PRICE:
Frommer's Recommended

Located two subway stops north of Ueno on the Hibiya Line, this contemporary ryokan opened in 2003 and received an award by the Architectural Institute of Japan 2 years later. Its facade is a sheet of milky glass (particularly stunning at night, when light pouring out of individual guest rooms gives it a lantern-like glow), while its interior sports black walls and mesh. Antiques from the owner's own collection, however, fill nooks and crannies, and rooms (all nonsmoking) are traditional tatami style. The staff speaks English, there's a small inviting lounge on the ground floor, a tea ceremony is held three times a month (fee: ¥500/$4.15/£2.10), and the top-floor Jacuzzi can be reserved for free. There's a lift for luggage, but you'll have to take the stairs in this four-story ryokan.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Tokyo, 10th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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