Hotel New Otani Tokyo

The New Otani sprawls like a mini metropolis over a vast area ten minutes’ walk west of the Imperial Palace. From the outside, the building bears the less-than-attractive hallmarks of its 1969 construction, but inside, the dim lighting and spacious foyers recreate the feeling of a luxury cruise ship. To the rear of the hotel is a beautifully laid-out and tended Japanese garden. Within the garden stand several of the hotel’s numerous restaurants, which include the only branch of the legendary Parisian eaterie La Tour d’Argent. Capacity was increased in 1979 by the addition of a 40-storey tower block.