The New Sanno Hotel in the Heart of Tokyo, Japan
An exclusive hotel available to US Government and Military Personnel – By Invitation Only!!!
In this video, we get a chance to stay at the New Sanno Hotel in the heart of Tokyo, Japan. This hotel is an exclusive hotel only available to guests that work for the US Government or Military. The New Sanno Hotel first opened in October 1983 after a surprising history of events. The “Original” Sanno Hotel property was opened in 1932 and managed by the Anzen Motor Car Company. On February 26, 1936 the hotel was occupied and turned into the headquarter of operations for the Japanese Imperial dissident military group who tried to overthrow the military state of Imperial Japan. The coup d’etat was unsuccessful and rapidly ended 3 days later, but not until several high ranking Imperial officials were assassinated. A few years later, the Sanno Hotel was gutted after a series of Allied bombings during World War II. American Forces occupied the hotel in 1946 initially making the hotel an apartment complex for American families in Japan, but later it became a temporary accommodation for VIP and Senior officers. Over the years, the access to the hotel changed from VIP to Senior officers (in 1946) to field officers (in 1959) and eventually to anyone with a military rank of E-7 and above (in 1972). In 1969, the American occupation of the Sanno Hotel came under scrutiny by the owners of the property, Anzen Motor Car Company, who wanted to end the leasing agreement to the Japanese Government who was letting the US Government occupy the hotel. To appease both sides, the Japanese Government decided relocate the hotel from its original location on the south side of Hie Shrine in Nagatacho, Tokyo near Akasaka and the Imperial Palace to a new location in Minami-Azabu in Minato Ward, Tokyo.
In 1972, the Japanese Government began the planning and construction of the New Sanno Hotel in the new location in Minami-Azabu. It took 8 years of planning and 3 years of construction to built the New Sanno Hotel. Interestingly, the hotel was designed exactly the same as the old one which was designed with several aspects of a western hotel with some Japanese style accommodations. Both Original and New Sanno Hotel had or have 149 rooms, a floor area of 150,000 square feet, and parking lot to support 74 cars. The New Sanno Hotel cost $39 million USD in 1980s when it was completed. The hotel was also made available to all ranks of US Government and Military personnel. The month that the New Sanno Hotel opened in October 1983, the Original Sanno Hotel was demolished. The site of the original hotel remained unused for 17 years, until January 2000 when the Sanno Park Tower was opened housing the headquarters of NTT DoCoMo (a communications company in Japan).
The New Sanno Hotel is also referred to as the the US Naval Joint Services Activity – Recreation Center. The hotel is controlled and regulated by the US/Japan – Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).
There are 7 restaurants in the hotel from a breakfast place called Sunrise Bakery Café to fine dining at Wellington’s. The hotel also has a scaled down version of the Navy Exchange which has food items, clothes, jewelry, accessories, and gifts. A pool and recreation center are also available to guests of the hotel. There is a post office, laundry service (self-serve and dry cleaning), bar and lounge, and casino (American style slot machines). The hotel is often a last minute stop by many US Government and Military personnel departing Japan. There is a small Japanese gift shop available with a variety of souvenirs ranging from Japanese silk products to magnets and clothes. The Japanese gift shop is located on the main floor, right next to the lobby, and it was always crowded.
Outside the New Sanno Hotel are Japanese Police officers positioned in squad cars and riot buses with officers standing on the sidewalk around the hotel. The facility is heavily guarded requiring non-US Government or Military guests to check in with a sponsor and a passport. Our friend got us a reservation at the hotel and we stayed with them for the weekend. The experience was interesting as it was an unusual transition from Japan to a very American-style place. Once you stepped off the street you felt like you walked into the US.
Special Thanks to:
The Rogers
Videographers and Editing:
K. Yamashita / G. Leopardi
Equipment Used:
Sony ZV Log Camera (4k)
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