Hotel New Otani Tokyo — Executive House ZEN

Hotel New Otani Tokyo's most extraordinary feature is not its rooms or its restaurants but its garden: a 400-year-old Japanese garden, developed from the grounds of a feudal lord's estate during the Edo period, which now occupies a green island of approximately 40,000 square meters in the center of Akasaka. Walking through it — along stone paths beside koi-filled ponds, past stone lanterns and clipped azaleas and maple trees whose seasonal color is among the finest available in central Tokyo — requires a conscious adjustment of the understanding that you are in the middle of a large city hotel complex.

Executive House ZEN is the premium tier of the New Otani complex, occupying its own tower section with dedicated services, executive lounge access, and an accommodation standard that positions it as the upper end of what the property offers. The New Otani itself has been one of Tokyo's most significant hotels since it opened in 1964 ahead of the Tokyo Olympics — a different era from the contemporary luxury hotels that have since opened, but with a scale and operational depth that few can match.

The hotel's multiple swimming pools — including an outdoor pool with garden views — and its extensive spa and fitness facilities reflect the investment in physical amenity that a property of this scale can sustain. The dining program across the broader complex includes Japanese, French, Chinese, and other options that collectively function as a destination in their own right.

For those seeking a Tokyo hotel with a Japanese garden of genuine historical depth — not a decorative courtyard but a centuries-old landscape designed for contemplation and seasonal observation — Executive House ZEN provides access to one that is, without exaggeration, among the best in any hotel anywhere.