In-Depth Review of Hoshinoya Tokyo hotel in Japan - AFAR

"Run by the historic Hoshino Resorts group (founded 1914) and opened in 2016, this property reimagines a traditional rural ryokan in the heart of modern Tokyo, blending Edo-period design cues — including a latticed metal exterior inspired by a hemp-leaf Komon kimono pattern — with quiet, sensory-driven hospitality. Guests remove shoes into woven baskets in a soaring entrance hall and encounter tatami-covered floors, low-profile furnishings (with Western seating options available), and floors designed to feel like private ryokans, each with a shared ochanoma lounge offering complimentary teas and handmade mochi and sesame crackers. Rooms (84 total; six per floor) include the largest Kiku Room for up to three people and custom mattresses made by Nihon Bed; latticed screens cast patterned light into rooms while tea-ceremony classes and other cultural tutorials take place in the second-floor lobby. Dining is guest-only: a subterranean kaiseki-style restaurant led by executive chef Ryosuke Oka applies French technique to seasonal Japanese ingredients and traditional fermentation, guests can order in-room dinner boxes (such as beef chirashi-zushi), and morning service features a daily-changing, fish-based Japanese breakfast. The property is notable for its on-site wellness offerings — including Tokyo’s only hotel onsen fed by hot springs nearly 5,000 feet below the city (gender-separated with rooftop outdoor bathing and strict pre-bath cleansing) — plus complimentary cultural experiences like incense workshops, tea ceremonies, and a morning kenjutsu practice on a nearby helipad with sweeping city views. Service is described as intuitive, empathetic, and warm; the overall effect is a sanctuary-like escape from the busy Otemachi financial district, steps from Tokyo Station and about a ten-minute walk to the Imperial Palace." - Jennifer Flowers