Luxury ryokan-style hotel Yuen Bettei Daita, with guest hot springs.
Tokyo is littered with cookie-cutter “business hotels” with rooms barely big enough to fit a suitcase, but there are also plenty of memorable, unique places to stay, from home-style hostels to chic urban ryokans to luxe historic hotels.
Whatever your budget, you can find somewhere perfect to stay in Tokyo – you just need to know where to look.
Hoshinoya
At Hoshinoya, guests can experience the charm of a rural ryokan in the centre of the city.
Perfect for: Cashed-up couples looking for a unique, high-end experience.
There’s nowhere else in the world like Hoshinoya. This hotel has taken the concept of the ryokan – a traditional, high-end Japanese inn typically found in rural locations – and transferred it to Tokyo’s financial heart. Each level of this tower functions as a mini-ryokan, with shared spaces and gorgeous rooms (84 in total), with paper curtains to shut out the outside world. There’s a phenomenal restaurant on-site, and cultural activities such as tea ceremonies and sake tasting. Oh, and an open-air onsen on the top floor.
From $1977 a night. 1-9-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda City. Phone: +81 50-3134-8091. hoshinoya.com
Palace Hotel Tokyo
Palace Hotel Tokyo combines Japanese tradition with the mod-cons of a newly built hotel.
Perfect for: Well-heeled wanderers indulging in classic Japanese luxury.
The Palace Hotel Tokyo is the best of both worlds: a luxury property that has been honing its craft since 1961, set in a venue that was rebuilt from scratch in 2012. That gives the Palace a sense of classic finery and Japanese tradition, but with all the mod-cons and luxe design of a new hotel. This is a beautiful 284-room property with numerous restaurants and other amenities on-site, plus wide balconies with views of the Imperial Gardens.
From $1403 a night. 1-1-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda City. Phone: +81 3-3211-5211. palacehoteltokyo.com
OMO5 Tokyo Otsuka
OMO5’s 125 rooms offer incredible value for money.
Perfect for: Savvy young travellers and couples seeking style and substance
Though OMO5 is run by the same hotel group as Hoshinoya, here, all of the fanciness is stripped away in favour of utilitarian facilities and low costs. OMO5’s 125 rooms offer incredible value for money, with tatami-mat floors, TVs, hanging space, comfy beds and bathroom facilities packed into a small space featuring plenty of blond-wood accents. The on-site cafe does great breakfasts, and Shinjuku station is just a few stops away.
From $156 a night. 2-26-1 Kitaotsuka, Toshima City. Phone: +81 50-3134-8095. omo-hotels.com
Mustard Hotel Shimokitazawa
One of the few, and truly solid, accommodations in the trendy Shimokitazawa neighbourhood.
Perfect for: Trend-chasers looking for full immersion at a reasonable price
There aren’t many accommodation options in Shimokitazawa, despite the fact that this is one of Tokyo’s low-key trendiest locales, a buzzing neighbourhood filled with vintage shops, one-off boutiques, niche bars and friendly izakayas. Given Shimokitazawa is only a few stops from Shinjuku and Shibuya, most people tend to stay in those hubs. However, those hoping for full immersion can choose Mustard, a slick, no-frills hotel with 60 comfortable, basic rooms, and a great coffee and bagel shop downstairs.
From $165 a night. 3-9-19 Kitazawa, Setagaya City. Phone: +81 3-6407-9077. mustardhotel.com
Unplan Kagurazaka
Hostels throughout Japan tend to be clean, ordered, safe and friendly, and Unplan Kagurazaka is no exception.
Perfect for: Budget travellers looking for comfort and convenience, with a social atmosphere.
Don’t fear the hostel in Tokyo. Even if you’re travelling as a couple or a family, and consider yourself past your use-by date for most hostel experiences, this can be a great way to stay in Tokyo on a budget. Hostels throughout Japan tend to be clean, ordered, safe and friendly, and Unplan Kagurazaka is no exception. This hostel, a few stops north-east of Shinjuku, offers dorm rooms, doubles and private family rooms, and has a cafe and bar on street level.
From $75 a night. 23-1 Tenjincho, Shinjuku City. unplan.jp
InterContinental The Strings Tokyo
A stay at The Strings gives you direct access to Haneda Airport and all of Tokyo’s main hubs.
Perfect for: Travellers looking to explore greater Tokyo and surrounds in comfort
Shinagawa is probably not the first place that springs to mind when choosing somewhere to stay in Tokyo. This is a transport hub without a lot of charm. However, a stay at The Strings, part of the InterContinental group, gives you amazing, direct access not just to Haneda Airport, but also all of Tokyo’s main hubs, plus anywhere you can reach on a Shinkansen (bullet train). Get yourself a Japan Rail pass, and off you go. The hotel is lovely too, with a towering atrium and 206 spacious rooms.
From $616 a night. 2-16-1 32F Shinagawa East One Tower, Minato City. Phone: +81 3-5783-1111. ihg.com
The Millennials Shibuya
One of Japan’s famous capsule hotels with some serious tech.
Perfect for: Budget-conscious singles and friends who aren’t claustrophobic
Japan is legendary for its capsule hotels, and here’s your chance to experience one – but with a difference. While most of these establishments are designed for Japanese businesspeople, Millennials Shibuya is focused on travellers who want modern comforts, including social spaces and kitchen facilities, and are happy to keep things squeezy. Set in the heart of Shibuya, Millennials has 120 “Smart Pod sleeping units” – aka, beds – each featuring personal lighting, air-con, bed inclination, and even projectors to beam videos and games from your phone.
From $100 a night. 1-20-13 Jinnan, Shibuya City. Phone: +81 50-3164-0748. livelyhotels.com
Toggle Hotel Suidobashi
This brightly hued hotel is great for travellers who are happy to forgo some mod-cons to keep costs down.
Perfect for: Design-conscious couples, singles and even families keeping costs low
If you’re offended by bright colours, you may want to stay somewhere else. Toggle has gone hard with the hues, creating a hotel that is certainly never dull. Aside from the colour scheme, however, this is a pretty low-key hotel, with spartan rooms perfect for those happy to sacrifice a few comforts to keep costs low. Smart design, including raised, loft-style beds in some rooms, mean families will also be able to make use of this well-located property.
From $364 a night. 3-11-4 Iidabashi, Chiyoda City. Phone: +81 3-3239-1096. togglehotel.com
Yuen Bettei Daita
This luxurious oasis, which opened in 2021, is centred around the onsen experience.
Perfect for: Couples seeking a luxe oasis in Tokyo’s coolest neighbourhood.
Here’s another hotel that has adapted the rural ryokan for an urban context. Yuen Bettei Daita, a gorgeous retreat on a new strip of parkland near trendy Shimokitazawa, opened in 2021. It’s a luxurious oasis centred around the onsen experience, with natural hot-spring baths both indoors and outdoors. The 35 rooms are tranquil havens that leave the buzz of the city far behind.
From $397 a night. 2-31-26 Daita, Setagaya City. Phone: +81 3-5431-3101. uds-hotels.com
Sheena and Ippei
This popular budget stay is packed with charm.
Perfect for: Adventurous travellers happy with home-style accommodation.
Sheena and Ippei is one of Tokyo’s most popular budget hotels. It oozes charm, from the personal welcome and attentive service (there are only four rooms and one dorm), to the comfortable, traditional accommodation, to the central location on an old shopping street near busy Ikebukuro. The rooms are all classic in design, with tatami floors and futon beds (except in the dorm), and all have shared bathrooms. There’s also an on-site cafe, which becomes an event space at night.
From $176 a night. 2-12-4 Nagasaki, Toshima City. Phone: +81 3-5926-4410. sheenaandippei.com
Hotel Gajoen
This is an all-suite, luxe hotel mix Japanese and Western styles.
Perfect for: Luxe travellers chasing a memorable stay – and plenty of Instagram fodder.
This sprawling, traditional hotel, built in 1928 and lovingly cared for, is room after room of drool-worthy beauty, from the art-lined lobby to the gardens to the classic rooms that mix Japanese and Western styles. This is an all-suite hotel set in the heart of Meguro, just minutes from Ebisu and Shibuya, and yet a world away from the city’s bustle. On-site you’ll find a museum, a library, five restaurants and daily tea ceremonies.
From $1178 a night. 1-8-1 Shimomeguro, Meguro City. Phone: +81 3-3491-4111. hotelgajoen-tokyo.com
Kichijoji Excel Hotel Tokyu
At Kichijoji Excel Hotel Tokyu, the many joys of the Kichijoji neighbourhood are on your doorstep.
Perfect for: Second or third-timers breaking out of the Shinjuku bubble.
There’s nothing fancy or even particularly notable about Kichijoji Excel Hotel Tokyu, except this: it gets you into Kichijoji. This is one of Tokyo’s best locales, a buzzing suburb west of Shinjuku with great shopping, an excellent bar and restaurant scene, one of the city’s best parks … and barely any tourists. The hotel itself is functional and friendly, with 99 comfortable rooms, each with modern amenities, and a few restaurants on-site. And the many joys of Kichijoji are on your doorstep.
From $193 a night. 2-4-14 Kichijoji Honcho, Musashino. Phone: +81 422-47-0109. tokyuhotelsjapan.com