Review of Mandarin Oriental Tokyo

Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo is located in the original downtown centre of Edo, the name used for the city until 1868. A commercial district then and now, today the prestigious financial district of of Nihonbashi remains the historical and cultural centre of Tokyo commerce.

Overlooking Mount Fuji to the west and Tokyo Skytree (the world’s tallest free-standing tower) to the east, the hotel’s central position has direct subway access via Mitsukoshi-mae Station on the Ginza and Hanzomon line to all major parts of the city.

Tokyo Station, the world-renowned Ginza shopping district, the Imperial Palace Gardens and the Tokyo Stock Exchange are all within five to ten minutes’ walking distance.

The celebrated “Bridge of Japan” from which Nihonbashi takes its name, is just a stone’s throw away. At one time, this was the traditional “Kilometer Zero” officially designating one’s arrival in the capital. It is still the point from which all distances are measured in Japan.

Japan’s major financial, insurance and securities firms grew up around this landmark, along with many traditional shops, shrines and galleries. Tokyo International Forum, a convention and performing arts centre is only a five-minute drive away while the oldest department store in Japan at more than 300 years, Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store and the Bank of Japan are just steps away from the hotel. Nearby is an array of department stores, high end luxury stores, restaurants and bars based in the Ginza district. Step back in time to enjoy traditional Kabuki performances at the Kabuki-za or Shinbashi Enbujou theatres, very popular with tourists.

Narita International Airport is around an hour’s limousine transfer to the Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo – around 67 kilometres / 42 miles distance. Alternatively, the Narita Express takes a similar time to travel to Tokyo Station.

The 179 beautifully designed and spacious guest rooms and suites of the Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo are located from the 30th to the 36th floors and offer spectacular views of greater Tokyo and beyond from floor to ceiling bay windows. 

All guests are afforded spectacular sweeping views from floor to ceiling windows from some of the largest rooms in Japan with each room having binoculars to better enjoy the vistas. East facing rooms look out over the Sumida River, Tokyo Bay, Odaiba and Tokyo Skytree while those facing west enjoy views of Ginza, Tokyo Station and the towering skyscrapers of Shinjuku. On clear days, a majestic snow-capped Mount Fuji can be seen in the distance. 

All the marble and cherry wood bathrooms feature three different types of shower – body, hand and rain – as well as separate “washlet” toilets (shower toilet/bidet), Aroma bath salts and German-made, stand-alone sunken bathtubs with the Presidential Suite also having built-in Fibre optic lighting.  Bathroom amenities are by Bottega Veneta. 

Room amenities include Bose speakers (with Dolby Atmos Soundbar in the Presidential Suite), safes with built in power charger for laptops and phones, path-through closets for uninterrupted laundry or shoe-shine service and 450-thread count 100% Egyptian cotton bed linens from Italy. Guests have a choice of original yukata, Japanese kimono-style nightrobes or terry bathrobes and there is a yoga mat, umbrella, complimentary daily newspaper, tea and coffee making facilities, a turndown service with a pillow menu and original blend room fragrance oil, slippers, hairdryers and scales. 

There are four types of guest rooms starting with the Deluxe Room with city views or Tokyo Skytree views. Each room design has a bright, spacious contemporary Japanese feel in neutral tones with burnt orange and gold touches and comes complete with miniature Bonsai trees. There are crafted bamboo floors, bespoke Japanese fabrics and craftsmanship that underlines pure Japanese inspiration. The Deluxe Premier Rooms have views out over the Skytree Tower whilst for those who love a great view, Deluxe Corner Rooms have two walls of windows with city or bay views. The Mandarin Grand Rooms are slightly larger with Mount Fuji views. 

Suite wise, there are four categories plus a stunning Presidential Suite. The corner Executive one-bedroom Suites feature a guest powder room as well as an entrance area and an exquisite textile with a flower petal inspired design called “Flower Shower”. The Mandarin Suites showcase the craftsmanship of Japanese artisans with items like a beautifully made silver-leaf table, a wall of hand-made textiles and a lighting fixture of fine bamboo strings. The Mandarin Corner Suites take it up a notch with spectacular views out over Tokyo and Mount Fuji, an embossed golf-leaf cabinet and a carpet inspired by Japanese ink and brush work with a motif of clouds and breezes. The Oriental Suites are located further up the tower thus increasing the magnificence of the views of Tokyo and Mount Fuji. They feature lampshades inspired by Japanese “Andon” made from washi paper which are placed in asymmetrical positions to highlight a beautiful Japanese aesthetic. The headboard artwork features an embroidery interpretation of Wisteria in full bloom.  Connecting rooms are available. 

The Presidential Suite on Floor 36 is in a world of its own with simply stunning views over the metropolis, the floor to ceiling windows flooding the space with light.  250 square metres / 2,691 square feet of luxuriously crafted living space showcasing the best of Japanese design. There are several seating areas, the dining room features a striking photographic wall of tree branches whilst the bedroom’s ceiling has a mural of the sky through a treescape. Connecting rooms are available.

The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo is a serene oasis on the 37th floor offering treatments in a relaxed setting, devised from both Asian and Western-inspired traditions. There are four treatment rooms, four luxury spa suites with private facilities offering expansive windows overlooking Tokyo. There is also a Spa Studio offering shorter 20-minute treatments when time is of the essence, and for partygoers, Christian Louboutin manicures and pedicures are available. Other facilities include separate male and female heat and water experiences including a crystal amethyst steam room, vitality pools with soothing body jets, a sky view dry sauna, Ice Fountain arctic refresher and rain showers and separate male and female relaxation lounges. 

The signature treatment taps into Japan’s healing ingredients as well as its historic location with Totally Tokyo – ‘Five’ journeys from Nihonbashi, a sensory journey using the powerful Japanese elements green tea, pine, bamboo, rice bran and plum to soothe and calm the mind.The Fitness Centre has a range of equipment available to target specific parts of the body as well as personal trainers helping with anything from strength training and body conditioning to Pilates and TRX suspension training (created for the US Navy’s elite SEALS). 

Children are very welcome here with a range of complimentary items – a crib or beds for up to eleven-year-olds, mini-Yukatas, slippers and bathrobes, baby skincare sets, organic towels and a baby bathtub. Half portions are available on all the à la carte menus as well as a special children’s menu available in K’shiki or via inroom dining.

The cornerstone of Mandarin Oriental’s design philosophy is to reflect the very best of the city in which they are located, illustrating “a sense of place”. With this Nihonbashi property, their first hotel in Japan, the idea was to create an opulent space that reflects the unique Japanese sense of the four seasons and love of nature. With a main theme of “woods and water” the hotel has been conceived as a single living tree with the guest rooms as branches. These themes are expressed using original materials and evocative motifs on everything from wall treatments, carpets and fabrics to screens and furniture. In keep with traditional Japanese aesthetics, no single object has been created to stand alone, rather, all elements come together congruously to form a whole.

The luxurious fabrics used throughout the hotel were created by renowned textile designer Reika Sudo whose work can be found in the permanent collections at New York’s MOMA and London’s Victoria & Albert Museum.

It is the attention to this kind of detail, this depth of thought, from the architecture to the design to the friendly and efficient staff and the incredible range of gastronomic experiences available at this hotel that really make it stand out as one of the best in Tokyo. It is probably to be expected however: it is a Mandarin Oriental property after all.

Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo offers guests a selection of twelve restaurants and bars, including three, Michelin starred restaurants, to suit every and any palate and preference. Ten of the twelve establishments are located on the uppermost two floors of the 38 story Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower offering stunning views of the city, Tokyo Skytree and Mount Fuji. The other two establishments are located on the first and second floors of the tower.

The French fine-dining one Michelin starred restaurant, Signature, (37th floor) features menus focused on the finest seasonal ingredients mainly found across Japan. The menu showcases a passion for beef, game and wild fish, prepared with dry ageing techniques, resulting in innovative depths of flavour. Sense is another Michelin starred restaurant, (37th floor) offering authentic Cantonese cuisine including Dim Sum featuring the finest flavours and ingredients.

The nine-seat Sushi Shin by Miyakawa (38th floor) is the first Tokyo branch restaurant of Hokkaido’s Michelin three-star Sushi Miyakawa and features an over 350-year-old Hinoki cypress sushi counter and stunning views of the Tokyo Skytree and city skyline. Ingredients are sourced daily from Hokkaido and Tokyo’s Toyosu market. The physical aspects of the restaurant are as beautiful as the dishes with works commissioned by Chef Miyakawa from some of Japan’s most famous artisans such as Nobuo Tanihata and Syuhei Hasado.

K’Shiki, situated on the 38th floor, brings Italian cuisine to the heart of Tokyo. Open for all day dining, K’Shiki also serves both Japanese and Western breakfast buffets. The Pizza Bar, also on the 38th floor, has a Michelin Bib Gourmand dining award. Sizzling pizzas are created at the counter and served straight from the brick oven onto an exclusive eight-seat marble top bar for an Italian twist on the classic Chef’s Table.

The Oriental Lounge lies just off the lobby on the 38th floor, serving afternoon tea, freshly brewed coffees, cocktails and a selection of the finest liquors from around the world. The Tapas Molecular Bar, within the Oriental Lounge, offers molecular cuisine where familiar dishes are disassembled and recreated, combining other ingredients and new cooking techniques. This eight-seat counter style restaurant has been created by Chef de Cuisine Kento Ushikubo whose background in art has inspired his passion for creative gastronomy, presenting an “art gallery of 14 dishes that stimulates the five senses and the imagination”.

The über-stylish Mandarin Bar on the 37th floor, offers fresh-tasting cocktails that reflect the seasons, history and culture of Japan at Nihonbashi.  A selection of seasonal sake is also available and the Mandarin Bar’s original speciality, Izakaya menu features, among other delicacies, the renowned Japanese Sirloin Beef Cutlet and Fresh Prawns with mango mayonnaise sauce. A selection of burgers and pasta dishes are served at lunchtime. The Cellar for private dining is accessed from a secret spiral staircase from the Mandarin Bar for a “wine cellar in the sky” with the finest vintages from around the world for up to ten guests.

Sense Tea Corner, also on the 37th floor, lies adjacent to Sense restaurant and enjoys a dramatic setting in front of a wall of fire. More than twenty different types of fragrant teas from around the world are served.

Ventaglio, on the second floor of the tower, offers a menu of different culinary styles, showcasing a range of international cuisine accompanied by a choice of unique global wines. The Mandarin Oriental Gourmet Shop is also outside of the “hotel floors” and offers the finest homemade cakes, breads and sandwiches to eat in or takeaway.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has a guiding principle of “Acting with Responsibility” through their Naturally Better Plan. As well as embracing global sustainability initiatives such as eliminating single-use plastics. Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo is offering complimentary premium water “Nordaq”, a Swedish-designed technology to create purified drinking water which is produced and bottled on site. In the spa, they have introduced the premium spa brand Natura Bissé which uses 100% recyclable dispensers and aluminium tubes. The property also works with “Clean the world” since 2016 and has benefited 11,700 people globally with either hygiene kits or sanitary necessities. 

Volunteer staff from the hotel also organise monthly rubbish pickups on the streets and rivers in the city whilst on an annual basis, they do a community cleanup for sites such as the nearby Nihonbashi Bridge. The hotel also partners with local orphanages to bring children to the property to enjoy work experience opportunities and festive dinners.

If a guest is an M.O. fan, they can select their sustainability preferences in their member profiles or by an in-room green card if they want to reuse their towels and refresh their bed linen less frequently during their stay.