69 Best Hotels in Tokyo, Japan

Established in the 1980s, this small, simple, economical inn—where all the rooms have traditional tatami flooring and futon mattresses—is a five-minute walk from the entrance to Ueno Koen (Ueno Park) and a 10-minute walk from the Tokyo National Museum. Although the largest rooms can accommodate four or five people, others are very small.

You'll get a full dose of shitamachi (lower city) friendliness at the family run Sawanoya, where you'll feel like you're part of an old Tokyo neighborhood and where people might help you plan excursions, say, or book hotels for the next leg of your journey. It is popular with budget travelers, so reserve online well in advance. Japanese bathtubs are near small windows that overlook a small garden. Coffee and tea are complimentary, but most rooms have no TVs.

Occupying the top 11 floors of the 37-storey Marunouchi Trust Tower, near Tokyo Station, the Shangri-La offers superb city views, as well as a lavish interior, including 2,000 works of art hung throughout; 50 glistening chandeliers handmade in the Czech Republic; and large (more than 500 square feet) standard guest rooms that are awash in burgundy-and-brown textiles and equipped with high-end entertainment systems. Upper-floor Horizon Club rooms feature a dedicated concierge and views of the bay and Imperial Palace; suites include additional living and guest rooms. For dining, the Japanese restaurant Nadaman serves teppanyaki, kaiseki, and sushi, while Piacere has creative Italian dishes. Treatments in the Chi spa employ traditional Chinese and Tibetan healing methods. 

Location is key to this otherwise unremarkable hotel in the towering Mark City complex—not only does the Narita Express depart from nearby Shibuya Station regularly but the Shinjuku neighborhood is just a five-minute train ride north, and there are plenty of shops and affordable restaurants outside the door. Guest rooms are plain but comfortable. For families the extra space in the larger rooms is worth the higher prices. North-facing rooms on the 10th floor and above (including the ladies-only floor on level 20) have views of the Shinjuku skyline. Two restaurants on the top floor also offer excellent views.

Just a three-minute walk from JR Shinagawa Station, the multi-tower Prince Hotel is in a sprawling entertainment complex with, among other things, an 80-lane bowling alley, an 11-screen movie theater, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis and golf centers, and an aquarium, but crowds definitely detract from the experience of staying here. Guest rooms, simply designed and featuring pops of earth- or jewel-tone color, are on the small side overall; indeed, singles can be truly tiny, with space for a bed and little else. Families should book a larger twin room to better accommodate the kids. The Top of Shinagawa Lounge has spectacular views of Tokyo Bay.

Smoothly blending modernity with traditional Japanese aesthetics, the Strings by InterContinental is one of Shinagawa's top-tier hotels, where the lobby features an artful mix of dark wood and stone—as well as a glass bridge that spans a pond—and where the rooms have high-quality linens, natural wood accents, and astounding city views (it can be mesmerizing to watch the trains pass efficiently through Shinagawa Station). Prices in the hotel restaurants tend to be high, but the Shinagawa area has dining options for every budget. Access is a breeze to the Kyoto- and Nagoya-bound shinkansen (bullet train) and direct trains to both Narita and Haneda Airport .

This hotel is popular with budget-minded foreign visitors who prefer to stay near the small Japanese restaurants and bars of the Ningyocho area of Nihonbashi. A shallow rock pond and stone lantern welcome you inside, but that's where the graces end. The biggest twin rooms are long and narrow, and the bathrooms are tiny units with low ceilings. The best accommodations are the three tatami-floored rooms on the second floor overlooking a small Japanese garden. Multicourse Japanese meals are available at an extra cost in the restaurant, Kappo Sumisho, and the original Mitsukoshi Department Store is within walking distance.

Most of central Tokyo is readily accessible by train from this hotel beside the city's most popular sports facility (check the summer baseball schedule), where entertainments include a small amusement park and a hot-springs spa. Although rooms are a tad tired and awash in beige, they're reasonably sized and feature a sports motif. The 43rd-floor Artist's Cafe offers live music and overlooks the the "Big Egg," home of the Central League's Yomiuri Giants. Batter up!

Just off Cat Street, which connects trendy Shibuya with equally trendy Harajuku (aka Omotesando), this boutique hotel has an open terrace, a lobby-lounge bar, and other common areas where guests have the opportunity to interact with locals and feel a part of Tokyo's creative scene. Each of Trunk's 15 rooms and suites has a unique layout, but all are on the artsy side; some feature an outdoor space. In addition, the hotel offers different experiences like area architecture tours.