Ryokan in Tokyo

東京

Most of Tokyo's ryokan are small ryokan in the older east of the city, in Asakusa and Yanaka, and a few in Shinjuku and by Tokyo Station. Kyoto and Osaka are about three hours away by Shinkansen. A hot-spring bath is the exception here, not the rule.

Choosing an area in Tokyo

Map of central Tokyo with the Sumida River, a dot for each ryokan and rings at Asakusa, Yanaka, Shinjuku and Otemachi — © OpenStreetMap

Asakusa 浅草
The old entertainment district around Senso-ji, Tokyo's oldest temple, on the Sumida River.
Yanaka 谷中
A quiet neighbourhood of temples and old wooden houses that came through the war and the 1923 earthquake largely intact.
Shinjuku 新宿
Around the world's busiest railway station, with direct buses to Mount Fuji and trains to Hakone.
Otemachi 大手町
The business district between Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace.

Tokyo through the year

Spring春
March to May
Cherry trees first bloom around 24 March in an average year.
Summer夏
June to August
On the last Saturday of July the Sumida River fireworks, first held in 1733, are launched just south of Asakusa.
Autumn秋
September to November
Autumn colours reach the city in late November, and some trees stay coloured into December.
Winter冬
December to February
Winters are dry and mostly sunny; snow is uncommon.

The ryokan

Andon Ryokan 行燈旅館
A modern design ryokan north of Asakusa, 5 minutes' walk from Minowa Station. The tatami rooms are small and share showers and toilets, and the one bath is a jacuzzi you use privately.
Onsen
NoThe only bath is a private jacuzzi
Bath in your room
No room has oneShared showers and toilets
Tattoos
Not stated
See rooms and rates at Andon Ryokan
Ryokan Asakusa Shigetsu 旅館浅草指月
A family-run ryokan in the middle of Asakusa, a minute from Nakamise street and 5 minutes' walk from Senso-ji. Every room has its own toilet and a tub or shower booth, the two shared baths on the 6th floor look out over the neighbourhood, and no meals are served at present.
Onsen
NoTwo ordinary 6th-floor view baths
Bath in your room
A tub or a shower booth in every roomOwn toilet and basin in every room
Tattoos
Not stated
See rooms and rates at Ryokan Asakusa Shigetsu
Cyashitsu Ryokan Asakusa 茶室ryokan浅草
A modern ryokan north of Senso-ji, styled on the Japanese tea room: small, quiet tatami rooms with futons and no TV. The rooftop open-air bath faces Skytree and is reserved for private use.
Onsen
Not stated
Bath in your room
Shower and toilet in the suitesShared toilets in the small rooms
Tattoos
Not stated
See rooms and rates at Cyashitsu Ryokan Asakusa
Ryokan Kamogawa Asakusa 旅館加茂川
A small all-tatami ryokan in Asakusa with 10 rooms, 3 minutes' walk from Senso-ji. Guests book a free 30-minute slot in the private bath at check-in, families can borrow baby goods, and the ryokan serves no meals at present.
Onsen
NoNo shared bath; a free private bath
Bath in your room
A bath or shower in every roomCheaper rooms may be shower-only
Tattoos
Not stated
See rooms and rates at Ryokan Kamogawa Asakusa
Hoshinoya Tokyo 星のや東京
An 84-room tower in Otemachi, beside the old Edo Castle main gate, that calls itself a "tower ryokan": tatami floors, no shoes anywhere in the building and a lounge on every floor. The hot-spring bath is on the top floor, and dinner and breakfast are booked separately from the room.
Onsen
In some bathsTop-floor shared bath, guests only
Bath in your room
Every roomTub and shower booth; tap water
Tattoos
AllowedStaff may still refuse bath entry
See rooms and rates at Hoshinoya Tokyo
Prostyle Ryokan Tokyo Asakusa PROSTYLE旅館東京浅草
A 43-room hotel in ryokan style across from the Sumida river in Asakusa, with tatami floors, beds and a bath in every room. Most room types have an open-air or semi-open-air bath filled with ordinary water, and the top-floor suites face Tokyo Skytree.
Onsen
NoRoom baths use ordinary water
Bath in your room
A bath in every roomMost open-air or semi-open-air
Tattoos
Not stated
See rooms and rates at Prostyle Ryokan Tokyo Asakusa
Onsen Ryokan Yuen Shinjuku 温泉旅館由縁新宿
An 18-floor ryokan near Shinjuku Gyoen with men's and women's baths on the top floor. The open-air baths are filled with hot-spring water brought from Lake Ashi in Hakone; the rooms have tatami floors, beds and a shower, with no bath.
Onsen
Open-air baths, trucked from HakoneIndoor baths are ordinary water
Bath in your room
No room has oneShower only in the room
Tattoos
Not stated
See rooms and rates at Onsen Ryokan Yuen Shinjuku
Ryokan Sawanoya 旅館澤の屋
The Sawa family's ryokan in Yanaka, founded in June 1949, has 12 tatami rooms and has hosted over 190,000 guests from 92 countries. Two of the rooms have their own bath and toilet; the rest share two lockable baths, one of cypress and one ceramic, that face the garden.
Onsen
NoThe ryokan has no hot spring
Bath in your room
Bath and toilet in 2 of 12 roomsThe other ten share two baths
Tattoos
Not stated
Not currently accepting bookings
Onsen Ryokan Yuen Bettei Daita 由縁別邸代田
A low garden ryokan in Daita, Setagaya, built on the idea of a mountain retreat in the middle of the city. Its shared open-air baths are filled with hot-spring water trucked in from Lake Ashi, there is a sauna in each bath, and dinner is kaiseki or a seasonal hot pot at the restaurant Tsukikage.
Onsen
Open-air baths, trucked from HakoneIndoor and room baths: ordinary water
Bath in your room
Open-air bath in one room typeNot hot-spring; others have a shower
Tattoos
Allowed if coveredStickers sold at the front desk
Not currently accepting bookings