The best hotels in Japan

Tokyo: above the city.

Tokyo's best hotels sit high in its towers or beside the Imperial Palace gardens.

Kyoto: gardens and stillness.

Kyoto's finest stays are built around gardens, teahouses and the old wooden streets.

Hot springs and the countryside.

The ryokans and retreats between the cities are where many travellers remember Japan most.

Snow, art and islands.

For powder snow, contemporary art or a beach at the end of the journey.

A hotel or a ryokan?

A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn: tatami rooms, an in-room or private hot-spring bath, and a kaiseki dinner of many small courses served in your room or a private dining room. A night or two in one is, for many travellers, the heart of a trip to Japan.

International hotels bring the space, the spas and the dining of a grand hotel, and in Tokyo the views. Most journeys combine both: a hotel in the cities, a ryokan in the countryside between them.

Suites, whole floors and the house to yourselves.

Most of these hotels keep a handful of signature suites, and some smaller ryokans can be reserved for one party alone. Which is right for you, and whether it is free on your dates, is what your advisor finds out.

What booking through an advisor adds.

Advisors' relationships with hotels bring benefits such as an upgrade on arrival, a hotel credit and early check-in, and rooms that never reach public booking sites. Your advisor tells you which apply to your stay, and arranges the rest of the journey around it.

Where to stay in Tokyo.

Marunouchi and Otemachi, between Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace gardens, are quiet by night and central by day; several of the city's finest hotels are here. Roppongi and Azabudai are for art, dining and views from the towers, and Ginza for shopping.

Most of Tokyo's best hotels are in the upper floors of towers, so a room's view, of the palace gardens, the bay or Mount Fuji on a clear day, is worth asking about.

Where to stay in Kyoto.

Higashiyama, on the eastern side of the city, puts the temples, Gion and the old wooden streets within walking distance. Arashiyama, to the west, is for the bamboo groves, the river and quieter mornings. The northern hills are the most secluded, and central Kyoto near the station is the most convenient for day trips.

Kyoto is busiest in spring and autumn, when a hotel set in its own garden, away from the crowds, is worth the most.

Choosing a ryokan.

In a ryokan you sleep on futons laid out on tatami, though some now offer beds; you wear a yukata, bathe in hot-spring water, and dine on kaiseki, a sequence of small seasonal courses. Check-in is in the afternoon and dinner is at a set time, so a ryokan night is planned around arriving early and staying in.

The details matter: whether the room has its own open-air bath, whether dinner is served in the room, and whether the inn is in a hot-spring town such as Hakone, Izu or Kinosaki or alone in the countryside. These are the questions an advisor answers when choosing one for you.

For a family or a party.

Connecting suites, villas within a hotel's grounds, and ryokans that can be reserved for one group make Japan straightforward for families and parties, provided they are arranged early. Your advisor finds which properties can host your group on your dates and keeps everyone together.

The best hotels for cherry blossom and autumn colour.

In the two great seasons, a hotel's garden matters as much as its rooms. Kyoto's garden hotels and ryokans, and Tokyo hotels overlooking the Imperial Palace gardens, let you see the blossom or the colour without joining the crowds. They are also the first to be booked, six to twelve months ahead.

A hotel, or a private villa?

For families, groups and travellers who want complete privacy, a private villa or a house in Kyoto, Niseko or Okinawa can suit better than a hotel, with staff, a private chef and space for everyone. Your advisor weighs the two for your trip.

Your questions.

For the hotel and the suite chosen for your trip, ask an advisor.

Recommendations chosen for you, an itinerary crafted around them, and every booking managed by an independent Ultra Advisor who works with local specialists in Japan.