We were lucky to be introduced to a historical hotel, which celebrated 100 years in 2015, in the heart of Tokyo that was not only easy to get to from the airport because of its location, but easy to get anywhere else in the city or to excursions close to the capital city. It also happens to be on the prestigious Small Luxury Hotels of the World list.
Meet Tokyo Station Hotel, which as its name suggests, is in the same building as Tokyo Station, meaning you can get to the hotel entrance from the station itself. This very ‘central’ station has been around since 1896, covering four eras: Meiji, Taisho, Showa and Heisei.
Above and below, the lounge area where you can order tea, drinks, and listen to live music. A harpest was playing while we were there.
The Elegant Lobby Lounge
Feel a bit royal? Meander through the lounge with us and see! The Lobby Lounge area offers a classic European style with high ceilings and tall windows.
Here you can buy various items with the Tokyo Station Hotel emblem on it as well, such as tea.
Oh yeah, and chocolate of course…..
Below, the lobby gives you an idea of its modern meets elegant style, with plenty of delicate and luxurious touches throughout. You see, the building itself (exterior) has had plenty of renovations over the years and in 2003, the building itself was officially designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan.
The public parts of the hotel were exquisite — historically rich with attention to detail everywhere you looked.
Below, a harp player performed the evening we arrived.
More beautiful details to the hotel……
Just off the main dining room where they serve a thorough and decadent breakfast, there’s a private nook area where you can dine solo, with a view looking out towards the direction of the Imperial Palace of course.
View of the Imperial Palace
They also have a boardroom-like suite where you can have a business meeting. Below, on the wall of the suite is a picture with Latin. Anthony said the words didn’t have much meaning, however the elegance of it can’t be denied.
You can book the board room separately or with the adjoining room. Either can be booked on their own or together, as a package.
Then, there’s the divine breakfast they have in a large decadent room with high ceilings and lights.
A Royal Breakfast at the Tokyo Station Hotel
On each side of the room is a buffet — to the right against beautiful brick wall is the Western Breakfast — both hot items and cold, and on the left is a Japanese selection of items. There’s also some French and Swiss style items like cheeses (Roquefort, Comte, Camembert, Mimolette, Cabrifin and Smoked Cheese with dried fruit), croissants and Muesli.
Some of the items for the Japanese breakfast include candied sweet potato, sesame dumplings, Kinako (soy flour spice which can be used to go on top of sticky white rice), Azuki, pickled plums (umeboshi), dried young sardine “Shirasu”, Kimpira Burdock, Spicy Seasoned Cod Roe (Karasahi-Mentaiko”, Seasoned Salmon Roe (Ikura), Grated Radish, Dried Fish, Fermented Soybeans, Clams, Boiled Fish Paste, Sashimi, and then a dried topping it seems you can put on many things called Tsukudani.
For western style breakfast offerings, you could order homemade omelettes, Wagyu Hamburg, avocado & Sweet Chili, cold meat platter, trout salmon marinade, steamed chicken, Brioche French toast with maple butter, croissants, fruit danishes, housemate Raspberry and Beets Bread, Bamboo Charcoal Bread, Sugar Rolls, preservative and additive free bacon.
Other unusual items on offer that you wouldn’t expect from a breakfast buffet included roasted pork, deep-fried chicken with seaweed, cheddar fried potatoes, fried shrimp, hash browns, shrimp in chili sauce, squash purée and roasted pork dried rice.
Above and below, Tokyo Station Hotel Breakfast Buffet
They also had an omelette station where you can ‘create your own’ on the Western side of the room.
Above: this makes the featured photo because it was so exquisite. Notice that there are three pieces here, which Anthony polished off on his own — it was that good! And yes, I know — sweets for breakfast? It just WORKED with both tea and coffee. How could we resist?
Sesame Dumplings anyone? They had me at hello. I couldn’t stop eating them…..
From the Japanese Buffet. Rice is such an integral part of the Japanese diet, even at breakfast. Soups too.
And sadly, bread remains a big staple for the western diet, which isn’t always healthy. That said, it appeals to American and European guests and they didn’t exactly skimp on choices. How about Raspberry and Beet as options? Hard to say no even if you avoid the carbs as I “try” to do!
Fresh tomatoes for breakfast at Tokyo Station Hotel was also an option!
Unfortunately we didn’t stay long enough to try out the spa, fitness center or dinner but have heard good things. The spa has six treatment rooms, including a room for two people, and there’s a relaxation lounge, a powder room and locker rooms, making up 816 meters on the first floor. The breakfast was out of this world and a stand-out. While it was the first hotel we stayed in Tokyo, and we were in Japan for 2.5 weeks, the breakfast at Tokyo Station Hotel topped them all.
On the second floor, there’s the Toraya Tokyo Cafe & Shop, which features original red brick wall interiors (think chocolate) and Bar Oak, which is popular for the famed bartender Hisashi Sugimoto’s ‘Tokyo Station cocktail,’ which we also didn’t have an opportunity to try.
Restaurants include Japanese Restaurant & Teppanyaki Shichi Jyu Ni Kou and Chinese restaurant Cantonese ‘en’ Ken Takase, as well as the much smaller Yakitori, which has great ambiance. Enoteca Norio is also an option. There’s also sushi at Sushi Aoyagi and Blanc Rouge — we hope to review one or more of them on our next trip to Tokyo.
They offer a business center, a very savvy Concierge (she was amazing and her English was flawless), the ability to rent cell phones, and free WiFi in all public and private spaces. We love that there was also a humidifier and air purifier as well, which you don’t often see in American hotels.
The Rooms
There are a variety of room options, including Classic, Palace Side (essentially, facing the Imperial Palace), Dome Side (facing the Dome), Maisonette, a Maisonette Suite, an Ambassador Suite and the Imperial Suite. We had a Palace Side Superior room, with a beautiful view but luckily, without the noise.
Above and below: Suite style rooms
Below, 2 different room suites with a Palace view.
The room style below was similar to the one we had during our stay in September.
The stylish tub in our room.
Just look at the details.
Below, from left to right: Palace view guest room inside the circle (view of Yukiyuki Street), Junior Suite, which is 58 meters in size and has a living room area in the back (with a view from the square to the Imperial Palace) and the Masonette, which is very European style in decor. It is a unique two-story guest room which is divided into a living room and bedroom, so it actually feels like a private home. The ceiling is high with some atriums.
Below, from left to right: a Palace side guest room overlooking the landscape inside the circle (there are four types, including a room where you can sleep up to three people), a Dome side guest room which has views of the dome, and a South Wing room, which is away from the center of the hotel so it feels as if you are in a separate building and a little more private.
Two thumbs up! Would we stay there again? You bet!
THE DETAILS:
Tokyo Station Hotel
1-9-1 Marunouchi
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
100-0005 Japan
Tele: 03.5220.1111
Visit their website for more information including how to book a room. The Tokyo Station Hotel is located at JR Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building and has direct access from Marunouchi South Gate Entrance on the 1st Floor.
________________________________
Note: we were hosted by the property but all opinions expressed are entirely our own.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
