Best Hotels to Stay in Tokyo: Nohga Hotel, Ueno

Nohga Hotel – At a Glance

Planning your first visit to Tokyo can often seem quite daunting. There are 62 municipalities in the world’s biggest city, with thousands of hotels to choose from. If you have never visited, how do you even begin the search? How do you find out the best hotels to stay in Tokyo?

I recently stayed at one of the city’s latest openings, the Nohga Hotel in Ueno. If Marie Kondo did hotels, they would probably look a lot like the Nohga. From the room-wear—pajamas available for free to guests in all Japanese hotels—to bedside notepads, bathroom amenities, wall art, all items have a deep connection to the local community, designed to spark joy among their guests.

Nohga Hotel – Clientele

A mix of young domestic urban professionals and trendy tourists. The Nohga attracts local and visiting businessmen looking for a more of-the-moment meeting destination.

During my time in the hotel’s versatile restaurant/lounge area, I spotted small groups of businessmen meeting over coffee, and non-Japanese couples enjoying breakfast before a day of sight-seeing.

Nohga Hotel – Location

In an area almost as understated as the hotel itself, the Nohga is situated along a quiet side-street in Ueno, a traditional neighborhood filled with small family-owned restaurants and businesses. It’s also home to Ueno Park and the 1627 Ueno Toshogu shrine. With a direct train from nearby Keisei Ueno station to Narita airport, it’s easily accessible for tourists.

Reasons to Stay at the Nohga Hotel, Tokyo

The Nohga blends a modern Japanese hotel with ties to traditional Japan through its local-focused sourcing and regular cultural events such as Japanese family crest cutting workshops.

Within the rooms, guidebooks list the stories of each item a guest might encounter during their stay and the local companies that produces them, from the room key holders made of Japanese paper, Yuzu scented room fragrance, staff uniforms, to the wine glasses manufactured at the Tokyo Kimura Glass factory who specialize in producing handmade, elegant, glassware.

In addition, the hotel is beautifully designed. Art, curated by Teruo Kurosaki, an influential designer known for early collaborations with figures like Phillipe Stark before they were famous and founding Tokyo design store Id?e, gives the hotel a playful, surreal nature, while the restaurant and lounge furniture reflects a modern, minimalist vibe created through collaborations between Japanese and Danish designers.

Is Ueno a Good Place to Stay?

Ueno is a convenient location to base yourself during a visit to Tokyo. There is a direct train line to Narita airport, where the bulk of international flights to Japan arrive.

The rest of Tokyo can also be easily accessed from Ueno, JR’s Yamanote line will take you to most of the major sightseeing areas in the city, from Shibuya to Shinjuku. There are also two subway lines that can be accessed from Ueno, the Ginza and Hibiya lines. (Check out my 5 day Tokyo itinerary here)

Ueno Attractions

Whilst staying in Ueno, you should also check out some of the local attractions, mostly found around the park location. Ueno Park is a popular spot for cherry blossom viewing (check out my cherry blossom viewing tips here), and is also home to Ueno Zoo, the Tokyo National Museum, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.

For more inspiration on unique places to stay in Japan, check out this article!