Art Hotel Nippori Lungwood

Rooms and decor

Art Hotel Nippori Lungwood is the only 4-star on this list, and its biggest advantage over the 3-star pack is simple: space. Rooms start at 22 sqm — compared with the 15–18 sqm standard across Japanese business hotels in the area — and Superior rooms push to 25+ sqm, adding a separate sofa and a full-size work desk. The design runs modern-classic: deep brown, gold, and beige tones with clean lines. Every room has a deep Japanese soaking tub separate from the shower, which is a genuine step up from the shallow combo units you find at the 3-star bracket. Standard kit includes free Wi-Fi, a flat-screen TV, a refrigerator, a Nespresso machine, and an air purifier. The lobby has a concierge desk with staff who speak English, Chinese, and Korean fluently — a noticeable upgrade from the basic front-desk English of the hotels ranked above.

Food and amenities

The hotel runs three food and drink options in-house. There is a Japanese restaurant serving dinner and lunch; the Lungwood French-style restaurant, which guests rate well for dinner; and a whisky bar that carries rare Japanese single malts — Yamazaki, Hibiki, and Hakushu among them — at prices that are reasonable by Tokyo bar standards. The bar opens at 19:00. Breakfast is a mixed Western-Japanese buffet at the Lungwood restaurant, served 7:00–10:00, and costs around $19/person — it is not always included in the room rate, so confirm at booking. The free in-house gym has 4 treadmills, free weights, and weight machines, which is a meaningful perk at this price point. There is a 24-hour front desk and vending machines on site.

Location and getting there

The hotel sits directly beside JR Nippori East Exit — about a 1-minute walk from the platform, making it the closest 4-star to the station in the area. Nippori is one stop north of Uguisudani on the Yamanote Line. Its other major advantage is transit to the airports: the Keisei Skyliner departs from Nippori and reaches Narita Airport in 36 minutes for a fare of around ¥2,580 ($18). If you fly into Narita and take the Skyliner, you can be checking in at this hotel within about 40 minutes of landing. Nippori is also the starting point for the Yanaka Ginza shopping street — one of the best-preserved old-town districts in Tokyo — which begins about a 5-minute walk from the hotel.

Things to know before booking

Breakfast is not automatically included — it costs around $19/person and must be added at the front desk. There is no communal bath or onsen in the building; guests who want a soak can walk roughly 5 minutes to Almont Hotel Nippori, which has its Komeiseki Onsen on site. Rates are higher than the 3-star hotels on this list, starting around $91/night and reaching $214 for larger rooms. The hotel is closer to Nippori than to Uguisudani — JR Uguisudani is about a 12-minute walk, so guests who specifically want the Uguisudani neighbourhood should note that.

Our take

Art Hotel Nippori Lungwood is the right call for business travelers, honeymoon couples, and families of 3–4 who want proper 4-star space and service without moving downtown. The 22 sqm minimum room size, the Nespresso machine, the Japanese soaking tub in every room, the gym, and the whisky bar all justify the step up from the 3-star bracket. The 1-minute connection to JR Nippori and the Keisei Skyliner to Narita in 36 minutes make it especially practical for international arrivals. If your budget is tighter and a communal bath matters more than extra room space, Almont Hotel Nippori at rank 3 is the smarter pick.