Where to Stay - Tokyo - page 98

98

the garden views are worth the splurge). Don't miss a stroll through the garden, which
contains several charming, traditional Japanese restaurants; a pagoda; and stone monuments.
2-10-8 Sekiguchi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8667. & 800/819-5053 in the U.S. and Canada, or 03/3943-
2222. Fax [phone]. www.fourseasons.com/tokyo. 259 units. ¥52,500-¥57,750 single; ¥57,750-
¥70,350 double; from ¥84,000 suite. Rates exclude service charge and hotel tax. AE, DC, MC, V. Station:
Edogawabashi (exit 1a, a 10-min. walk along a cherry-tree-lined canal or a 2-min. ride). Amenities: 3
restaurants (plus 3 tenant restaurants in the garden); 2 lounges; babysitting; concierge; executive-level
rooms; health club w/indoor pool and spa (fee: ¥4,200); room service. In room: A/C, TV/DVD and DVD
library, CD player, hair dryer, high-speed Internet, minibar, MP3 docking station.

5 EXPENSIVE

Prices for hotels in this section range from ¥32,000 to ¥50,000.
GINZA & HIBIYA
Imperial Hotel Located across from Hibiya Park, within walking dis-
tance of the Ginza and Imperial Palace, this is one of Tokyo's best-known and most
popular hotels. The Imperial's trademark is impeccable service: Guests are treated like
royalty. The Imperial's history goes back to 1890, when it opened at the request of the
Imperial family to house the many foreigners coming to Japan; it was rebuilt in 1922 by
Frank Lloyd Wright, but the present hotel dates from 1970, with a 31-story tower added
in 1983. Wright's legacy lives on in the hotel's Art Deco Old Imperial Bar (p. 257) and
Wright-inspired designs and furniture in public spaces. (Part of Wright's original struc-
ture survives at Meiji-Mura, an architectural museum outside Nagoya.) A full range of
facilities includes one of the few hotels with a children's day-care center. Rooms in the
main building are quite large for Tokyo, while Tower rooms, slightly smaller, are higher
up, have floor-to-ceiling bay windows, and offer fantastic views of either Imperial Palace
grounds or, my preference, the Ginza. All come with first-class amenities you'd expect
from one of Tokyo's top hotels, as well as such appreciated extras as a hands-free phone,
safes with plug-ins for laptops, and one-touch bedside controls for lights, drapes, and
music. Tip: Become a member of the Imperial Club (membership is free), and you can
use the small pool and gym free of charge.
1-1-1 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8558. & 800/223-6800 in the U.S. and Canada, or
03/3504-1111. Fax [phone]. www.imperialhotel.co.jp/e/tokyo. 1,019 units. ¥33,600—¥57,750 sin-
gle; ¥38,850-¥63,000 double; from ¥63,000 suite. Imperial Floor ¥45,150-¥63,000 single; ¥50,400-
¥68,250 double. Rates exclude service charge and hotel tax. AE, DC, MC, V. Station: Hibiya (1 min.).
Amenities: 13 restaurants, including Kamon, Ten-ichi, and the Imperial Viking Sal (p. 129, 131 and 132);
2 bars; 2 lounges; babysitting; children's day-care center, for ages 2 weeks to 6 years (fee: ¥5,250 for 2 hr.);
concierge; executive-level rooms; exercise room (fee: ¥1,050; free for Imperial Club members); 20th-floor
indoor pool (fee: ¥1,050; free for Imperial Club members); room service; sauna; in-house doctor; tea-
ceremony room; post office. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, high-speed Internet, minibar.

5

NIHOMBASHI & AROUND TOKYO STATION
Marunouchi Hotel Opened in 2004 as a modern replacement of a 1924 hotel,
this low-key accommodation is well situated in the heart of Tokyo's business district; its
location, just north of Tokyo Station's Marunouchi exit, makes it also convenient to both
train and plane travel. Occupying the top 11 floors of the Marunouchi Oazo glass high-
rise, it exudes an almost Zen-like solemnity, with bare wooden floors and shoji-like walls