When the cherry blossoms started to flower in March, Japan reached a new monthly record: 3 million international tourist arrivals. Every month since, it’s continued to meet—or exceed—that once-impossible bar, outpacing 2019 figures by 10% and doubling the number from summer 2023. And that’s without the full-throated return of Chinese visitors, who used to be a top source market for Japan’s tourism industry but are still down 40% compared with pre-pandemic arrivals, according to data from CoStar.
The tumbling yen, which at around 150 to the US dollar is the lowest it’s been in almost four decades, is one important factor in Japan’s tourism boom. But so are the country’s more perennial draws: a reverence for tradition, fascinating history, cutting-edge fashion and technology and, of course, incredible food. But the currency devaluation hasn’t made everything cheaper.
The country’s hotels have pegged pricing to foreign currency rather than the yen to capitalize on international demand (and to continue making up for the two years its borders were shuttered during the Covid-19 pandemic). In fact, CoStar data show that hotel prices have risen 20% from a year earlier in each of the past 19 months, with no signs of slowing down. That means you’ll still pay around $800 for an entry-level luxury hotel room—a figure that’s consistent with 2019 prices.
Fret not. There are still great deals to be had, especially among brands that cater more to Japanese travelers than Americans, such as Mitsui Garden Hotels, which has more than a dozen properties in Tokyo that are all well worth booking—especially the ones in the Ginza area. Our picks below—from brand-spankin’-new entries to established classics—are the best rooms you can get in Tokyo without breaking the bank.
They can all be booked for less than $500 per night, even if those lowest-available prices become elusive during peak cherry blossom and fall foliage months. To take best advantage, consider a last-minute August trip; the costs bottom out when the weather is maximally hot and humid. 1.
Trunk (Hotel) Yoyogi Park Tokyo’s most beloved wedding and event impresario, Yoshitaka Nojiri, has made a second career as the city’s coolest hotelier as of late. Look no further than the ultra-private Trunk (Hotel) Yoyogi Park, which he opened last year as an intimate follow-up—and the perfect foil—to his buzzier, bar-centric Trunk flagship in Shibuya. You’ll still honor the $500-per-night budget even if you splurge on a park-view room, bypassing tight entry-level floor plans in favor of floor-to-ceiling windows facing a lush landscape.
But the hotel’s real draw is the marble-tiled rooftop pool (where breakfast is served); it’s one of the coolest places to hang out in the city, with a heated Jacuzzi that’s inviting no matter the season. Dua Lipa was there when we stayed. Rooms from $390 2.
Yuen Bettei Daita Its unbeatable location in ultra-trendy Shimokitazawa—known for its street fashion, vintage boutiques and great noodle bars—makes Yuen Bettei Daita a refreshing change of pace from the more common (but corporatized) areas of Shimbashi, Shinjuku or Otemachi. And with just 35 rooms, it feels like a traditional ryokan, complete with throwback wooden architecture and shoji-screened walls. Entry-level options are teensy, at 200 square feet, but the minimalist decor helps to maximize space.
And all guests have access to the on-site ground-level onsen, where hot-spring water is piped in from the mountains outside the city. Rooms from $260 3. Hotel Toranomon Hills If you’re not yet familiar with “Japandi” style, which blends Scandinavian furniture with Japan’s traditionally Spartan aesthetic, this Unbound Collection by Hyatt hotel will give you the crash course.
The 205-room luxury-light property, which opened in late 2023 as a midrange alternative to the more expensive Andaz and the more corporate Park Hyatt, is all done up with blond wood and greige upholstery. Besides the unobstructed Tokyo Tower views from many of the suites, our favorite amenity is the gratis club room access. It’s like a posh airport lounge—complete with complimentary snacks, plenty of desk space and lavish shower suites—where you can freshen up before check-in or after checkout.
As for the location: You’re right in the Toranomon district, the city’s newest shopping and dining enclave. Rooms from $330 4. The Aoyama Grand Hotel Location, location, location: The Aoyama Grand Hotel is about as close as you’ll get to the Fifth Avenue-esque drag of Omotesando-dori, lined with the likes of Dior, Vuitton and Loewe.
But that doesn’t make this hotel stuffy or unapproachable; on the contrary, it feels like a friend’s trendy loft, with bright accent walls and bold modern paintings. Try to avoid the six “garden view” rooms, which face a thin, interior shaft; the other 36 rooms benefit from stunning views of the city’s patchwork of skyscrapers, along with the low-slung mansions of the hotel’s namesake neighborhood. Rooms from $350 5.
Hotel Gajoen Tokyo The Hotel Gajoen Tokyo is many things: a rambling wedding venue, a vast museum containing more than 1,000 works of Japanese art, a campus of restaurants and bars, and, oh yeah, it has rooms you can sleep in, too. They’re no afterthought, either. The oversize suites blend Japanese bonsai, cedar paneling and geometric chrysanthemum motifs with Western practicalities, such as raised beds and Napoleonic hutches.
It’s a steep five-minute hike to the nearest metro, but you’re in the hip Meguro district, near a ton of great boutiques and restaurants that tourists often overlook. Rooms from $260 6. Conrad Tokyo It’s been 20 years since Hilton cut the ribbon on the Conrad Tokyo, which may be why the luxe spot charges around $300 less than its five-star competitors.
Yes, the early-aughts catalog decor needs a bit of a refresh, and it’s a hassle to get on the metro from here. But age hasn’t diminished this hotel’s perennial draws, including a substantial spa and swimming pool, a bevy of fine dining and truly attentive service. Plus, you’ll get more impressive sweeping city views here than at the city’s newer and glitzier spots.
Rooms from $300.
