheric Kagurazaka, Agnes feels like a secluded retreat (even though it's only a few minutes' walk to the train…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This is the only upmarket accommodation in Shinjuku that seems to assume its guests will actually be getting around by public transport – it's just steps…
Shibuya Stream Excel Hotel Tokyu
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Tokyu's new property in the Shibuya Stream complex is going for a boutique vibe with earthy textiles and mid-century furnishings, but honestly it could be…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
This hotel is part of Shibuya Station's 'Mark City' complex with direct access to Shibuya train station, a not negligible convenience factor. Rooms are…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
9 Hours calls its capsules 'pods' which fits with the space-station sleek design, hushed vibe and views of the Shinjuku skyline (just one train stop away)…
Harajuku & Aoyama
In a district with few sleeping options, Tokyu Stay is a good one, offering compact, newly renovated rooms with a combo washer-dryer and a microwave, very…
Ueno & Yanesen
The decor of this hotel, overlooking Ueno-kōen's Shinobazu-ike, is brassy, bordering on love-hotel territory. But there's no arguing with the queen-sized…
Ginza & Tsukiji
With a giant red snapper painted on the side of the building you can't miss this place in Tsukiji's outer-market area. It's a combination of business…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
The Ritz-Carlton's lobby – with giant paintings by Sam Francis and views clear to the Imperial Palace – is on the 45th floor, and capacious rooms go up…
Tokyo
Taking its name from the traditional sunken hearth that's used for heating and cooking (there's one in the hostel's cafe-bar lobby), Irori occupies an old…
Dormy Inn Premium Shibuya Jingūmae
Harajuku & Aoyama
Dormy is a popular chain of business hotels that offers some perks that others don't, like a traditional-style communal bath and sauna (in addition to in…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
A 15-minute walk north of Shinjuku Station (five minutes from Shin-Ōkubo Station), Sekitei is a traditional inn with clean and comfortable tatami rooms…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
This art deco gem from the 1930s exudes personality and charm, with antique wooden furniture and a wood-panelled lounge. Mishima Yukio wrote his last few…
Asakusa & Sumida River
With a dash more style than business hotels, the Gate offers pleasant rooms decorated in monotone, a splash of colour added by the wall art. Bathrooms are…
Asakusa & Sumida River
One of Tokyo's largest hostels (with 162 beds), Sakura is rather utilitarian but does have compensating factors: super-friendly English-speaking staff and…
Tokyo
There's a lot to love about Kōenji hotel BnA: it's in a fun neighbourhood, just a minute's walk from the train station; the rooms are decorated by local…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
This is the contemporary-designed capsule-hotel group's first exclusively female dormitory. Extra fluffy towels, make-up remover and skin lotion are…
Tokyo
There's no pretence of style at this bare-bones hostel run by local activist group Shirōto no Ran (Amateurs' Riot) – just two dorms (one mixed and one…
