Japan is insane. Let’s just start there. Over the years we’ve been blessed to travel to some pretty incredible locations. Every trip we take we come home saying “well that will be hard to beat!” and Japan was no different! The food, the culture, the art, the architecture, you name it… the Japanese do many things (let’s be real - pretty much everything) very, very well.
Our first stop in Japan was the Park Hotel in Tokyo. It is basically an art gallery hotel, as you will notice from the moment you enter the 10 floor high Atrium lobby. It is decorated with original wooden artwork, trees, flowers, and boasts massive floor to ceiling windows that gives you a jaw-dropping view of the city, Tokyo Tower, and Mt. Fuji. It’s pretty surreal.
Your room will take the art gallery feel to the next level, as many of the rooms feature amazing artwork. We stayed in an Artist Room King, which is a premium room where artists created the original artwork. Each room is different, and captures the artists’ particular passion. The artists spend months perfecting their room. (How cool is that?!) Ours was the Kabuki room, which had some incredible paintings both by our bed and in the bathroom.
The Park Hotel is situated in a business district, which is a short walk from the shopping Mecca of Ginza. Although you probably won’t spend too much time in your hotel while you are in Tokyo, the Park Hotel was a great home base that we loved coming back to for a mid-day nap. Note… we also really appreciated this hotel when it came to breakfast. There was an amazing spread of food each day, and we quickly learned that this is not the norm in Japan. Most restaurants nearby did not serve breakfast, or did not open until 10 or 11 am, so it is great to have a hotel that serves a hearty breakfast.
Once we filled up on our breakfast, we would start walking. The Park Hotel is near a train station, and has plenty of sights within walking distance, so you feel like you’re in a good spot. We loved the location, as it was close to popular sights, but a little quieter and off the beaten path. Aka not touristy AT ALL! While we were there we visited the Tokyo Tower, Ginza, the Shiodome area, found some great Ramen, and tried to get lost on small, bustling streets.
At the end of the day, we were so thankful to return to a wonderful staff at the Park Hotel that had our room ready, a spot with a view to drink a glass of wine, and an overall cozy atmosphere. Don’t forget that it is freezing in Tokyo in January… literally. (Bring layers, as most restaurants, shops and bars BLAST their heaters. You’ll be freezing to sweating hot in no time!)
If there’s anything you should know about us, it’s that we love staying in unique hotels. The Park Hotel Tokyo was the perfect blend of a traditional Japanese hotel (the Ryokan), and the 5 star hotels nearby. It is a solid 4 stars, everything is done very well, and it really doubles as an epic art gallery. (Plus the view from the rooms are hard to beat!!)
Side note: We recommend that you stay in Tokyo for at least 5 days. There’s so much to eat, see, and do – you’ll be overwhelmed if you have less time.
We’ll meet you there!