One of the best traditional Japanese gardens in Tokyo is actually located in the grounds of a hotel – the Hotel New Otani in the Akasaka district. While that might seem counterintuitive, it’s because the garden was there first, built around 400 years before the hotel was constructed around it in 1964.
The hotel has protected the garden and made it a drawcard, free for both hotel guests and the general public to access. The garden is an oasis in the middle of the city, with 40,000 square metres of greenery to enjoy. It features a beautiful waterfall, several bridges, ponds full of colourful carp and multiple paths that wend through its various zones.
The hotel has incorporated several of its restaurants into the landscape, all in subtle, low key Japanese-style buildings that fit well with their surroundings.
The Hotel New Otani is a mammoth affair, with three towers and over 1400 rooms. Given its size, it has multiple casual and formal dining options on offer, plus a mall full of high end stores. So after visiting the garden, it’s worth exploring the other public areas of the complex.
Address: 4–1 Kioicho, Chiyoda-Ward
Getting there: 3-minute walk from Akasaka Mitsuke Station Exit D (Tokyo Metro Ginza or Marunouchi Lines) or Nagatacho Station Exit 7 (Hanzomon or Nanboku Lines)
Nearby: Tokyo Midtown
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