The Okura Tokyo

Rooms and decor

The legend everyone comes to see is the Okura Lobby in the Heritage Wing — the classic room designers around the world campaigned to save, recreated down to the last detail. It has the Okura Lantern, a wooden light shaped like a five-petal plum blossom, coffee tables arranged into plum flowers, and bespoke chairs; the whole room reads like a piece of art. Upstairs, a Prestige Tower Deluxe on floor 28 runs $578 a night and measures 45 sqm, done in modern Japanese style — hinoki wood-clad walls, traditional woven fabrics and washi paper lamps. The King bed is 200×200 cm, with a wood desk and a padded chair alongside. The 8 sqm marble bathroom has a deep soaking tub, a separate rain shower, a Toto Washlet and the hotel's own green-tea-scented toiletries. From the 28th floor you look out at Tokyo Tower and the city at night.

Food and amenities

Dinner at Yamazato, Okura's legendary kaiseki restaurant, is a $150-per-person, nine-course seasonal menu plated like a painting and served by staff in kimono. There is also Toh-Ka-Lin for Cantonese food and Sazanka for teppanyaki. The Okura Spa and the indoor pool keep that calm, distinctly Japanese mood; a 60-minute treatment is $163. Right next door is the Okura Museum of Art, Japan's first private art museum, worth an afternoon among the antiquities. Breakfast is the buffet at Orchid, $41, with both Japanese and Western dishes.

Location and getting there

The Okura sits in Toranomon, beside the US Embassy district — quiet and leafy, a world away from the buzz of Roppongi Hills. The nearest station is Toranomon Hills on the Hibiya Line, a 6-minute walk, with Kamiyacho 5 minutes away. Roppongi station itself is a 15-minute walk, or one stop on the Hibiya Line. It is 10 minutes on foot to Tokyo Tower, and the Hibiya Line runs straight to Ginza in 6 minutes — calm, but still well connected.

Things to know before booking

Rooms start at $570 a night, putting this among the priciest in the group. The Toranomon setting is peaceful rather than central, so factor in a 15-minute walk if Roppongi nightlife is the plan. The Heritage Wing and Prestige Tower are separate buildings, which means walking between the wings to move around the property.

Our take

The Okura Tokyo is the pick for travelers who care about genuine Japanese design and culture. The 2019 rebuild made everything new, yet the Heritage Wing keeps the legendary lobby and the Okura Lantern intact, while the Prestige Tower adds modern rooms with city views; add the Yamazato kaiseki and the museum next door and it scores 9.1/10. From $570 a night, it is more than a luxury hotel — it is a stay inside a piece of Tokyo's cultural heritage.