Last Updated on April 23, 2023
An inviting introduction to a central city neighbourhood with OMO3
A few hours after touching down at Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport, I found myself admiring a jaunty, red, Japanese umbrella. It hung above a trolley, a contemporary take on the hotel reception desk, where I checked into OMO3 Tokyo Akasaka by Hoshino Resorts, situated in one of Tokyo’s business and commercial districts. Exhausted from a 14-hour flight and slightly disoriented, I found a warm welcome and an invitation to join up later on a walking tour of the area led by an OMO Ranger. While I sipped an iced tea in the Ueshima Coffee Shop that forms part of the hotel, I noticed a 7/11 convenience store over the road. In no time I had eaten one of Japan’s finest snacks – an egg sando. I could not resist the strawberry, custard and whipped cream sando either. Only in Japan. If there is a finer antidote for jetlag, I’ve not discovered it.
Back in the lobby, I relaxed in the comfortable sunken lounge known as OMO Base, a common feature in all OMO hotels. This central seating arrangement is designed to encourage visitors to meet and chat and is a lovely space in which to plan one’s day. It is located opposite another feature found throughout the OMO range – the Go-KINJO map. This is an original map of the hotel’s neighbourhood which not only pinpoints the well-known sights, it is annotated by staff who add recommendations of their favourite hidden shops and restaurants. The OMO approach is to see the surrounding neighbourhood as an extension of the resort itself, offering guests a wide choice of where to eat, shop and visit.
In addition to this insider information, the OMO3 Tokyo Akasaka hotel offers two, one-hour OMO Ranger tours of the area which begin at 3.30 pm or 7.30 am and provide a fascinating introduction to the neighbourhood. The afternoon tour was the highlight of my first day in Tokyo and just the right amount of activity to introduce me to the excitement of the city without overtaxing my energy. The guide was most engaging and kept up a good pace up Akasaka’s steep streets and educated with a flow of information. Akasaka translates as ‘red slope’ and the neighbourhood is built across 19 small hills. We passed by a number of tiny stores selling patisserie. Set amongst the urban housing the guide pointed out historic boundaries and we admired a huge bell dating back to the Edo period. Akasaka is an area where history sits alongside contemporary living. We entered an array of shrines that you’ll find all over the streets of Japan. We visited Toyokawa Inari Temple, a beautiful Buddhist temple that worships Inari, the god of rice cultivation. Here we learned that the multitude of fox sculptures occupying the complex are the representative of the god, Inari. As foxes control the rat population that feeds on rice, the fox is considered to be a messenger from the rice god to protect the staple crop of Japan. Before modern government began in 1868, more than 80% of Japanese people were involved in farming so the rice crop affected everyone. It is a beautiful place and a peaceful haven in the midst of a hectic city.
One of the highlights for me was visiting Toraya, a traditional Japanese confectionery store which has been making wagashi (Japanese traditional sweets) since the 16th century. They are famous purveyors of yokan, a jelly-textured sweet made from red bean paste, sugar and agar. The store’s delicacies are displayed in cases like fine jewels and are lovely not only to look at but to eat. Finally, on the seventh floor of an apartment block where we were introduced to a real local treat – a bar cum tea salon run by a retired geisha. After this remarkable tour, I felt immersed in Japanese culture by the afternoon’s end. The benefit of the tour is not only seeing local sights but also having an opportunity to spend time with Japanese people, talking about real life in the country.
Back at the OMO3 Tokyo Akasaka Hotel, I checked into my room which had a good view over the bustling street outside. The rooms are available in singles and doubles and there is also an accessible room. The space was bijoux, which is typical for Tokyo, and had everything needed for a comfortable stay. The room layout used the space very well. There was a decent-sized double bed dressed in white linen with jaunty accent cushions. The padded headboard extended into a small, corner sofa area on which to relax. As is typical in Japanese hotels, there were pyjamas laid out on the bed, here designed with the OMO logo. These were on sale in the lobby if guests wished to buy a pair to take away. A large flat-screen TV, bar fridge, kettle and tea-making items were all provided. Dove grey, blackout-lined curtains ensured a good night’s sleep and the room was quiet despite overlooking a busy street.
The bathroom had a typical Japanese bath – short and deep – so that one could enjoy a hot soak in a seated position with the water covering the shoulders. The loo seat was heated and there was an array of washing options on a wall panel which, as any traveller to Japan knows, is one of the best features of Japanese sanitary ware. In Japanese hotels, toiletries are provided – toothbrushes and paste, face cleansing products, bath salts, razors, hairbrushes and more. At OMO3 these were available from the lobby rather than laid out in the bedrooms in order to reduce wastage. There was a central water cooler available to fill water bottles rather than bottled water in each room for the same conservation concerns. Very helpfully for visitors, there was a laundry with a washing machine and dryer that could be used.
OMO3 Tokyo Akasaka is well located for a wide choice of eating and drinking options almost on the doorstep. One also has the option of ordering in food. We ate dinner at an izakaya (a bar that serves freshly prepared food) in the alleyway almost next to the hotel. After a lovely meal we took a walk around the lively streets where in the hours after work ends for the day, men in suits hurried to their favourite watering holes before heading home.
The hotel has the popular Ueshima coffee shop attached to its ground floor which can be accessed from the hotel or the street outside. It was always busy and provided a good spot for people-watching or relaxing with an impressive selection of coffee or green tea and a delicious slice of cake. In the morning it’s where breakfast is served for hotel guests. Here we chose from a selection of toasted sandwiches, or eggs and bacon to order. Tea and coffee – hot or iced – as well as orange juice was available. Being rather jetlagged I could only face a simple breakfast of toast and a boiled egg while my partner chose a three-cheese croque monsieur all made with Japanese shokupan bread which is a popular fluffy milk loaf.
The OMO hotels in Japan are the city-based range of Hoshino Resorts, an award-winning hotel group with four brands of hotels across Japan that provide a wide range of accommodation options for discerning travellers. The hotels are located in over 50 destinations and have garnered the group no less than 42 awards. Some of the resorts boast 5 stars while others are contemporary hot spring ryokans (traditional Japanese style accommodation. There is also urban accommodation for casual travellers in cities from Tokyo to Okinawa or ski resorts in Hokkaido. Hoshino Resorts has a luxury brand, Hoshinoya; KAI resorts are found in classic hot spring areas and provide Japanese auberge style accommodation, Risonare are countryside resort hotels with food culture tied to the terroir of the area, while OMO are city-based tourist hotels.
There are three categories of accommodation under the OMO brand. OMO1 provides hostel accommodation, OMO3 is a basic hotel, OMO5 is a boutique hotel, and OMO7 is a full-service hotel. I stayed at OMO3 Akasaka which is located in a central neighbourhood of Tokyo that is home to many of the city’s high-end restaurants. It has 140 rooms and is a short, three-minute walk from Akasaka-mitsuke station. If you are looking for a well-situated, reasonably priced hotel that is spotlessly clean and has all the amenities for a good night’s sleep in a central area of Tokyo, OMO3 Akasaka by Hoshino Resorts is one to consider. Additionally, you can sign up for a well-informed and entertaining walking tour that will get your trip to Tokyo off to an engaging start.
OMO3 Tokyo Akasaka by Hoshino Resorts
4-3-2 Akasaka,
Minato-ku,
Tokyo
Find out more about my trip to Japan by following my posts. Here’s a review of some of the trips in Japan from Activity gift
