Hotel East 21Tokyo

A hotel that boasts a distinct 19th century European décor and a status as a designated ‘Tokyo Disney Good Neighbour Hotel’ that resides in one of Tokyo’s old shitamachi downtown areas – not far from the National Museum of Modern Art. The recently renovated 20th floor of the hotel houses a particularly interesting style of room that the hotel refers to as their ‘Edo-modern concept rooms’ – these incorporate both a mixture of old Edo-style features, such as shoji (sliding doors with translucent paper on a wooden lattice), fusuma (decorated paper screens) and andon (paper-covered lamps that provide indirect lighting) – with a few modern sensibilities built in, such as wooden flooring. Another interesting aspect of these particular rooms is the contrast in the scenery visible from their windows – with the old shitamachi rooftops below contrasting against the heights of the ultra-modern Tokyo Sky Tree; plus, in addition to this unique daytime view, there’s also a beautiful evening view to appreciate as well – whilst taking a relaxing bath in one of the wooden bathtubs, for example.