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Tokyo TRAVEL GUIDE AND DEALS

Tokyo spent most of history as an out-of-the-way backwater, but about 400 years ago the shogun (military ruler) built his castle here and the city has never looked back. Now a world-leader in business, education, finance, media, manufacturing and shipping, it’s managed to avoid the problems that plague cities elsewhere: poverty, homelessness, and crime are virtually unheard of. What’s left is a sprawling metropolis populated by literate, cosmopolitan, gourmet, gracious, hospitable and stylish denizens. Public transportation works like a dream, and people respect each other’s quiet and privacy. And you can forget that old saw about Tokyo being prohibitively expensive – while it’s possible to spend a fortune, you certainly don’t have to.

Why Go

 An exciting and enormous metropolis, Tokyo is equal parts Japanese history lesson, and glimpse into the future.

Tokyo Travel Deals

Tokyo Hotels

Tokyo abounds with top-notch western-style hotels; many of the best have opened since the millennium. Even basic hotels provide amenities you won’t find at most American hotels: toothbrushes, razors, pajamas or yukata (light cotton bathrobes) for sleeping, a pot in your room for making green tea, and complimentary internet access with your own laptop. Plus, many hotels have cutting-edge design – from soaring lobbies in the upper reaches of skyscrapers to walls of washi-paper sculpture. The one thing that virtually no Japanese hotel has, however, is lots of square footage or storage space in the rooms – so pack lightly.

= Smart Splurge = Great Value

Children's Castle Hotel
This central hotel is meant for kids, solving the age-old dilemma of where to stay with the little dears – it also gets... family

Crowne Plaza Metropolitan Tokyo
Metro station-adjacent tower with 800-plus guest rooms, internet, fitness center, and pool (open in summer). The “sky... family | pool

Keio Plaza Hotel
The soaring Tokyo Metropolitan Government offices are just outside your window here, and on a clear day, you can see Mt. Fuji....

Royal Park Shiodome Tower
Perched atop an office building (the lobby’s on the 24th floor and the rooms go up from there), the Royal Park offers... great value

The B Akasaka
Rooms here are typical size for Japanese “business hotels” (read: small), but the B has updated the concept with something... business

Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi
Just a three minutes’ walk to Tokyo Station (for easy arrival and quick getaways) is this 57-room den of noble, striated... luxury | smart splurge | expensive

Hotel Okura Tokyo
The public spaces of this old-time standby and longtime favorite of North American visitors (not least for its proximity to... smart splurge | expensive | location

Mandarin Oriental Tokyo
Where to begin at this 179-room gem atop the Nihombashi financial district? The lobby is on the 38th floor, decked out with... smart splurge

Park Hyatt Tokyo
The sleek, minimalist rooms at the hotel made famous for its starring role in Lost in Translation sit atop a tower by Pritzker... smart splurge | expensive

Ritz-Carlton Tokyo
Tokyo Midtown, the shopping/dining/entertainment/museum complex opened spring 2007, has become an overnight success, and we... new | smart splurge | expensive

Hotel Asia Center of Japan
Rooms are clean but cramped, and you have to pay extra to connect your computer to the internet. But with rates one-tenth... business | location

Shigetsu Ryokan
Traditional Japanese inns are hard to come by in Tokyo, but this one in the Asakusa old town district has rooms with tatami... culture | historic

Toyoko Inn Chain
The words “Toyoko” and “Inn” are magic among budget travelers across Japan. Rooms are institutional,...

Villa Fontaine Roppongi
This chain sits at the top end of the budget category (and many rooms veer into the moderate range), but lots of freebies help... location

Children's Castle Hotel
This central hotel is meant for kids, solving the age-old dilemma of where to stay with the little dears – it also gets... family

Crowne Plaza Metropolitan Tokyo
Metro station-adjacent tower with 800-plus guest rooms, internet, fitness center, and pool (open in summer). The “sky... family | pool

Keio Plaza Hotel
The soaring Tokyo Metropolitan Government offices are just outside your window here, and on a clear day, you can see Mt. Fuji....

Royal Park Shiodome Tower
Perched atop an office building (the lobby’s on the 24th floor and the rooms go up from there), the Royal Park offers... great value

The B Akasaka
Rooms here are typical size for Japanese “business hotels” (read: small), but the B has updated the concept with something... business

Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi
Just a three minutes’ walk to Tokyo Station (for easy arrival and quick getaways) is this 57-room den of noble, striated... smart splurge | trendy | expensive

Hotel Okura Tokyo
The public spaces of this old-time standby and longtime favorite of North American visitors (not least for its proximity to... smart splurge | expensive | location

Mandarin Oriental Tokyo
Where to begin at this 179-room gem atop the Nihombashi financial district? The lobby is on the 38th floor, decked out with... smart splurge

Park Hyatt Tokyo
The sleek, minimalist rooms at the hotel made famous for its starring role in Lost in Translation sit atop a tower by Pritzker... smart splurge | expensive

Ritz-Carlton Tokyo
Tokyo Midtown, the shopping/dining/entertainment/museum complex opened spring 2007, has become an overnight success, and we... new | smart splurge | expensive

Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi
Just a three minutes’ walk to Tokyo Station (for easy arrival and quick getaways) is this 57-room den of noble, striated... luxury | smart splurge | expensive

Hotel Asia Center of Japan
Rooms are clean but cramped, and you have to pay extra to connect your computer to the internet. But with rates one-tenth... business | location

Shigetsu Ryokan
Traditional Japanese inns are hard to come by in Tokyo, but this one in the Asakusa old town district has rooms with tatami... culture | historic

Toyoko Inn Chain
The words “Toyoko” and “Inn” are magic among budget travelers across Japan. Rooms are institutional,...

Villa Fontaine Roppongi
This chain sits at the top end of the budget category (and many rooms veer into the moderate range), but lots of freebies help... location

Tokyo Restaurants

Tokyo has a reputation as one of the world’s most expensive cities for eating, but it certainly doesn’t need to be. Alongside some explosively expensive restaurants are other places with prices that are reasonable even by American standards. Don’t worry if you can’t make sense of the menu. Many restaurants have amazingly lifelike plastic models of their dishes in the front window, making it easy to point and eat. Good places for restaurant browsing include Roppongi Hills, Tokyo Midtown and the Shibuya district, with dozens of options from food courts to celebrity-chef-helmed hotspots. For a quick grab ’n’ go, department store food floors, and even convenience stores, offer inexpensive and wholesomely prepared and packaged foods.

= Smart Splurge = Great Value

Department store food floors
Snack and ogle as you weave through the depachika (food stalls in the basement levels of most department stores). You’ll... international | department store

Din Tai Fung
Expect line-out-the-door crowds of serious foodies at the Tokyo branch of perhaps the world’s most famous dumpling house:... chinese

Maisen
Even if you know sushi, sukiyaki, soba, udon and ramen, you might not know tonkatsu (breaded and fried pork cutlet). It’s a... japanese

Tenkaippin
Ramen (Chinese-style noodles in broth) is an obsession among the Japanese – particularly businesspeople and party... open late | japanese

Elio Locanda
High-end southern Italian cuisine near the Imperial Palace, in a setting of rustic elegance. Pastas are handmade, and seasonal... italian

Joël Robuchon
Leave the kids at the hotel and dress in your finest for dinner at this palace boasting the full three Michelin stars.... smart splurge | french

Shunbou
Inside the Grand Hyatt Tokyo (at Roppongi Hills), Shunbou serves high-flying izakaya (Japanese pub-style) cooking: Kyoto-style... smart splurge | trendy | japanese

Takamura
Kaiseki is considered the pinnacle of Japanese cuisine: course after tiny course of exquisitely prepared, seasonal dishes... smart splurge | japanese | small plates | reservations required

Gonpachi
Dining in this cavernous restaurant is a rite of passage for expats to Tokyo. Expect a wide-ranging menu with an emphasis on... japanese

Las Chicas
The name of this trendy café which is hidden down a side street in the fashionable Harajuku/Jingumae area, is Spanish,... international

Midori-zushi
Shibuya branch of a beloved suburban sushi bar, offering the same quality and reasonable prices. Sitting at the counter makes... great value | sushi

Yuian
You’ll be as dazzled by the views (from the 52nd floor of a Shinjuku skyscraper) as you are by the culinary artistry at this... view | japanese

Department store food floors
Snack and ogle as you weave through the depachika (food stalls in the basement levels of most department stores). You’ll... international | department store

Din Tai Fung
Expect line-out-the-door crowds of serious foodies at the Tokyo branch of perhaps the world’s most famous dumpling house:... chinese

Maisen
Even if you know sushi, sukiyaki, soba, udon and ramen, you might not know tonkatsu (breaded and fried pork cutlet). It’s a... japanese

Tenkaippin
Ramen (Chinese-style noodles in broth) is an obsession among the Japanese – particularly businesspeople and party... open late | japanese

Elio Locanda
High-end southern Italian cuisine near the Imperial Palace, in a setting of rustic elegance. Pastas are handmade, and seasonal... italian

Joël Robuchon
Leave the kids at the hotel and dress in your finest for dinner at this palace boasting the full three Michelin stars.... smart splurge | french

Shunbou
Inside the Grand Hyatt Tokyo (at Roppongi Hills), Shunbou serves high-flying izakaya (Japanese pub-style) cooking: Kyoto-style... smart splurge | trendy | japanese

Takamura
Kaiseki is considered the pinnacle of Japanese cuisine: course after tiny course of exquisitely prepared, seasonal dishes... smart splurge | japanese | small plates | reservations required

Gonpachi
Dining in this cavernous restaurant is a rite of passage for expats to Tokyo. Expect a wide-ranging menu with an emphasis on... japanese

Las Chicas
The name of this trendy café which is hidden down a side street in the fashionable Harajuku/Jingumae area, is Spanish,... international

Midori-zushi
Shibuya branch of a beloved suburban sushi bar, offering the same quality and reasonable prices. Sitting at the counter makes... great value | sushi

Yuian
You’ll be as dazzled by the views (from the 52nd floor of a Shinjuku skyscraper) as you are by the culinary artistry at this... view | japanese

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