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Where to stay in Tokyo: hotels by district

The sultry New York Grill is on the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt Tokyo in Shinjuku - the hotel from Lost in Translation
The sultry New York Grill is on the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt Tokyo in Shinjuku - the hotel from Lost in Translation

A neighbourhood guide to the best places to stay in Tokyo, as chosen by our resident expert, including the best hotels in Shibuya, Shinjuku, Roppongi and more.

SHIBUYA

Famed for its packed neon-lit crossing (a popular selfie spot), Shibuya is not only a temple to all things shopping, it’s also a first-class people-watching spot. Its insomniac streets are packed with a microcosm of modern-day Tokyo society – from gaggles of giggling school girls and edgy tribal teens to seriously suited office workers. It’s also within walking distance to cult street fashion favourite Harajuku, plus the more upmarket flagship boutiques of Omotesando and Aoyama.

Shibuya, Tokyo - Credit: ©f11photo - stock.adobe.com/Wasin Pummarin
Shibuya is not only a temple to all things shopping, it’s also a first-class people-watching spot Credit: ©f11photo - stock.adobe.com/Wasin Pummarin

Where to stay

Granbell Hotel Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Granbell Hotel Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

Shibuya Granbell Hotel

Tokyo, Japan

7Telegraph expert rating

A boutique design hotel with pop-art inspired rooms, a short walk from the neon throng of Shibuya station. Cool, minimalist, fun, modern and affordable, this place is popular among young party-lovers and professionals alike. Perfectly located for playing, shopping or doing business. Read expert review From £89 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com

trunk hotel, tokyo, japan
trunk hotel, tokyo, japan

Trunk (Hotel)

Tokyo, Japan

8Telegraph expert rating

This much-needed creative addition to Tokyo’s hotel scene is contemporary and stylish with a modern Japan design edge. It's located in the heart of Tokyo’s lively Shibuya district and is just seconds from hipster-magnet Cat Street, the epicentre of Harajuku’s famed street fashion culture. Read expert review From £241 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com

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SHINJUKU

Shinjuku is one part of Tokyo that quite literally never sleeps. Spanning around the labyrinthine station are skyscraper offices; famous department stores; multi-storey electronics shops (it’s a good spot for camera shopping); salaryman-filled restaurants; the neon-lit nightlife district Kabukicho which errs on the side of seedy; and Golden Gai, a ramshackle selection of tiny charismatic drinking dens. In terms of daylight hours, it’s also home to one of Tokyo’s most pleasant leafy parks, Shinjuku Gyoen.

Park Hyatt Tokyo
Park Hyatt Tokyo, in Shinjuku, offers flawless service, views of Mount Fuji and one of the most atmospheric cocktail bars in the world

Where to stay

park hyatt tokyo, japan
park hyatt tokyo, japan

Park Hyatt Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

8Telegraph expert rating

Among Tokyo’s top (and best-loved) hotels, the Park Hyatt is a five-star legend, renowned for its starring role in Lost in Translation alongside Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. It offers flawless service, elegant design, views of Mount Fuji and one of the world’s most atmospheric cocktail bars. Read expert review From £442 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com

Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, Tokyo
Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, Tokyo

Gracery Shinjuku

Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan

7Telegraph expert rating

A contemporary 30-storey tower hotel surrounded by neon and skyscrapers in Tokyo’s lively entertainment district Shinjuku. Hotel Gracery has close to 1,000 clean, compact and stylishly designed mid-range rooms, with cinematic views across the capital. Read expert review From £107 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com

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ROPPONGI

Roppongi has long attracted an affluent and cosmopolitan crowd with its high-end retail complexes such as Tokyo Midtown and Roppongi Hills, both major landmarks in the area. The central neighbourhood has also emerged as a key arts hub in recent years, with a string of galleries across the neighbourhood – from the 53rd floor Mori Art Museum and glass-fronted National Art Center [sic] to the Tadao Ando-designed 21_21 Design Sight on the grounds of Tokyo Midtown.

Ritz-Carlton Tokyo
The Ritz-Carlton is a supremely luxurious five-star Tokyo hotel with breathtaking views in the heart of Roppongi

Where to stay

Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Japan
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Japan

Grand Hyatt Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

8Telegraph expert rating

The Grand Hyatt, one of Tokyo’s biggest luxury hotels, is elegant and contemporary with a string of top restaurants. It’s located in Tokyo’s cosmopolitan Roppongi district – renowned for its shopping, nightlife and galleries – and a popular choice among families and business visitors alike. Read expert review From £293 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com

The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

8Telegraph expert rating

There’s high-rise and then there’s this: a luxury hotel perched atop the tallest building in the world’s most populous metropolis. It’s got Michelin-starred dining, seamless service and a calmness that contrasts brilliantly with the chaos 50 floors below. Read expert review From £555 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com

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NIHONBASHI

Nihonbashi may appear modern on the surface – all shiny towers, modern office buildings and retail complexes – but it is steeped in heritage. The area was famously the physical starting point of the city and where the urban development that evolved into modern-day Tokyo began. Today, its legacy lives on in the form of numerous generations-old businesses (from seaweed shops and fan makers to toothpick producers and fabric merchants) that still line its streets today, many upgraded in recent years to shiny new premises.

Mandarin Oriental Tokyo
The Mandarin Oriental Tokyo is a sleek, skyscraper-hotel with superlative service, Japanese-inspired design, and some of the best views across the capital

Where to stay

Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo, Japan
Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo, Japan

Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

9Telegraph expert rating

A sensual, grown-up, high-rise hotel with seriously fine dining. It's far enough from the bustle to be peaceful, but close enough to be convenient. Read expert review From £355 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com

Hotel Ryumeikan Tokyo, Japan
Hotel Ryumeikan Tokyo, Japan

Hotel Ryumeikan Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

7Telegraph expert rating

Beneath the shiny façade of a contemporary skyscraper near Tokyo Station is Hotel Ryumeikan, a good value family-run establishment with roots dating back over 100 years, mixing traditional Japanese hospitality with modern comforts. Read expert review From £106 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com

The best hotels in Tokyo skyscrapers

SHIODOME

Skyscraper central, the Shiodome area is located on reclaimed marshland and showcases the shiny, modern side of the capital. Today it’s home to the impressively contemporary HQ skyscraper offices of countless leading Japanese corporations. It’s also conveniently located near a number of other districts – from shopping heaven Ginza to Tokyo Bay, the setting for numerous 2020 Olympic developments. Hamarikyu Gardens – a serene expanse of green, complete with a pond and teahouse – is also nearby.

Conrad Tokyo
Conrad Tokyo overlooks the Tokyo Bay and green oasis Hamarikyu Garden

Where to stay

Conrad Tokyo, Japan
Conrad Tokyo, Japan

Conrad Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

8Telegraph expert rating

A shiny lipstick-red lacquer sculpture sets a playful modern tone in the ground-floor entrance lobby. A combination of clean-lined design, contemporary art, restaurants-with-a-view and five-star service makes it a consistent favourite among business travellers and families alike. Read expert review From £341 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com

Park Hotel, Tokyo, Japan
Park Hotel, Tokyo, Japan

Park Hotel Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

7Telegraph expert rating

'Affordable' rarely appears in the same sentence as 'hotel' and 'Tokyo'. But this is a well-priced design hotel. It is also something of an art mecca: an entire floor is devoted to art, with each room in the process of being transformed into an artwork by contemporary Japanese artists. Read expert review From £126 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com

The best hotels in Tokyo

YURAKUCHO

Yurakucho, a bustling business district – loosely linking Hibiya to Tokyo Station – is home to countless shops, restaurants (from the exclusively high-end to the tiny and atmospheric salaryman-packed venues that sit beneath the railway bridges) plus convenient transport links. The upmarket retail districts Ginza and Marunouchi areas are only a short walk away, while Hibiya Park provides a welcome breath of green space among the urban concrete and crowds.

Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi
Four Seasons Hotel at Marunouchi is a Nirvana for trainspotters: the hotel looks over the non-stop bustle of Tokyo Station (bag a corner seat in Motif for prime seats to witness rows of iconic white-nosed bullet trains pulling out of the station)

Where to stay

the peninsula tokyo, japan
the peninsula tokyo, japan

The Peninsula Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

8Telegraph expert rating

Some of the most spacious rooms in Tokyo can be found at The Peninsula, a 24-storey, rose-tinted tower inspired by a Japanese lantern. Expect unwavering service, panoramic views from the rooftop restaurant, legendary afternoon teas and a convenient location in Yurakucho. Read expert review From £574 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com

Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, Japan
Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, Japan

Imperial Hotel Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

8Telegraph expert rating

An epic list of fires, earthquakes and bombings has resulted in Tokyo’s most historic hotel being demolished and rebuilt twice since its original 1890 opening. It may not have the sleek modern sheen of some of Tokyo’s other luxury hotels, but compensates with its history, sense of grandeur and impeccable service. Read expert review From £303 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com

Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi
Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi

Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi

Tokyo, Japan

8Telegraph expert rating

The atmosphere at the family-friendly Four Seasons Marunouchi feels at times more like an exclusive private members club than conventional five-star hotel, with its stylish interiors striking just the right balance between chic and cosy – an intimate anomaly among Tokyo’s normally more expansive luxury properties. Read expert review From £517 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com

The best hotels in Japan

 

EAST TOKYO

For a calm and quiet taste of Tokyo, escape the neon and head east to visit some of the city’s more traditional neighbourhoods. One highlight is Asakusa – home to the city’s oldest temple, Sensoji, complete with a lively souvenir market leading to the entrance, surrounded by winding lanes with kimono stores and teashops. Another gem is the charming Yanaka district, which is one of the few areas of Tokyo not to have been decimated by natural disasters or wartime bombings – and the end result is an atmospheric haven of old temples, traditional wooden houses and small shops run by young local creatives.

The Gate Hotel Kaminarimon
The Gate Hotel Kaminarimon is a sultry and inexpensive design hotel in Asakusaa

Where to stay

Ryokan Sawanoya, Tokyo, Japan
Ryokan Sawanoya, Tokyo, Japan

Ryokan Sawanoya

Tokyo, Japan

8Telegraph expert rating

One of Tokyo’s most charming family-run traditional ryokan inns – clean, friendly, comfortable and quintessentially Japanese (but foreigner-friendly) – with tatami mat rooms, paper lanterns, Japanese baths and warm owners, located in the atmospheric Yanaka district. Read expert review From £70 per night

The Gate Hotel Kaminarimon

Tokyo, Japan

8Telegraph expert rating

A sultry and inexpensive design hotel in Asakusa, Tokyo’s old ‘pleasure district’, just opposite the Thunder Gate entrance to the city’s oldest temple complex, Sensoji. Good value if you want a stylish stay in an atmospheric corner of eastern Tokyo. French fusion cuisine is served in its slick restaurant. Read expert review From £82 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com