On a quiet side street renowned for second-hand furniture
stores, this design hotel exudes Japanese charm and creativity.
Spend days exploring the city on one of the hotel’s custom-made
Tokyo Bikes before returning to delve into CLASKA’s cultural
spoils. Start at CLASKA DO, the hotel’s lifestyle shop which sells
everything from clothing to kitchenware, before exploring CLASKA’s
furniture shop farther down the road. Ask at reception which
exhibitions are currently showing in the hotel’s galleries or head
straight to your room – each room is re-vamped annually by various
contemporary designers and architects as part of an on-going
creative project.

In a city dominated by towering office blocks and hotels, BnA Hotel Koenji offers something a little different. Produced by the Bed & Art Project (BnA), the hotel centres around supporting the local arts community. Supporting up-and-coming Japanese artists, each room is designed by a local creative, who then receives a share of the hotel’s profits. Choose between one of only two rooms: the first depicting wolves running around the room’s walls, and second a zigzag of black and white stripes. Spend evenings at FrontDesk – no, not the lobby, but the hotel’s bar, a popular spot for local creative.

Sleek, minimalist design, faultless amenities and rotating art galleries – what else did you expect from Muji’s debut domestic hotel? Rooms are compact but elegant; natural hardwood floors, stone bathrooms and muted colours are perfectly complemented by streamlined Muji furniture and filled with all the Muji products you could imagine. Start your day with freshly baked bread and pastries at the bakery before heading to the hotel’s library to brush up on design and the arts – and don’t forget to stock up on Muji products at the flagship store.

Parquet flooring and geometric patterns welcome you into this design-centric hotel. Whether you opt for Wired’s cheap and cheerful hostel-style rooms or the stylish penthouse with views across the Hanayashiki amusement park, all bedrooms are decked with furnishings made by local Asakusa craftsmen and indulgent Duxiana mattresses. Dine and drink at Zakbaran on the ground floor for seasonal meals paired with an extensive list of rare Japanese sake. Tokyo’s tourism scene can often be hard to crack – ask at reception for the hotel’s free tours of Asakusa.

An entrance concealed behind an abstract wooden facade leads into ONE@Tokyo, a contemporary hideaway in the city’s Oshiage district. Designed by cult architect Kengo Kuma, the hotel has an industrial style characterised by natural plywood, exposed concrete ceilings and metal showers. Each room has its own smartphone complete with free local and international calls, internet access and a digital Tokyo guide for guests to take out as they explore the city – a welcome addition as you weave your way around Tokyo Skytree and down towards Sensoji and the Sumida River.

A hotel for lovers of industrial style, Hotel Koe is defined by its poured-concrete interiors. Start your day at the in-house bakery – with a menu designed by famed Ata chef Satoshi Kakegawa – on the ground floor before exploring Tokyo’s Shibuya district. Spend evenings admiring the sleek, monochrome design of the hotel’s minimalist rooms.

In bypassing Tokyo, Ace Hotel have shown that the dynamic heart of Kyoto is Japan’s upcoming place to be. As Tokyo’s creatives gradually relocate to the former Imperial capital, Ace Hotel Kyoto provides a hub for innovative locals and eager tourists. Famed architect Kengo Kuma is converting an old telephone exchange building which is set to open in spring 2020.

A bookworm’s sanctuary, Japan’s Book and Bed hostels have popped up in the country’s top cities. An “accommodation bookshop”, Book and Bed claims that guests don’t come for a good night’s sleep or even a good meal. Instead, the late hours are spent devouring words. Book (sorry) yourself into a Bookshelf room for a truly immersive literary experience, or opt for a Bunk room to cuddle up underneath a reading lamp. Wonderfully low prices are a key draw, and Book and Bed’s other branches in Tokyo, Shinjuku, Asakusa, Kyoto and Shinsaibashi are a testament to its ongoing success.