Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific 2023 reveals our readers’ picks of the best hotels, pools, spas and even general managers in Japan. We know it’s your favorite place – just go already!
JAPAN’S BORDERS FINALLY REOPENED for no-muss-no-fuss, visa-free travel in fall 2022. Despite the country’s cagey approach to tourism for the last couple of years, Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia readers’ interest in visiting remains sky-high, with Tokyo rounding out their top 5 favorite cities.
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Courtesy of Hotel Indigo Karuizawa
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Courtesy of The Shinmonzen
Even for the experienced Japan traveler, there’s a lot of new ground to cover, as soaring pre-pandemic visitor numbers drove widespread development in hotels and attractions that then opened their doors while the country’s were closed. Some big-name newbies include the Ghibli Park in Aichi and Super Mario World in Osaka, mega-skyscrapers like Shibuya Scramble, and some worth-the-trouble out of the way developments by Japan’s most famous starchitects (Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Time Corridors teahouse in Naoshima and Kengo Kuma’s granite-clad Kadokawa Cultural Museum jump to mind).
Of course, you’ll need a good hotel while you’re here and our readers have helpfully chosen their faves. Overall, the selections hew towards stalwart names, but a few new properties have debuted high in their categories, including the arty Hotel Indigo Karuizawa and Kyoto’s uber-luxe The Shinmonzen (Nos. 4 and 5 in Best Upcountry Hotels in Japan, respectively) and The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon (No. 6 in City Hotels), home of the Insta-worthy Gold Bar.
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Courtesy of Ritz-Carlton Kyoto
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Courtesy of Ritz-Carlton Kyoto
Perennial favourite Ritz-Carlton Kyoto puts in a good showing, snagging Best Upcountry or Beach Hotel, as well as Best Hotel Spa for their matcha-steeped experiences and a unique heated bamboo ritual almost as popular as an Arashiyama stroll.
Best City Hotel in Japan went to W Osaka, whose Go Konda was tipped as the country’s Best General Manager. W is still relatively new to Osaka, having opened mid-pandemic in 2021, but has been quickly garnering fans with its quirky and contemporary Tadao Ando design and prime location between Dotonbori and the Honmachi business district.
Finally, the Best Pool nod went to Yomitan’s Hoshinoya Okinawa, a conglomeration of several water features including an ocean-facing infinity pool, kids’ area, and water-ringed stage. The heated pool gets plenty of use in the cooler winter months too, with the temps turned way up and a seasonal selection of warm drinks joining the poolside lounge menu to keep swimmers toasty.
If this embarrassment of riches is not yet enough to tempt you on a plane, consider this: with the relatively weak yen and still recovering visitor numbers, now might be the cheapest, least crowded time you’ll ever have to strike Japan off your bucket list.
Best Beach + Upcountry Hotels in Japan
2. Park Hyatt Niseko, Hanazono
3. Setsu Niseko
6. AYA Niseko
8. Aman Kyoto
9. ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa
10. Suiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Kyoto
Best City Hotels in Japan
1. W Osaka
5. Conrad Tokyo
6. The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon
9. Aman Tokyo
Best Hotel Pools in Japan
2. Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto, a Luxury Collection Hotel
4. ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa
5. The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho
Best Hotel Spas in Japan
5. Kinosaki Onsen Nishimuraya Hotel Shogetsutei
6. Hyatt Regency Hakone Resort & Spa
7. Lake Shikotsu Tsuruga Resort Spa Mizu no Uta
8. Kaichoro
9. ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa
Best Hotel General Managers in Japan
1. Go Kondo, W Osaka
2. Masaru Watanabe, Palace Hotel Tokyo
3. Xavi Gonzalez, The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo
4. Chris Clark, JW Marriott Nara
5. Paul Jones, Mandarin Oriental Tokyo
Read on for the full lists of our readers’ picks of the Best Hotels, Spas, Pools and more in Japan for 2023. And for all of this year’s Luxury Awards Asia-Pacific winners, click here.
Lede image courtesy of Tohoku Tourism Board.
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