Choosing a Hotel in Tokyo

Once you’ve decided on a trip to Tokyo, there’s a lot to start planning, from sights to see to foods to eat, and even which souvenirs to add to your shopping list. Of course, for many people, the next step after booking their tickets to Tokyo is choosing the right accommodations in Japan. Finding the right hotel can make or break a trip, so it’s an important choice! But with literally thousands of options just within the Tokyo city limits, and the highly developed transportation network opening up neighborhoods all across the city, it can be a hard decision to make.

So when it’s time to find the best Tokyo accommodations for your trip, where do you go? Instead of combing through thousands of photos and even more guest reviews, we recommend starting your search with a look at the options on the Japan Ryokan and Hotel Association’s Tokyo Branch website. The Japan Ryokan and Hotel Association Tokyo Branch is part of an association of hotels and ryokan (traditional Japanese inns) around Japan, each one committed to providing Japan’s famous hospitality to travelers visiting from around the world, and in Tokyo, the accommodations include everything from popular Japanese chain hotels to an array of family-owned ryokan inns. When you’re looking to enjoy Japanese culture all throughout your trip to Japan, the association’s Tokyo Branch website makes it fun to find the right ryokan or hotel to add an extra layer of immersion to your trip! If you’re wondering what exactly is waiting in Japan, we asked the Japan Ryokan and Hotel Association Tokyo Branch to recommend three unique Tokyo accommodations perfect for international travelers.

① HOTEL EDOYA: The Classic Ryokan Experience in Tokyo

Located at the top of Sankumi Hill, on land once bestowed by the shogun upon three vassals in the Edo period (1603-1868), HOTEL EDOYA offers a surprisingly traditional Japanese ryokan experience right in the middle of modern Tokyo. This classic inn was established in 1967, during Japan’s Showa period, and the interior has maintained a comfortable retro feel over the years, packed with old-fashioned Japanese rooms of all shapes and sizes. Guests can enjoy tatami mat floors and futon beds, relax in the shared sitting areas looking out onto a compact little garden, or head downstairs to the hotel restaurant Kosetsu for handmade soba noodles (or the breakfast buffet). HOTEL EDOYA is an excellent place to soak up a little traditional Japanese ryokan culture, before foraying into the big city outside!

While most visitors probably aren’t familiar with Sankumi Hill, HOTEL EDOYA is very conveniently located within walking distance of some of Tokyo’s most famous neighborhoods – just up the hill from Akihabara and Ueno! That makes it a great home base for any traveler whose plans include some serious anime and gaming merch shopping, or a visit to Ueno Park. If you’re interested in exploring the immediate area, you’ll definitely want to visit the nearby Yushima Tenmangu Shrine, often called “Yushima Tenjin.” This Shinto shrine is home to the god Tenjin, the deification of the ancient scholar Sugawara no Michizane, and many Tokyoites visit to pray for academic or scholarly success. During testing season, you’ll see students lining up in hopes of better test scores. In early spring, you can walk just a few minutes from HOTEL EDOYA to join the crowds and enjoy the shrine’s famous plum blossoms!

When you’re all done seeing the sights in modern Tokyo, HOTEL EDOYA is a comforting place to return home to, with a number of nice places to relax. Take a bath in the huge communal tubs – both inside and outdoors in the open air – or hop in the little wooden sauna for a blast of heat that will relax even sore muscles tired from long days of walking. After your bath, you can find a seat on the patio to enjoy the evening air, or even write a little note to pin on the hotel map. At HOTEL EDOYA, you can lean into the traditional atmosphere, or look out on modern Tokyo!

Hotel Edoya (ホテル江戸屋)
3-20-3 Yushima, Bunkyo City, Tokyo
Official Website | Japan Ryokan and Hotel Association Tokyo Branch Page

② Andon Ryokan: Japanese Tradition & Modern Design

Stylish and practical, decorated with beautiful Japanese antiques and eye-catching contemporary art, Andon Ryokan is a concept hotel that feels like a cross between an art gallery, a backpackers’ hostel, and a Japanese ryokan – they call it a “designer ryokan.” The moment you enter the door, the proprietress’s eclectic collection of vintage decor and carefully curated knick-knacks makes the lobby feel homey and welcoming, offering a unique space to relax and chat with other guests. (In the morning and evening, the lobby is also a restaurant where you can order simple but tasty meals of Japanese homecooking made with seasonal ingredients, including vegan options.)

Upstairs, each guest room is furnished with traditional tatami mat floors, one to three well-cushioned futon mattresses, a TV (in case you wanted to catch some of Japan’s famously wacky variety shows), and a lantern in each window. The name “Andon” (行燈) actually refers to Japan’s traditional paper lanterns, and not only are they a feature in each room, but the entire building is designed to light up in the evening and glow from within like a real “andon.”

The rooms don’t include ensuite bathrooms, but each floor has a handful of shared bathrooms and showers, decorated with tiled mosaics and colorful murals. Many of the bathroom walls were decorated by the professional manga artist Ryo Koshino, although you’d have to visit the bathrooms on every floor to read the whole story! It actually feels rather novel to slip on a pair of traditional Japanese sandals (provided for use in the hallways) and slip out of your room to visit the bathroom, or just to grab a cup of tea from the convenient shared counter.

Climb the stairs to the top of the building, and Andon Ryokan has some unique facilities, like an enormous jacuzzi-style bath, surrounded on all sides with a series of auspicious omens, offering bathers plenty of good luck during their trip to Tokyo. Head up to the roof, and you can hang out at one of the picnic benches to enjoy the breeze, or look out over the neighborhood for a view of residential Tokyo. Andon Ryokan is in a quiet area, but it’s only about 5 minutes away from Minowa Station and not far from a number of different bus stops, making it an especially convenient choice for sightseers gearing up to explore Ueno and Asakusa while visiting Tokyo!

Andon Ryokan (行燈旅館)
2 -34-10 Nihonzutsumi, Taito City, Tokyo
Official Website | Japan Ryokan and Hotel Association Tokyo Branch Page

③ hotel MONday Premium TOYOSU: Japanese Hospitality With a Modern Touch

Modern, sleek, and located near popular shopping and entertainment areas like Odaiba and Toyosu, hotel MONday Premium TOYOSU aims to be your home away from home in Tokyo, with all the conveniences you need during your trip. The hotel offers a wide variety of rooms, catering to solo travelers and families alike, including Modern Japanese rooms, a great option for guests searching for a little Japanese style during their stay! (The Modern Japanese rooms are sleek and aesthetically appealing, but also nice for families with little kids, who can happily play on the tatami mat platform.)

The hotel’s large communal bath is one of its most popular features, open late at night (until 1 am), so you can sit back and relax in the steaming water when you get back to the hotel, no matter how long your day has been! After a good soak to let your muscles relax, there’s a small library of manga available to borrow, so you can spend some time working on your Japanese reading skills (or just looking at the illustrations) before bedtime in Tokyo. In the morning, you can enjoy a relaxing breakfast at the buffet in the airy hotel restaurant, which caters to a wide variety of tastes with Japanese dishes as well as Western breakfast staples. Start your day right before heading out to explore Tokyo!

MONday Premium TOYOSU is, as you might expect, located in the Toyosu area of Tokyo – not far from the waters of Tokyo Bay. When you’re ready to get going, the bus stop directly in front of the hotel entrance is a good place to start, with routes that can take you anywhere from Tokyo Station to Odaiba – the waterfront home to the enormous “life-size” Gundam and a miniature Statue of Liberty. If you’d rather start from Toyosu Station, the hotel offers a free shuttle bus, too! That makes it especially easy to visit nearby destinations, which include the massively popular installation art museum TeamLab Planets, as well as Toyosu Fish Market. When you’d rather explore the local neighborhood, just across the street is a 24-hour Aeon Mall, which includes the kind of super-sized supermarket and shopping options you don’t often find in the middle of Tokyo. If you want to see the sparkling bayside views of Odaiba, or fill your suitcase shopping for snacks and souvenirs, you’ll enjoy a stay at hotel MONday Premium TOYOSU.

hotel MONday Premium TOYOSU (ホテルマンデープレミアム豊洲)
1 -2-11 Shinonome, Koto City, Tokyo
Official Website | Japan Ryokan and Hotel Association Tokyo Branch Page

Find the Right Hotels for Your Trip to Japan

Traditional, modern, or charmingly eclectic, whatever the ideal Japanese hotel looks like for you, we think you’ll have fun searching for just the right place with a little help from the Japan Ryokan and Hotel Association’s Tokyo Branch. Plus, on top of everyday Japanese luxuries like tatami mat floors and plenty of green tea, you’ll probably be surprised by fun extras like huge steaming baths, mahjong rooms, and rooftop terraces! So whether you’re staying in Tokyo or anywhere throughout the country, when it comes time to plan your next trip to Japan, we recommend starting your search on the Japan Ryokan and Hotel Association Tokyo Branch website!

▶︎ You can also check out the Japan Ryokan and Hotel Association Tokyo Branch on their Japanese homepage.

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