If you have a luxury tour to Japan on the cards, lucky you. Whether you’re looking for see-it-to-believe-it skyscrapers, zen retreats in the forest, sleek addresses in shopping districts, cozy traditional inns, thermal spa sanctuaries, or all of the above, our favorite Japan hotels guarantee you one thing: a super-soft and soothing landing in this dazzling country.
Experience it Yourself On: Majestic Japan
1. Tokyo Edition, Ginza
Just off Chuo Street, with its many lavish boutiques and department stores, this is one of the best hotels in Tokyo for couples, particularly if those couples love to shop. The sleek building glows amber, like a 14-storey lantern, and it’s topped with a lush green oasis-like rooftop bar. For the colder months, there’s the Punch Room, proudly Japan’s first punch-focused cocktail bar. Rooms are exquisitely adorned with warm walnut wood and white faux furs.
Credit: @editionginza on Instagram
2. Hoshino Resorts Oirase Keiryu Hotel
This is one of our favorite luxury stays on our Majestic Japan journey, not least for its dazzling views of the Oirase Stream. In the winter, you can enjoy natural hot springs among frozen waterfalls and snow-capped rock formations. These are some of the most epic surroundings a hotel can have; why not be luxuriating in warm water while you behold them? Rooms are chic and understated, with huge windows to remind you where you are.
Credit: @hoshinoresorts_oirasekeiryuhtl on Instagram
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3. Aman Kyoto
There are over 400 Shinto shrines in Kyoto and Aman Kyoto is the perfect luxury ryokan-inspired base from which to explore as many as possible. After a hard day’s basking in the golden glory of Kinkaku-ji (a zen temple, very nearby), flop in your light-filled room, soaking up floor-to-ceiling forest views, or – better yet – in the soothing spa, with its indoor and outdoor onsen, and treatments that draw on Japan’s apothecary (green tea, tamba kuromame black beans, sake and cold-pressed camellia oil).
Credit: @aman_kyoto on Instagram
4. Janu Tokyo
Janu is Aman’s little sibling brand and this was its first iteration – in the luxury enclave of Azabudai Hills. Unlike the Amans, which provide full escapist luxury spa breaks, Janu feels more connected to its neighborhood, with a buzzier vibe, splashes of colour and cuisine worth traversing the city for. There are eight places to eat, including Hu Jing (sparkly Cantonese food) and Sumi (13 seats around a wood grill).
Credit: @janutokyo on Instagram
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5. Azumi Setoda, Hiroshima
Now one of the best hotels in Japan, this special place was (for 140 years) the family estate of the Horiuchi family. The luxury minimalism at play here involves lots of gentle, smooth cypress and cedar woods, shoji screens, hinoki bath tubs, washi paper and white linens. The Horiuchi family were the largest salt barons on Ikuchijima island in the Meiji Period. The island’s location in the middle of the Seto Inland Sea was an optimal location and now means: sea breeze on the balcony of your gorgeous tatami room.
Credit: @azumi.setoda on Instagram
6. The Mitsui, Kyoto
Across the road from UNESCO World Heritage Site Nijo Castle, this 160-room glossy retreat is newly built on the grounds of the centuries-old former residence of the powerful Mitsui family. An all-glass lounge looks out to the courtyard garden, with its cherry tree and twinkling pond. But after a full day of Kyoto sightseeing, the spa is the star – the subterranean hot spring offers dark stone walls and the sound of running water for deep relaxation.
Credit: @hotel_the_mitsui_kyoto on Instagram
7. Hoshinoya Tokyo
This high-rise ryokan is one of the most seamless luxury hotels in Japan for blending traditional design and customs with cozy, city-slick mod-cons. Upon entry, a member of staff will tuck your shoes into one of the bamboo cubbies in the hall and from there, everything is softer. Breakfast is one of the most esconcing experiences in the city – a bento-style parade of fish, pickles, tamago, and fresh tea. Nowhere says ‘you are here’ quite like Hoshinoya Tokyo.
Credit: @hoshinoya.official on Instagram
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8. Benesse House, Naoshima
Part-hotel, part-museum, Benesse House is a deeply special address on the island of Naoshima, known as the art island. The rooms themselves are luxurious but simple, with floor-to-ceiling views over the Inland Sea – majestic at sunset. But it’s the proximity to the artworks that makes this one of the best hotels in Japan. Art is everywhere, including scattered locations along the seashore – Niki de Sant Phalle’s elephant and cat, for instance – and Kusama’s iconic pumpkin.
Credit @benesse.artsite on Instagram
9 Mimaru apartments, various locations
There are 15 of these in Tokyo alone, and more than 25 across the country. Mimaru is an incredibly useful name to know because these represent some of the best hotels in Japan for families. They are conveniently located and the spacious rooms have separate sleeping areas (sometimes with bunkbeds). They have beautiful bathrooms, well-appointed kitchenettes and (all-important, with kids) laundry services.
10. The Ritz Carlton, Nikko
One of the most serene luxury hotels in Japan, this one is set within Nikko National Park, on the shores of Lake Chuzenji, beneath the revered Mount Nantai, which is a sacred deity in Shinto. Soak up the tranquility from your big, soothing room’s engawa (porch), with a cashmere blanket and a view of the lake or mountains. Sink even further into warm, cedar-scented bliss in the outside onsen.
What is the most luxurious place in Japan?
If you just want to know what’s happening among the creme de la creme of luxury hotels in Japan, go to Tokyo for big-name, five-star addresses that keep getting sleeker, chicer and more divine. But if you like the idea of sumptuous high-end ryokans, Kyoto might be more your cup of (sencha) tea.
Where do celebrities stay in Japan?
All of the addresses above will make you feel like a celebrity, but each will also protect your privacy. We do know that Beyonce has stayed at The Mitsui Kyoto. And that Kim K’s favorite hotel is the Aman Tokyo. And that the Lost in Translation hotel is the Park Hyatt Tokyo. That just about covers it.
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