Hoshinoya Tokyo

What it is

Hoshinoya Tokyo describes itself as a high-rise ryokan that blends traditional Japanese design and customs with contemporary comfort, and that draws on Tokyo's feudal past. It stands at 1-9-1 Otemachi, about ten minutes' walk from the Marunouchi North Exit of Tokyo Station.

It has 84 rooms for one to three guests each. The page gives no floor count and no opening date, so we give neither.

A ryokan by the floor

The layout is the interesting part. Each floor is described as a private ryokan of six rooms, with an ochanoma lounge connected to the rooms by a tatami-matted corridor. Our itinerary adds a hot-spring bath on the top floor, and the hotel's page confirms one onsen without saying where it is.

There are three restaurants and a café or lounge. The page does not name the restaurants, so ask which one serves dinner for guests.

Rooms and the rate

The rate in our cherry-blossom itinerary is US$541 a night, a figure from an Expedia listing. The listing does not give a room category or date, so treat it as a guide.

Who it suits

It suits travelers who want the experience of a ryokan in the middle of Tokyo, a short walk from Tokyo Station, without leaving the business district.

It is a poor fit for anyone who wants a garden or a view from a low building. This is a tower, and the ryokan style is applied floor by floor.