Mustard Hotel Shimokitazawa

Rooms and decor

Mustard Hotel Shimokitazawa is a lifestyle hotel by Commune Inc. that opened in 2020, about a 4-minute walk from Shimokitazawa Station, in the middle of an indie district lined with vintage shops, record stores and small cafes down the alleys. The lifestyle-style doubles are compact, but designed to make every square metre count, in pale wood against clean white walls. The bed is firm in the right way, the bedding is soft, and there is an open wooden clothes rail instead of a big wardrobe, with a small desk by the window for working or coffee. The bathroom separates wet and dry, the shower has good pressure, and the toiletries are lightly scented. Guests single out the morning light that comes into the room and how well the high, inner-facing rooms hold off the noise of a busy district. It is not big or fancy, but every detail reflects Shimokitazawa taste — plain, stylish and warm.

Food and amenities

The heart of the hotel is two shared spaces. The second-floor bookshop cafe is the lobby, cafe, bookshop and co-working corner all at once — we came down for a drip coffee and a pastry in the morning, and it feels like a book lover's dream cafe. The highlight is the rooftop bar on the top floor: go up in the evening, order a local craft beer, take in the breeze and watch the Shimokitazawa rooftops stretch out as the sky turns orange — a view no other hotel here gives you. There is no pool or spa, but the selling point is shared space with real life in it, the kind that plugs you straight into the neighborhood.

Location and getting there

Mustard Hotel sits in the centre of Shimokitazawa — a 4-minute walk to the station, which carries both the Odakyu line (10 minutes to Shinjuku) and the Keio Inokashira line (15 minutes to Shibuya). A few steps from the door brings you to Ichibangai, a street of second-hand vintage shops running its full length. It is a 5-to-10-minute walk to the famous live-music spots — Club Que, Shelter, Garage — where indie bands play most nights, plus Honda Gekijo, the district's small theater. Indie cafes and coffee stands are scattered everywhere, a few minutes apart. The location is Shimokitazawa in every direction, and your trip starts the moment you walk out.

Things to know before booking

The rooms are compact in the lifestyle-hotel style, so they are not the right pick if you are travelling with several large suitcases. Shimokitazawa is lively in the evening, and lower street-facing rooms can catch the noise — ask for a high floor on the inner side if you want quiet. And because this is one of the most popular hotels in the district, it fills up quickly over long weekends and holidays, so book well ahead.

Our take

Mustard Hotel Shimokitazawa is the best place to stay in the district, no question — a lifestyle hotel that opened in 2020 and captures the indie character perfectly, with a rooftop bar over the rooftops and a second-floor bookshop cafe that is part cafe and part bookshop. The rooms are minimal in wood and white, and the central location puts every vintage shop and live-music bar within walking distance. The 8.8/10 score backs it up, and rates start around $186 a night. It suits couples, creative travelers and anyone who wants to live like a Shimokitazawa local. If you are staying in this neighborhood once, this is the first place we would point you.