There is a case for calling Marunouchi the epicenter of Japan itself: smack dab between the central hub of Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace, this is an area of both skyscrapers and early modern architectural splendor. When Japan’s doors to the world were thrown open after more than two centuries of self-imposed isolation in 1854, much of the country’s modernization began here – and has moved at a breakneck pace ever since. Tokyo Station itself is the bridging, binding, beating heart of the extensive railway network of Japan.

There is no better way to appreciate the whirlwind of profound changes that arose with the ousting of the last Shogun from power than to tour the area with an expert on architecture and development. Tokyo’s Asakusa area and the city of Kyoto may be Japan’s leading destinations for tourism centered on temples, shrines, and other ancient buildings, but Marunouchi offers an entirely different charm.

The Hirakawacho neighborhood of Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward was part of the grounds of Edo Castle during the Edo period (1603-1868), and so historically dominated by the residences of high-ranking samurai in the Shogun’s government. Even today, Hirakawacho sits at the geographic heart of national political power, adjacent to the national Diet Building and the Official Residence of the Prime Minister. It is in this august milieu that the Kitano Hotel Tokyo sits.

Your navigator and guide is architectural culture curator Shuko Koike, who has worked under the Agency for Cultural Affairs at the National Archives of Modern Architecture since returning from a career in New York. Says Koike, “It was actually my overseas experience that brought me back to an appreciation of the achievements of Japanese architecture and culture.” Koike’s homegrown yet international perspective illuminates a view of Marunouchi in a way no other can.

When recounting the urban and architectural charms of Marunouchi, it would be sacrilege not to begin with the area’s eponymous Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building, a structure designed in 1914 by Tatsuno Kingo (1854-1919) incorporating urban planning concepts by German architect Franz Baltzer (1857-1927) and a magnificent central gate for the exclusive use of the Imperial Family. The building suffered extensive damage during the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and again during the 1945 Tokyo Air Raids, but 2007 saw it restored to the glory of its original design.

The next stop is Kitte Marunouchi, which originally housed the mail sorting facilities of the now-defunct Ministry of Communications. Constructed at the fulcrum between Marunouchi’s iconic brick age and the modern era of reinforced concrete, it achieved a unique charm by embodying this evolution in its design, along with a unique blend of Japanese sensibilities and Western architectural culture.

The area’s other office buildings also showcase Western modernist architectural culture, thanks to the invitation of numerous architects from abroad to incorporate new designs and techniques into a variety of developments after the country’s opening to the wider world in the 1860s. Although most have since been redeveloped into skyscrapers, many retain their street-level brick or stone facades and other original design elements.

Today, Marunouchi unfurls outward from the intersection of Marunouchi Naka-dori (literally: “Central Avenue”) and Gyoko-dori (“Avenue of the Emperor’s Passage”) – the latter of which connects the station directly to the grounds of the Imperial Palace and was built for the exclusive vehicle use of the Imperial Family.

After learning the intangible story of this tangible cityscape, you’re sure to see the legacy of its majestic architectural development anew. Understanding the history behind this development really brings home the sense of how dramatically Japan has changed in the less than two centuries since it opened its doors to the wider world, and began actively courting and assimilating foreign influence.

In the adjacent Hirakawacho neighborhood of Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward – seat of power and residence of both the Tokugawa Shoguns of the Edo Period and the modern Prime Ministers and Diet (Parliament) of Japan today – the Kitano Hotel Tokyo has been refining and perfecting its elegant approach to hospitality for over half a century.

The property’s history began as the Kitano Arms, a complex of extended stay serviced apartments, which opened in 1964. A decade later, its founder Tsuguto Kitano opened sister property the Kitano Hotel New York – the first Japanese hotel in Manhattan – in 1974 after participating in the construction of the Japan Pavilion at the World’s Fair. The latter property continues to host guests from around the world.

In 2019, the Kitano Arms was reborn as the Kitano Hotel Tokyo, continuing a legacy of global hospitality that draws on the rich service and design cultures of Tokyo and New York, and of trusted support for international exchange and business.

The hotel interior and its guest rooms incorporate the traditional Japanese color palette throughout, drawing upon the property’s core conceptual principle, described in the simple phrase “For Comfort.” The space weaves Japanese aesthetics into modern comforts, gently enveloping its guests with a deeply relaxing atmosphere.

The Kitano Hotel Tokyo belongs to the Relais & Châteaux association of top-class hotels and restaurants. Aimed at protecting and promoting the rich diversity of hospitality and culinary traditions from around the globe, Relais & Châteaux has always offered inspiring journeys. This spirit is embodied in the hotel's tranquility, comfort, and heartfelt service.

The principle of “exceptional livability” has guided the property since its days as a long-term stay apartment, and remains foundational to this day. The guest room interior design draws upon artwork and four colors themed around the four seasons of Japan with a meticulous design sense that reflects uniquely Japanese aesthetics.

Executive chef Takeshi Kamo is an eminent Swiss-trained culinary talent who has served a wide variety of distinguished guests including royalty and government dignitaries from across the globe. In 2017, he was awarded the Chevalier of the Order of the Agricultural Merit (French: Ordre du Mérite Agricole) by the French Republic. Working with the motto of “French cuisine, undiluted,” Kamo brings out the pure flavor of each ingredient, serving dishes that are easy on travel-weary digestion.
*Dinner is available as an additional paid option.

In the L’Orangerie Koh-an main dining room, enjoy a breakfast that begins with four appetizers carefully curated by the chef. Homemade yogurt, compote, smoothie, and fruit salad come together for a light and natural combination that is perfect for starting the day. Next, choose from a Japanese or Western set meal of thoughtfully selected ingredients.

Authentic, uniquely Japanese hospitality isn’t the sole purview of traditional ryokan inns, as The Kitano Hotel Tokyo demonstrates with its Japanese traditional essence of meticulous attention to detail, nestled within modern comfort. That meticulousness and thoughtfulness shines through in every last detail – such as the washi paper room key cases featuring designs representing the four seasons of Japan.

There are things that can only be discovered through real presence in a place, aspects only knowable by treading its grounds with your own two feet and seeing it up close with your own two eyes. And there are yet others that it takes a keenly trained eye to see. This is a plan that opens up both: luxuriating in Hirakawa-cho and exploring Marunouchi with Koike to discover the lesser-known side of this region of power at the political and infrastructural center of Japan.

And if this is just the beginning of a new chapter in your Japan travels, you’re apt to find that this fascinating new perspective stays with you: a new node of insight in the network of intersecting discoveries and experiences that make up the inspiring tapestry of travel. The spirit of traditional top-class hospitality that has long thrived in Hirakawacho, the heart of Japan since the Edo period – along with the glimpse into a pivotal turning point in the architectural, cultural, and urban history of Japan right at ground zero of those changes – is sure to live on in your memories for many years to come.