If you’re travelling to Tokyo, why not check in to one of these high-design boutique hotels?
Six hotels in Tokyo that put design at the forefront.

(Photos: Toggle Hotel & K5)
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Tokyo has no shortage of hotels. The Statista website tallied 3.77 thousand ryokans and hotel facilities as of March 2023. Of course, that number has increased by now. Most international hotel brands have snagged a spot in the city; some, like the Four Seasons and EDITION brands have two in different locations across the metropolis.
Aside from known five-star brand names housed in gleaming modern towers, there are also plentiful boutique properties with rich design in Tokyo. We highlight six, together with memorable and inspiring places to visit in their respective neighbourhoods.
DDD HOTEL

Designed by architect Koichi Futatsumata and his team at design studio Case-Real, DDD Hotel in Nihonbashi is full of delightful and quirky details. The building was formerly a business hotel for 37 years but reopened in 2019 as a property that aims to be more than a place to sleep.


An art display at the foyer and street-level window signals the hotel’s artistic slant. The main art gallery, Parcel, is housed in the hotel’s former parking space. During my stay, New York- and Tokyo-based Ai Makita dystopia imagery and Kan Izumi’s work with fragrance provided layered encounters for guests. On the first floor is also Michelin-starred, and sustainability-focused French restaurant Nol, helmed by culinary director Tatsuya Noda and chef Takashi Tanno.
Case-Real retained the original facade’s arched windows and bricks. Mosaic tiles, moss green colour brass elements give the hotel an understated feel with plenty of tactility. The second-floor reception has picture windows framing street views. Formerly a level for guestrooms, it is now the hotel’s social space with a cafe called Abno and Phase Music Bar & Lounge with occasional live performances.
WHAT'S IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
Sumida Hokusai Museum

This museum is in the Sumida district but since you are in this part of town, it is worth the walk across the Sumida River to visit it. Acclaimed Pritzker Prize-winning architect Kazuyo Sejima who helms the firm SANAA designed the angular building with a shimmery metal facade. The museum has more than 1,800 works by ukiyo-e woodblock painter Katsushika Hokusai, who had lived in Sumida over 200 years ago.
Parklet Bakery
A 20-minute walk from the hotel is this quaint cafe and bakery that overlooks a large playground. Enjoy freshly made breads like miso pecan boules and ricotta toast with lemon curd and Mint together with pastries like cheddar black pepper scones in a design-savvy setting.
K5

This Japanese-owned boutique hotel and member of Design Hotels is also in Nihonbashi but it is so gorgeous we could not leave it out of the list. It is named after the address in Kabuto-cho 5 and is housed in a 1920s four-storey, former Dai-ichi bank headquarters.


The 20-key hotel’s rich palette by Stockholm-based architectural firm Claesson Koivisto Rune includes raw concrete, original parquet flooring, copper elements, coloured glass panels and designer furniture, many designed by the firm. Suifu chochin bamboo-and-washi paper lanterns, as well as shibori curtains around the beds in Signature K5 guestrooms give the spaces a romantic yet modern appeal.
On the ground floor is Ao tea and library bar offering tea- and herb-infused natural cocktails, Switch coffee stand and Caveman bar and restaurant with a menu influenced by Japanese, French and Scandinavian cuisine. The latter, run by famous owner-chef Atsuki Kuroda, is always packed.
WHAT'S IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
Ease Patisserie
Opened by pastry chef Keisuke Oyama, have your fill of pretty desserts like Kaki – a sandwich cake featuring chunks of persimmon in a brown butter and cheese crème mousseline – and Pistachio and Wasanbon Stollen with white raisins and pistachios soaked in wine.
Artizon Museum
The history of Artizon Museum (formerly Bridgestone Museum of Art that opened in 1952) begins with Ishibashi Shojiro, the founder of Bridgestone Corporation (the world’s largest tire and rubber company). It brings in high-quality antique, modern Japanese and Western art exhibitions. One of the current exhibitions that runs till Feb 9, 2025 is a selection from the Ishibashi Foundation Collection Special Section Matisse’s Studio.
TOGGLE HOTEL

Toggle Hotel is designed by Klein Dytham Architecture (KDa) – the architecture firm behind the popular Tsutaya bookstore and culture destination Daikanyama T-Site. Its name comes from the idea that guests can switch off for leisure or switched on for work at the hotel.Toggle is located in Suidobashi near the Tokyo Dome. Its yellow-and-grey stripped facade was designed like an attention-grabbing billboard and offers a hint of the colourful world within. Aside from a restaurant and cafe at the lush rooftop, the 84 guestrooms are marked by a colour-blocking scheme for each floor.


KDa also hoped for the use of colour to brighten guests’ days. There are 10 different room types in about 60 different colour combinations, including loft configurations that allow three persons to stay in a room. Despite the closeness to transportation lines, the interiors are sound insulated.
WHAT'S IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
Tomita Shoten
Located in an early Showa-era bookstore and renovated by architect Taichi Kuma, this is a cosy Italian-Japanese restaurant. The menu also includes interesting dishes from fiction and popular culture such as Marge’s Homemade Pork Chops (a dish on The Simpsons) and Strassbourg Saussage in Tomato Stew, inspired by the eating scenes in Haruki Marukami’s Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World.
Koishikawa Korakuen Garden

For some respite from urban bustle, the Koishikawa Korakuen Garden is just a four-minute walk away. Located next to the Tokyo Dome, it is one of the city’s oldest Japanese gardens from the Edo Period, and during fall, glowing ginkgo trees colour the entrance.
ALL DAY PLACE SHIBUYA

All Day Place Shibuya was created by Japanese company UDS Ltd. Designed by architecture and design practice DDAA, its location – just five minutes from Shibuya Station – makes it a great base for exploring areas like Harajuku, Aoyama and Omotesando. The expansive Yoyogi Park is also just a 10-minute walk away.

Most of the 160 rooms are compact but nicely designed. For four guests, the Party Suite is a capacious room with a large screen projector, and tableware and cutleries for party use. For couples that want a more luxurious stay, book the Weekend Suite that has a superior sound system, a curated book selection and hand-drip coffee equipment.


On the first floor is a bar/ kiosk and cafe serving Onibus Coffee and tipple from Danish craft beer brewery Mikkeller. On the second floor is Good Cheese Good Pizza. The pizza cheese is made fresh from milk delivered daily to the restaurant from a dairy farm in Kiyose in Tokyo.
WHAT'S IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
The Music Bar – Cave Shibuya
After a day of shopping and museum hopping, end your day here to enjoy a DJ spinning vinyl records from a library of over 3,000 albums selected by musicians like Takeshi Kobayashi. Drinks like Shitamachi Vibes (ingredients include Kinobi gin, plum and Houji tea) accompany a comprehensive list of spirits and wines.
D47 Museum
Located on the eighth floor of the Shibuya Hikarie building, the gallery’s exhibits are thematically based on Japan’s 47 prefectures, varied design topics or product categories. Craft objects from the different prefectures, as well as prefecture-based design travel guidebooks published by the museum are also on sale.
THE AOYAMA GRAND HOTEL

The Aoyama Grand Hotel is located at the top few floors of a mixed-use, high-rise building. Its rich design makes it a great accompaniment to the high-end Aoyama neighbourhood, where the latest streetwear shops nestle among restaurants and Instagram-worthy architecture.


The 40 guestrooms and suites have a mid-century modernist vibe. They are dressed with plentiful design icons like chairs from Italian brand Arflex and works by artists LA-based Slowdown Studio. Wood, carpets, and patterned textiles lend to a sophisticated and restful backdrop.
For F&B, there is plenty to choose from: The Belcomo all-day dining restaurant and bar, Japanese restaurant Shikaku, Tonkatsu Junchan (a famous Tonkatsu speciality restaurant only opened for lunch), Italian restaurant Rossi offering rooftop views, and Edo-style sushi restaurant Aoyama Sushi Kanesaka.
WHAT'S IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
21_21 Design Sight Tokyo

The museum created by Japanese architect Tadao Ando and fashion designer Issey Miyake is a favourite destination for creatives. It sits low in the park setting, like a piece of folded origami made from concrete, glass and a roof of hand-sanded steel that was inspired by Miyake’s A-POC (‘A Piece of Cloth’) concept.
Karimoku Research Center
Take an 18-minute stroll past the tranquil, scenic grounds of the Aoyama Cemetery to the newly opened Karimoku Research Center by Japanese furniture brand, Karimoku. The building was renovated by architect Keiji Ashizawa, who has designed many Blue Bottle Coffee locations around Asia, as well as the new Trunk (Hotel) Yoyogi Park together with Norm Architects.
YANAKA SOW

Yanak offers a different side of Tokyo. Located in the Taito district, it is one of the few towns in the city where the old Shitamachi atmosphere is still present as the area survived the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and the bombings of World War II. It was developed as a temple area in the Edo Period so there are still many shrines intact.


Yanaka Sow is a boutique hotel that aims to capture the spirit of the area with the concept ‘Dig Through Culture’. Collaborators include Sekisui House Real Estate Tokyo, Ltd, Airbnb, creative company Orange and Partners, and Japanese tourism company Compass Stay. A cross between a curated Airbnb and upscale motel, Yanaka Sow has books in each room relating to the room’s theme, such as House Where Tea Master Lives and Eat Tokyo.

On the ground floor is a small library, a laundry room where one can listen to cassette tapes, and copies of an original Yanaka guidebook one can pick up. Tours with a local guide can also be arranged. Art at Yanaka Sow is thoughtful, with pieces found in the small lobby and guestrooms that are dressed in a simple modern-Japanese style.
WHAT'S IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
Scai The Bathhouse
Scai The Bathhouse is one of Tokyo’s top contemporary art galleries, featuring Japanese artists from the post-war advant-garde to the present day. The gallery space is in a renovated, 200-year-old public bathhouse, Kashiwayu, which opened in 1993.
Museca Times