Tokyo’s Coolest Neighborhood Just Got Its First Five-star Hotel
With high-fashion flagships, blinged-out boutiques, and sleek showrooms, glitzy Ginza has a long-held reputation as the centerpiece of Tokyo’s upmarket shopping scene and its premier dining destination. Now, it’s home to one of the city's hottest new hotels, which has already become the place to be for those in the know.
Neighboring Cartier, Bulgari, and Tiffany & Co., The Tokyo Edition, Ginza is the first actual five-star hotel befitting this admired address. Shortly after opening in November 2023, I made the 86-room, 14-floor hideaway my home base for a short stay, allowing me to get up close and personal with not only the affluent area but also the city’s insider cool crowd, who have already made this hotel a hangout hotspot.
Kengo Kuma and Associates are responsible for the design, which is the first draw. The Tokyo-based studio is the hometown hero behind the Japan National Stadium (built for the 2020 Summer Olympics), as well as the Edition’s first arrival in the capital, the Tokyo Edition, Toranomon, which debuted in 2020.
While the 206-room Toranomon location is the undisputed head turner with all the bells and whistles, the smaller and more private Ginza hideout is the understated sibling, letting its prime location do most of the talking.
Nicole Trilivas