Yuen Shinjuku

Overview

The designers aimed to extract the essential features of a ryokan and “edit” them to fit the practical needs of a city hotel – and it’s mission success! While the façade is that of a traditional ryokan, the traditional design begins to gradually blend and shift to modern contemporary forms as you enter in to the lobby and guestrooms. But, the ryokan vibe pervades - bamboo walkways, ikebana flower arrangements, tatami-style floors, incense burners and – most essentially and also most unusually for Tokyo - hot spring onsen baths on the 18th floor, with views over the buzzy, nocturnal, neon-lit Shinjuku district. The design is minimalist throughout and, as such, this is not a high-end luxury hotel with all the accoutrements and indulgent opulence – for that you stay in The Park Hyatt, The Mandarin Orental, The Aman or even The Hoshinoya (if you want a high-end ryokan experience).  But the Yuen does its job perfectly and – truth be told – is wholly unique at this price point in the capital. 

Once inside you discover a minimal, modern take on the traditional tearoom-style architecture often found in ryokan inns, with traditional Japanese aesthetics and hospitality, balanced with a contemporary design edge. However, this is most definitely a city hotel through scale - it is  far bigger than typical ryokan inns – with 193 rooms, housed discreetly in a grey 18-storey tower just behind the more traditional ground floor façade. 

The Yuen’s rendition features an open-air public bath filled with mineral-rich water delivered weekly by a lorry from the mountainous Hakone region. Situated on the rooftop, the contemporary bath makes for a great place to gather while letting hotel guests enjoy the best view of the house. My favourite little touch? -  they serve free iced fruit lollies in the afternoons and evening.

There is just one restaurant called ‘Kakatojo’ on the ground floor - a sleek haven of warm woods and grey stones, complete with a sugi cedar ceiling and a large signature counter made from a single piece of gingko wood. It feels a little ‘canteeny’ in some ways, but they do serve seasonal, contemporary Japanese cuisine, such as teppanyaki and tempura, served on curated ceramics. Breakfast is a highlight with staff presenting tiered ceramic boxes containing a medley of Japanese delights - grilled fish, miso soup, Koshihikari rice, pickled vegetables, dried baby sardines, sesame tofu, braised shellfish, simmered beef with ginger…etc. Yes, you’d better like Japanese food. For breakfast.

While there is no room service, vending machines are also on several floors. 
 
There is a simple no-frills feel to the rooms: I’d describe it as if ‘Muji’ did hotels (actually, they do – there is a Muji hotel elsewhere in Tokyo). Stylish and contemporary yet rooted in traditional aesthetics - low-lying white beds, tatami-style flooring, dark ceilings, atmospheric lighting and round ceramic sinks. All very Zen (read; minimal). The rooms vary in size and there are seven room types – the entry level rooms being quite small, but not unusually so by Tokyo standards.

Location

A low-key street in Shinjuku, a Tokyo district long synonymous with futuristic towers, its vast, sprawling station, dense crowds of shoppers and a non-stop nightlife. The hotel is about 15 minutes on foot from the main station (which is very convenient, if at times confusing to navigate) and provides a refreshingly serene sanctuary from the urban chaos that thrives in Shinjuku.