Tokyo Luxury Hotels with the Best Views and Locations!

Tokyo Luxury Hotels with the Best Views and Locations!

I’m staying at four different luxury hotels in Tokyo in order to find the hotels with the best views and locations. For each hotel, I’ll rate the room, view, overall vibe, breakfast, and location. I’m staying in popular tourist areas including Shinjjuku, Shabuya, Chiota Ward, and Asakasa. Starting with Shinjjuku, the Mitsui Garden Hotel, Jinguen Tokyo Premiere, is located next to Japan National Stadium. The hotel is accessible by train and about 10 minutes from Shinjjuku station. And right outside my window, I can see trains going by that are probably departing from Shinjjuku. This was a perfect location for my fall trip for a few reasons. One, I stayed here the night that I returned from Mount Fuji. So, it was really easy to get to the hotel after my train got into Shinjuku. Also, I wanted to go to the Tokyo Christmas Market, which is located in Miji Jingu Gian, which is just walking distance away. So, that worked out great. And this morning, I got up bright and early so I could go to the GKO Avenue and film the leaves. And so, that was really nice that I was able to go out the door at 6:00 a.m. and get there before it got too crowded. And when I check out of here, I’ll be walking over to Shinjuku Goen National Garden, which is also about a 10-minute walk. This is my room at Mitsui Garden Hotel, Jinguian Tokyo Premiere. I booked a standard room with one queen bed and a balcony, non-smoking. I paid $290 and that price included the breakfast buffet. I’ll link to where I booked each of the rooms on Expedia below. I really do appreciate the commissions we earn when you book through our affiliate links. Now, for the rating, I realize I am a bit of a harsh critic. For the room, I’m giving it three stars out of five. I was a bit disappointed when I arrived last night. It could have been because I had a really hard day out in the rain in the Mount Fuji area, so maybe I just wasn’t in the best mood, but it did feel a little bit small, a little bit cramped to me. Hotel rooms in Japan do run small, but there is nothing that seemed so much as luxury to me. I really did not like the lighting. They have kind of this mood lighting that’s a yellow color, but it’s not very usable or efficient. Like the light over the closet just kind of blinds me and then I can’t see what’s in the closet. Also, the light above the mirror to get ready. I can’t really see myself. So, the room I wasn’t too impressed with. The view I’m also giving three stars out of five. I personally was hoping for a view of either the national stadium or more of like a garden view. What I got is a road, the trains, which is cool, and some fall trees. So, at least I did have some fall leaves outside my balcony. Breakfast, I’m going to give four. I had really high hopes for the breakfast. I thought it was going to be really good, and so it just didn’t quite meet my expectations. It was good overall. I think my kids would have really liked it. There was spicy codro and other Japanese options. There was fruit smoothies, cereal, pastries. It did run the gamut of both the Japanese and western, sweet and savory. I had chosen this hotel partially for the outdoor breakfast setting with crackling bonfires, but when I was there, seating was only indoors. So, overall, it was good. It just didn’t meet my super high expectations. The vibe of the hotel I’m going to give three stars out of five. Overall, there was nothing that really made me feel like it was luxury. It was polite at the reception, but I just didn’t get that sense of it being something really that special. Location, definitely five stars. And this has to do with that. I chose this specifically for my Tokyo fall itinerary, and it was really perfect location for coming back from Mount Fuji, going to the Christmas market, going to the GO Avenue. So, if you’re looking at what activities you’re going to do when you choose your hotel, that can help you to choose one that’s the right location for you. For me, this was the perfect setting. And that’s what made this hotel worth it to me was the location. For an overall rating that averages out to 3.6 out of five stars, maybe my expectations were just a bit too high on what qualifies as a luxury hotel. Next up, Shabuya. Shabuya Excel Hotel Tokyo is located right at Shabuya Station. Some of the rooms even have a view overlooking Shabuya Scramble Crossing. This is ideal for me since I’d rather enjoy the city view from my window than go up an observation deck like Shabuya Sky because I’m afraid of heights. If you want a night right in the heart of the city, this is an excellent location. There’s shopping and dining right outside near the crossing. Also, from here I can walk to Miji Jingu Shrine, Yoy Yogi Park, or Omoto Avenue. Here is my room at Shabuya Excel Hotel Tokyo. I booked a corner twin on the 13th to 19th floor, non-smoking with a view of the Scramble Crossing. My particular room is located on the 14th floor. I paid $528 for one night, which included breakfast for two people since originally I was going to share this room with my friend. That price reflects the fact that this room has a view right over the crossing. There are other similar types of rooms, but for less expensive if you don’t get the view. In that case, you could go over near the elevators and there might be a great view from the window there, or even some of the elevators have a view of the crossing. Now, for the rating for the room itself, I’m going to give it four stars out of five. I have no complaints. It’s a really nice room. It’s plenty spacious enough. I do like that there are two chairs with little tables that you can sit at to enjoy the view. Plus, there’s the desk. and the bathroom was really nice. I also like the way the walls decorated here. So, overall, I do like the room. There’s just nothing above and beyond really extraordinary about it. The view for sure gets five stars out of five. I’ve got a quite an expansive window here on one side and then a smaller window over on the corner so that I can get a really good view of the crossing there. I can also see people waiting at the train station platform for the trains. As far as breakfast, I’ll get right back to you on that as that’s where I’m headed next. For the overall vibe of the hotel, I’m going to give it five stars out of five. Right away from the friendly reception, it already felt like a bit of a step up from my previous stay. And then everything in the room as well, the towels were really fluffy. The conditioner and body wash in the bathroom were better than the previous one. So, everything seemed like a little bit more of an upgrade here. Also, if you want to have dinner with an amazing view of the city, there are some restaurants up on the 25th floor. Location for sure, five stars out of five. Here, you’re connected to all the transportation because you’re right at Shabuya Station, so you can get onto the Yamanote line. So, if what you’re looking for is the really city Tokyo experience, you’re excited to see the Shabuya Scramble Crossing and go wander around near there, then this is a really good location. Breakfast was good here at Shabuya XL Hotel. I’ll give it four stars out of five. I showed up at 9:00 a.m. knowing that last order was at 9:30 and closing was at 10:00, so I was a little bit rushed, but I was able to serve my food and I finished my last bite at 10:00 a.m. Since I was a little late, I didn’t get a table right next to one of the windows, but the view is really pretty. The food was good. There didn’t seem to be any items that were made to order yesterday at the Mitsui Garden Hotel. At least the eggs benedict was made to order. Here, everything seemed to be pre-prepared. I made a point not to overeat since yesterday I kind of overdid it. Now, averaging the ratings together, the Shabuya Excel Hotel Tokyo gets 4.6 out of five. Overall, I do really recommend it, especially if you want to be right in the action of Shabuya. And this view is pretty darn amazing. Next, Chiota. The hotel New Otani Tokyo is located in Chiota Ward near the Imperial Palace. It has a beautiful Japanese garden with a history of over 400 years. The garden previously belonged to samurai lords. Even if you’re not a guest here at the hotel, you can still come and enjoy the garden as well as the 30 restaurants located here. The hotel New Otani Tokyo was established in 1964 to coincide with the Tokyo Olympic Games. This luxury hotel is huge. There’s a garden tower with excellent views of the garden and waterfall as well as the main building. Within the main, the 11th and 12th floors comprise the executive house Zen, which is a five-star luxury boutique within the hotel and where I’m staying. Located within walking distance from the hotel are he shrine, Hibia Park, and the Imperial Palace grounds. You can also reach a JR train station within about a 10-minut walk. This is my room at the hotel, New Otani, Tokyo, Executive House Zen. I booked a deluxe twin room, club room access, non-smoking. The whole Executive House Zen is non-smoking. Originally, this was supposed to be for me and my best friend to share. So, that’s why I got a twin room, but ended up being just me enjoying some peace, quiet, and relaxation. I paid $760 for one night, which includes breakfast as well as access to the Zen Lounge where they serve food and beverages six times a day. I’ve been trying to visit most of the times at the lounge, and it’s like getting a full meal. I didn’t even need to eat dinner last night after having tea time or derves and then bedtime chocolates and a night cap. I got the deluxe room partly because the listing on Expedia was a little bit confusing. It made it sound like if I got the standard room within the executive house, then I wouldn’t get the lounge access, but I think all the rooms within the executive house then probably do come with the lounge. And I just got a much more spacious room. It’s been really nice. Now, for the ratings, the room gets five stars out of five. It’s spacious. It has everything I need. The bed was very comfortable, and the bathroom was really the highlight. As soon as I came in and I was given a little tour of my room, I noticed that the bathroom smelled like a spa. My room did come with access to a separate spa where there was a sauna, but I just decided to enjoy my own bathroom like it was my own private spa. There was a nice shower as well as a bathtub that even has these little handles you can use to get in and out. And it came with some really nice smelling bath oil to add to the water. So, that was very relaxing and nice with bathroes and also the huge mirror in there to get ready and a place to sit to get ready at the mirror. Dyson hair dryer. Basically, I love this bathroom. Can I have one at my house? The view from my room, I’m gonna give it a 4.5. At first, I was gonna say four stars, but we’ll go with 4.5. They did give me a garden view room. However, from the executive house, then you don’t have as great of a view of the garden, there’s kind of this green awning that’s blocking part of it. So, I think if you really want the nice waterfall view of the garden, then it would be best to book a room in the Garden View Tower, which is a separate building from the main building. And last night I stayed in a room overlooking Shibuya Scramble Crossing. So it’s hard to beat a view like that. This view, however, was really good for my fall autumn trip where I really wanted to have a view of the beautiful leaves. For breakfast, I had six options to choose from that were included with my room. I could have eaten again at the lounge, but I heard wonderful things about the restaurant Satsuki, which is located downstairs in the main building. So, I went there this morning for the buffet breakfast and it was wonderful. Even if you’re not staying at the hotel New Otani, I do recommend coming to Satsuki for the buffet breakfast. You can just pay for it separately even if you’re not a guest. I think it’s really popular on the weekends, so you might want to come early on a weekday. The breakfast buffet at Satsuki Restaurant, I will give it five stars, but I’d give it 10. It was one of the best meals I’ve had from top-notch service and then everything was delicious so far. That’s been a running theme in the lounge and then at Satsuki I’ll bite into something and be like this is the best I’ve ever had of this or oh my gosh the flavors everything is so flavorful. You can taste that they use real vanilla bean paste and good fresh ingredients. the milk spread. There were like four different options and then it said and you can choose soy milk as well if you want. It’s just like so many top-notch top quality things. So very good. I just wish I had more room so I could have eaten everything at the buffet breakfast. Overall vibe for staying in the executive house then I’m giving it five stars. But again, I’d give this 10 stars. It was excellent. Excellent service. I feel like every hotel I’ve stayed in on this trip, the service just keeps going up a bit more. From the greeting when you’re checking in, they give you a nice hot tea and then they welcome you back each time to the lounge and just the whole lounge experience was so nice. Last night I ate ordurves at the lounge and it was like a fine dining experience. That level of service and quality of all the foods as well with a beautiful view. I could literally see the light show on the Metropolitan Government Building from the lounge. Beautiful view also with Christmas lights out there. So, really, really topnotch. Now, for the location, I’m going to give it a four stars out of five. I’m not at all disappointed with the location. I knew where it was when I booked it. I’m planning to walk over to He Shrine later. The main thing is that it’s not super well connected with trains. Since it’s near the Imperial Palace, you can’t cut through the Imperial Palace. So, all trains either have to go up and around or down and around the palace. Luckily, the nearby JR station, which I can get to in about a 10 minutes walk, does have a Chuo rapid line, and since it’s rapid, it gets me places pretty quickly. But if you’re looking for somewhere super well connected, then you might want to choose some of those previous areas we covered, such as Shibuya or Shinjuku. But if you really want peace and quiet and reprieve and to kind of feel like you’re stepping back out of the craziness of the city, then this can be a great location for relaxing. Overall, the Hotel New Otani Executive House gets 4.7 stars out of five possible. I was thinking it would rate even higher, but there are certain things like the location and the view that just aren’t as ideal as some of the other places that I’ve stayed. Wrapping it up with Asakasa. Asakasa View Hotel is located near Kapabashi Kitchen Street and Sensoji Temple. This is my room at Asakasa View Hotel. I booked a Superior Deluxe King Sky Treeside non-smoking. I specifically wanted a room with a view of Tokyo Skytree. I paid $280 for one night which included a buffet breakfast. Please keep in mind with the pricing for any of the hotels that it varies seasonally and it also depends how far in advance you book. So what I paid may be very different than the prices you are looking at. One thing that I really like about a Sakasavio hotel is that there is a very wide range of types of rooms available. I watched a video on one of the smallest single occupancy rooms which was really small. There was not much room other than just around the bed. So depending on your budget or your range, you can go from kind of a tiny cramped room to up up. This is a deluxe, very spacious room that I’m staying in. Now for the ratings. For the room, I’m going to rate it four stars out of five. I would say I might have given it another half a star had the decor been a bit different. When I was looking online, some of the rooms had really nice cherry blossom paintings on the wall, and I was hoping for that style room. Instead, I got one that’s this yellow green color, which is like my least favorite, and the kind of retro looking fridge. I feel like this room, it’s so spacious, it could just benefit from a little upgrade on the decor. The layout was a little confusing at first, too, but I think they’ve made it so that if you want privacy while you’re in the bathroom, you can shut the doors and then people in the rest of the room wouldn’t be able to see you. Whereas, if you want a view from the bathroom, you can keep the sliding door open. For the view, it’s definitely getting five stars out of five. I have a beautiful view from my room facing Tokyo Skytree and also I’m pretty much directly facing Sensoji Temple as well. It’s very awesome view. And the sun rises on this side. For the breakfast buffet, I’m giving it 4.5 stars. That’s a pretty high rating from me. Originally, I read the reviews and there were really great reviews on the buffet, so I decided to go ahead and book it with my room. And then I stayed at Hotel New Otani. Had that wonderful breakfast at Satsuki restaurant. So this morning I really lowered my expectations going into the buffet at a Sakasa View Hotel. I was thinking, you know, it’s just not going to compare. But I was pleasantly blown away. There was a very wide selection of food. I maybe didn’t plate the prettiest plates this morning, but there was much more available that I didn’t try in both the Japanese selections as well as more Western foods. There was freshly cooked omelets. So, the variety and expansive food was very good. The quality not on par with a place like Satsuki restaurant. And the reason I’m giving it 4.5 instead of just four, is the view. This was the first time at breakfast that I was seated all the way at the end in the corner, which is what I was hoping for every time. The first two places I stayed for breakfast, I kind of got the worst seat somewhere in the middle of the room. So, Satsuki restaurant yesterday, the food was excellent, but there was absolutely no view. There weren’t really windows to see out. So, this morning, the food quality a little bit lower, but pair that with an absolutely amazing view, and I feel like I had the best view there at breakfast this morning. So, we’re giving it 4.5 stars. Now, for the overall vibe of a Saka View Hotel, last night when I was preparing this, I was going to give it a five stars. That’s because the service has been excellent. When I checked in, lady was very polite, allowed me to check in early and then I asked for some directions on a paper map before I went out last night. Since I was going out without my phone, without Google Maps, I just wanted to make sure I’d be able to find my way back and the lady who helped me gave me such excellent directions that I never even had to look at the map at all. I found my way over towards Skytree and back no problem. They also have an attendant at the elevators, which I think is really nice. I definitely did get a feeling right off the bat that I was staying at more of a luxury property. However, I decided not to give it five stars, drop it down to four for two reasons. Number one, this is a hotel that offers both smoking and non-smoking rooms. And because of that, within some of the elevators, there’s a lingering cigarette smoke smell, and I happen to be allergic to smoke. So, I preferred being in a place where all the rooms were non-smoking, and I didn’t have to encounter that. And the main reason that the overall vibe score just dropped is that I was cold in my room last night and I searched the room. I could not find a remote control for the air conditioning to turn up the temperature. I finally called the reception and asked and they said that like the front desk controls all the rooms and at that time only air conditioner would work and I’d have to wait 2 hours for it to switch to the heater and then be able to put the heat on. And since I have this gorgeous large window, there was a really cold draft coming in through the window. So, it closed the curtains and I felt like it totally defeated the point of I was here to have this nice evening view of Skytree and I didn’t get to really enjoy that at all because I had to close the curtains to not be freezing in my room. So, overall, it is a nice place to stay, but I’m going to give it four stars out of five for the overall atmosphere. For the location, I’m going to give it four stars out of five. Now, if you particularly want to stay within Asakasa, then this is an excellent location. Just straight across the street and go straight about a five minute walk is Sensoji Temple. However, if you are not familiar with the area, please look at where Asakasa is because if you stay based here, then getting to places like Shinjjuku might take you half an hour in the train. Shibuya maybe even longer like 50 minutes. So, please be aware that Asakasa is kind of off to the side away from the other popular touristy areas. It is a nice place for a bit of reprieve and if you want to walk around for the day, I have a separate video that’s a one-day itinerary specifically for Asakasa and Soji Temple and Sky Tree. So, it is a really nice place to spend at least a day, but just keep in mind it might not be as convenient for your overall time in Tokyo. Averaging everything together, my overall rating for a Saksa View Hotel is 4.3 out of five stars. In summary, out of the four luxury hotels I stayed in on this trip in Tokyo, my overall favorite was the Hotel New Otani Executive House Zen. because I stayed specifically in the executive house zen portion of the hotel. I really got that upgraded experience and the service. Also, the food within the lounge was excellent. So, if you really want that truly luxury luxury experience, I highly recommend the hotel New Otani Executive House to make some recommendations for you. If you’re wanting to stay in the Shabuya, heart of the action area of Tokyo, I do highly recommend the Shabuya Excel Hotel Tokyo. I had a wonderful stay there. Of course, I opted for that expensive room with amazing view. Being right there at Shabuya Scramble Crossing was really nice. If I were to have a friend visit Japan for the very first time, I think I would book one night with that amazing view just for them to have that experience. If you want to stay in Asakasa, be able to walk around and enjoy the culture and history here, then this location here, Asakasa View Hotel, is highly recommended. The one hotel that I wasn’t so thrilled with on this trip was the Mitsui Garden Hotel. It just didn’t have that above and beyond luxury feeling to me. However, I did super super appreciate the location for the specific places I visited on this trip. Let me know in the comments which of these hotels was your favorite or if you have a different hotel to recommend. Please subscribe for more Japan travel tips. Here on Kencho Quest, we share tons of information about planning a trip to Japan based upon our 20 years of extensive experience traveling throughout Japan. Up next, you might want to watch my Tokyo itinerary for some more ideas about what to do while you’re here in Tokyo.

I stayed at luxury hotels in Tokyo, Japan in order to find the hotels with the best views and locations. This Tokyo hotels comparison review includes 4 and 5 star properties located in Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, and Asakusa. For each hotel I rated the room, view, breakfast, atmosphere, and location. Which was your favorite? Do you have a hotel recommendation to add? We appreciate the commissions we earn when you book through our affiliate links https://expedia.com/shop/kenshoquest/share

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Mitsui Garden Hotel Jingugaien Tokyo Premier: https://expedia.com/affiliates/tokyo-hotels-mitsui-garden-hotel-jingugaien-tokyo-premier.kVqLOwP

Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu: https://expedia.com/affiliates/tokyo-hotels-shibuya-excel-hotel-tokyu.41s8F1b

Hotel New Otani Executive House Zen: https://expedia.com/affiliates/tokyo-hotels-hotel-new-otani-tokyo-executive-house-zen.zeyKOWz

Asakusa View Hotel: https://expedia.com/affiliates/tokyo-hotels-asakusa-view-hotel.xUsPy8f

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TIME STAMPS

00:00 Reviewing luxury hotels in Tokyo
00:22 Shinjuku: Mitsui Garden Hotel Jingugaien Tokyo Premier
04:13 Shibuya: Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu
08:05 Chiyoda: Hotel New Otani Tokyo Executive House Zen
15:06 Asakusa: Asakusa View Hotel
21:39 Summary and hotel recommendations

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