Hoshinoya Tokyo provides deep rest and relaxation amid the bustle of the capital. The hotel is billed as Tokyo’s first luxury ryokan (a classic Japanese inn), with an updated take on traditional Japanese design and hospitality. Contemporary touches — such as custom-made mattresses and automated blackout blinds — are always present but never undermine the aesthetic. The emphasis is on modern comforts, calm vibes, and, always, the concept of omotenashi: anticipating and quietly meeting guests’ every need, going above and beyond.
This scrupulous attention to detail comes through in the hotel’s decor as well as the service. Natural materials like pale woodandtatamimats are offset with deep, glossy black and subtle touches of gold. Nothing intrudes on the serene atmosphere — even the sound of the lift arriving at your floor is thought-through, the usual chime replaced with the rounded sound of wooden hyoshigi clappers being struck together, as at the start of a traditional play or festival.
Staying in a ryokancan feel intimidating for first-timers, who might worry about missing some unspoken rule of Japanese etiquette, but the staff do a sterling job of demystifying things. They’ll meet you at the soaring genkan-style entrance, where you remove your shoes. After check-in they’ll show you to your room and explain every detail, including how to wear the complimentary cotton yukata kimono (limited sizes available) if needed — you’re not required to wear it, but many guests find it comfortable, especially for dinner or going to and from the onsen (traditional public bath).
Overall score 9/10
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Rooms and suites
Score 9/10
The 84 rooms are split into spacious twins and even roomier triples. Each floor is accessible only to guests staying in its six rooms, and has its own ochanoma lounge, the shared space enabling each floor to feel like its own private ryokan. Guests can enjoy complimentary snacks such as onigiri (rice balls) and drinks like tea and saké, or borrow a book or traditional children’s toy.
The same warm, uncluttered aesthetic runs through all rooms. The metal lattices outside the windows have an intricate design, reflective of traditional textile patterns known as Edo komon, ensuring privacy from surrounding buildings. The windows can also be covered with translucent shoji (paper screens) and blackout blinds.
The rooms balance traditional design and modern sensibilities, with low beds blending the best of futons and western-style mattresses, and warm-toned lighting including floor lamps that evoke andon paper lanterns. The two wheelchair-accessible twin rooms have slightly higher beds and grab bars in the toilet and bathroom.
The roomy bathrooms feature deep, square ofuro-style black baths, plus the usual Japanese wet-room setup of a shower with a wooden stool. Japanese-brand toiletries are high-quality, and the selection goes above and beyond — expect toner and essence as well as the standard items. The toilet itself is in a separate space, and is an automated Toto model — the kind with multiple (thankfully well-marked) buttons.
Food and drink
Score 9/10
The low-lit basement restaurant, Nippon Cuisine, is open only to hotel guests and has just ten tables, so be sure to book in advance. Diners sit in semi-private rooms, or one of the private rooms for larger groups, where the concept is a simple, multi-course set menu that changes seasonally.
The dishes are inventive, even esoteric, combining regional cuisine with French techniques and always grounded in the best seasonal produce. The menu changes frequently, but expect unusual combinations like grilled crab with cheese sauce or fish roe with wine, plus elevated takes on humble Japanese dishes like dried fish.
Alternatively, you could order one of the exquisite bento dinners — about a third of the price of Nippon Cuisine — to be delivered to your room. These are three-tiered bamboo boxes containing simple mains such as marinated beef over rice, delicately prepared vegetables and seasonal favourites like summertime unagi (grilled eel in a rich sauce). If you’d like something smaller, you can order from the 24-hour menu, which features dishes like donburi (rice bowls with various toppings) and miso soup. Smaller meals for children, such as grilled onigiri, are available too.
Breakfast is brought to you in your room or in the ochanoma lounge. You can choose from a classic western-style breakfast selection (scrambled eggs, pastries, fruit), but to lean into the ryokanexperience go for Japanese-style — a bento full to the brim with beautifully prepared, simple dishes like grilled fish, pickled vegetables and seasonal fruits.
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What else is there?
Score 8/10
Hoshinoya Tokyo was built in this location because, 1,500m underground, there’s a natural hot spring — a rarity for Tokyo hotels. Its warm, mineral-rich waters are pumped up to the rooftop onsen so guests can soak beneath the sky in all seasons. The onsen, which is divided into male and female areas, eschews traditional public-bath style, opting for a striking all-black look rather than pale tiles and murals. Note that baths are enjoyed naked, and no uncovered tattoos are allowed; tattoos are not common in Japan and some guests might consider them threatening, or simply distracting. Reception can supply stickers to cover one or two smaller tattoos.
There’s no gym, but there is a spa offering massages and treatments. It’s recommended that you visit the baths to warm your muscles ahead of the massages, which tend to last an hour or more and involve carefully chosen aromatherapy oils. But it’s the cultural programming that makes Hoshinoya Tokyo stand out from other luxury hotels in the city. Complimentary cultural activities are held daily on the reception floor, including free sakétastings and regular performances of gagaku (ancient court music and dance) and other traditional arts. There’s also a small shop selling high-quality souvenirs such as chopsticks and tea blends.
Bookable activities (there’s an extra fee) include tea ceremonies, kodo incense appreciation, and even dawn kenjutsu (swordsmanship) classes held on the helipad of a neighbouring building (you’ll want to book just for the views of Tokyo Tower and Skytree).
Where is it?
Score 8/10
The hotel is located in Otemachi, a business district of Tokyo full of high-rise office buildings. This means it’s relatively quiet in the evenings, but you’re only about 15 minutes on foot from the shops of Marunouchi and historic Nihonbashi’s restaurants and bars.
The hotel is next to Otemachi station (which has several subway lines), and is just ten minutes’ walk from the vast Tokyo station, from which you can catch a bullet train to much of the rest of Japan.
Ten minutes west of the hotel on foot is the Imperial Palace, the residence of the Emperor of Japan, which is open to the public. The Higashi-gyoen section of the grounds (which are free to enter, except the private area around the palace itself) is ideal for a stroll. There are also several excellent museums in the area, such as the National Museum of Modern Art and Intermediatheque.
Price room-only doubles from £555
Restaurant evening multi-course set menu in Nippon Cuisine £170
Family-friendly Y
Accessible N
Rebecca Hallett was a guest of Hoshinoya Tokyo (hoshinoresorts.com/en/hotels/hoshinoyatokyo)
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