Review: Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi

Why book?

The Four Seasons has been a presence in Tokyo’s luxury hotel scene for years with its Marunouchi property near Tokyo Station, but now—with the opening of this, the Otemachi sister hotel—the brand has reestablished itself as a major force to be reckoned with when choosing among the finest places to stay around town.

Set the scene

Step off the elevator into the lobby and you’ll immediately be struck by the city views out the floor-to-ceiling windows on the far side of a tranquil water feature swooshing across the ground. To your left are guests and ladies who lunch, sipping high tea and Instagrammable snacks, and enjoying the unobstructed views of Mount Fuji across the lush imperial gardens down below. Move beyond to find a passageway to some of the best dining in the city, and upstairs are rooms so plush—yet also somehow embracing Japanese austerity—that you’ll never want to leave.

Rooms

Simply put: no hotel in the city has better vistas of the imperial gardens or Mount Fuji, just make sure you request a west-facing suite — the Deluxe Room - Imperial Garden View are our favorites, with an oversized tub propped right up against the window. The decor toes the line between refined international elegance and subtle Asian motifs; you’ll instantly know that you’re in a Four Seasons, but also never forget that you’re in Japan.

Food & drink

Even if you’re not staying here, we highly recommend booking dinner at Est; or “east” in French, but we’re fond of the notion that the name is some kind of superlative suffix, “-est” in that it does everything so darn well. You’ve surely heard of East/West fusion dining before, but few have done it so elaborately and wholly as the resident chef Guillaume Bracaval and his team. Japanese ingredients are honored through the French cooking tradition that not only nails the flavors but looks stunning on the plate as well—we dare you not to take photos of the multi-course meal, which ends with masterful pastry work. The menu is seasonal, so there’s no excuse not to eat there twice if you’re a frequent Tokyo visitor. After dinner, retreat to Virtu, a glitzy nightclub of a bar which borrows the same culinary ethos: reimagining French favorites using Japanese staples.

Spa

The property vies for best hotel pool, with a long rectangular basin perfect for laps, and enviable views out the window. A suite of therapy rooms come calling after a long day out on the town; personal training services are available as well.

Neighborhood

Otemachi is more of a financial hub than a proper neighborhood—a handful of recommended hotels are in the vicinity, too—but it’s a stone’s throw from bustling Ginza or temple-ridden Asakusa, and the gridded streets make it abundantly easy to navigate by foot.

Service

Every bit as friendly and helpful as any other Four Seasons hotel.