New 2023 Tokyo Hotel Openings and Camellia Festivals

With the relaxation of border measures last October, entry into Japan is now almost on par with the way it was before the pandemic. An array of new hotels will open in 2023 welcoming visitors from abroad. Here are some of the noteworthy hotels that will be opening in Tokyo in 2023:

BELLUSTAR TOKYO, A Pan Pacific Hotel: BELLUSTAR TOKYO, A Pan Pacific Hotel is a luxury hotel where guests can enjoy special spaces far from the madding crowd down below. Japanese culture is woven into the interiors of guest rooms, while windows seven meters wide offer an amazing panorama of Tokyo spread out before you. The Sky Private Villa on the topmost floors features a restaurant three levels tall that offers stunning views, a spa where one can experience the four seasons and bounty of Japan’s soil while surrounded by dramatic sights, and five penthouse suites that offer guests the finest in Japanese-style hospitality. 

Location: TOKYU KABUKICHO TOWER, Opening May 19, 2023

Floor: 97 rooms (including 5 penthouses)

Address: 1-29-1, Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, 1600021 Tokyo

TOKYU KABUKICHO TOWER 39F – 47F

Access: 

One minute on foot from Seibu-Shinjuku Station of the Seibu Shinjuku Line

Seven minutes on foot from Shinjuku Station on the JR lines, Odakyu Line, or Keio Line

Eight minutes on foot from Shinjuku-sanchome Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line, Fukutoshin Line, or Toei Subway-Shinjuku Line

BULGARI HOTEL TOKYO: Scheduled to open in April in Tokyo Midtown Yaesu in front of Tokyo Station.  The Hotel will occupy the top seven floors – 39th-45th – of an ultra-skyscraper planned for construction in the Yaesu 2-Chome North District Category-I Urban Redevelopment Project. Bulgari Hotel Tokyo will be located in a very central and convenient area at walking distance of some of the best attractions in town such as the Imperial Palace and the vibrant shopping areas of both Nihombashi and Ginza. Its proximity to the Tokyo Station and the financial districts of Nihombashi and Marunouchi makes it an ideal destination for business as well. The hotel will offer 98 guest rooms in a variety of configurations, mainly twin and double rooms, as well as luxury suites and Bulgari Suite. Bulgari Hotels’ iconic features such as The Bulgari Bar, Il Ristorante, the fireplace Lounge, all of them with outdoor terraces, will be available for the hotel guests together with the Il Cioccolato store, and a dramatic Ballroom including a large outdoor space.

HOTEL GROOVE SHINJUKU, A PARKROYAL Hotel: An entertainment hotel that will open on the 18th to 38th floors of the TOKYU KABUKICHO TOWER also in May.  HOTEL GROOVE SHINJUKU, A PARKROYAL Hotel is the perfect base not only for steeping yourself in the after-notes of the emotions and joys you experience at entertainment venues but for partying until you drop in Kabukicho, Shinjuku. Selected artworks and music bring color to the hotel interior, while guest rooms are focused on ease of use so they feel like your home away from home. The lower part of the reception floor acts as a social forum to connect both locals and travelers. It is home to the hotel’s restaurant and bar, as well as an open terrace and party room that can be used for wedding receptions.

1-29-1, Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, 1600021 Tokyo

TOKYU KABUKICHO TOWER 18F – 38F

HOTEL INDIGO TOKYO SHIBUYA: A lifestyle boutique hotel scheduled to open in autumn 2023 in the youth-centered Shibuya area.  Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya will be the fourth Hotel Indigo-branded hotel in Japan, following Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora which opened in 2020, and Hotel Indigo Karuizawa and Hotel Indigo Inuyama Urakuen Garden, both of which opened earlier this year.  With 254 open or pipeline hotels worldwide, Hotel Indigo is IHG’s lifestyle boutique hotel brand that is built around ‘neighborhood stories’, tickling guests’ curiosity by incorporating the city’s character, unique history and culture into every detail of the hotel design, artwork, service and experience.

Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya will be located at the top of the ‘Dogenzaka Dori’, a large, mixed-use complex that’s being developed as part of the Shibuya Ward Dogenzaka 2-chome Development Plan.

A five-minute walk will take guests to the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, a quintessential symbol of Tokyo’s cultural center that attracts the world’s attention. In the other direction is the calm, residential Shoto area, putting the hotel in an ideal location to enjoy every aspect of Shibuya’s unique neighborhood story.

That story is based on the theme of a ‘jungle city where individuality and colors mix and change’, expressing a Shibuya that continues to evolve with the flow of the times, just like a jungle where diverse and colorful lives are born. This will be reflected in the local experience and the hotel’s interior design and services.

In addition to the 272 guest rooms, the hotel will have facilities such as a neighborhood café & bar with an outdoor terrace and a fitness gym. Rooms occupying the upper floors will offer panoramic views, which extend as far as Mount Fuji and Tokyo Sky Tree on a clear day. It will also feature a coffee shop for eat-in and take-out near the entrance on the third floor.

JANU: A new Aman hotel brand will open in a new Mori development in the Toranomon and Azabudai neighborhoods. It will be adjacent to the newly opened Aman Residence Tokyo.

MERCURE HANEDA: To be opened at Haneda Airport, the gateway to Japan, with the design concept “TOKYO ELECTRIC.”  Haneda is a gateway to Japan with several international and domestic flights daily. It is close to downtown Tokyo and offers convenient access to Yokohama. Tokyo Mercure Haneda will be strategically located within a 10-minute drive from Haneda Airport and within a few hundred meters away from Otorii Railway Station. The hotel is a short stroll to Anamori-inari Shrine, Haneda Innovation City, and local eateries.

Mercure Haneda will feature 363 keys and a variety of offerings, including a restaurant, a bar, a fitness center, three meeting rooms, and lounges for guests and crews, which will appeal to both business and leisure travelers. The hotel will awaken the thrill of discovery with its array of locally inspired experiences. The overall design will take visitors through the evolving periods of Tokyo from the past to the future with the concept of Tokyo Electric. The design elements will highlight the delicacy of tradition and handicraft, the history of the Haneda neighborhood, and Japanese sub-cultures.

Camellia “Tsubaki” Adds Color to Winter in Tokyo

A variety of flowers bloom throughout the year in Tokyo, but camellias or tsubaki (also called sasanquas), in shades from white to pink to crimson, blooming in the snow, look especially beautiful as the lone flowers of the season. There are several special camellia viewing spots in Tokyo and even a festival!

 Izu Oshima Camellia Festival: This volcanic island, which can be reached in as little as 1 hour and 45 minutes by jet boat from central Tokyo, is popular for its warm weather even in midwinter. The 2023 camellia festival will be held from January 29 to March 26.  The main venue of the festival is Camellia Plaza, where you can purchase a range of regional goods and see local folk performances on the main stage. Nearby, Oshima Park has a variety of flower types in its camellia grove. You can even see kinkacha, a rare yellow camellia.

Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo: This former Meiji era garden of politician Yamagata Aritomo boasts 2,300 camellias of about 100 species. The garden is open only to hotel guests and restaurant diners, but installations and other events are held for a limited time.

10-8, Sekiguchi 2-chome, Bunkyo-ku, 112-8680 Tokyo, Japan

Kameido Chuo Park: This park, located in Koto City, Tokyo is home to 4,000 camellias in about 50 varieties