Stay · Hibiya

Imperial Hotel Tokyo 帝国ホテル 東京

Japan's grande dame hotel, facing Hibiya Park since 1890. Frank Lloyd Wright's lost 1923 masterpiece survives in the Old Imperial Bar, built with his Oya stone and terracotta, and the hotel is preparing a Tsuyoshi Tane-designed rebuild.

About

The Imperial Hotel was founded in 1890 to host foreign dignitaries. Its second building, by Frank Lloyd Wright, opened in 1923 and became one of the most famous buildings in Asia. Its Mayan-revival halls of carved Oya stone and patterned terracotta came through the Great Kanto Earthquake on the day it opened. It was demolished in 1968, though its front lobby was rebuilt at the Meiji Mura museum near Nagoya. In the current 1970 main building, Wright's legacy lives on in the Old Imperial Bar, which opened that year. A wall combining his geometric terracotta and Oya stone survives there, along with Wright-designed furniture motifs and the hotel's Mount Fuji cocktail, created in the 1920s. Hotel lore also credits the hotel with Japan's first hotel shopping arcade, first in-house laundry and the Viking buffet. The hotel's redevelopment is under way: a new main building designed by Tsuyoshi Tane is targeted for about 2036, and the Tower wing is to be rebuilt first, starting around 2030. For now, everything operates as normal.

Highlights

• Old Imperial Bar with Frank Lloyd Wright's original Oya stone and terracotta
• The Mount Fuji cocktail, a house classic since the 1920s
• Grand main lobby centred on a huge seasonal flower arrangement
• Rendez-vous Lounge for afternoon tea, including a history-tour plan
• Across the road from Hibiya Park, close to Ginza and the Imperial Palace

Tips

• The Old Imperial Bar is in the main building near the arcade; go before 18:00 for a quieter seat
• To see Wright's full lobby, visit Meiji Mura in Inuyama, Aichi, where it was rebuilt
• Ask for the hotel history plan at the Rendez-vous Lounge to learn the Wright story
• Redevelopment will change the hotel over the coming decade; visit the 1970 building while it stands

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

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• Godzilla Statue (Hibiya Godzilla Square)Statue & Monument · 180 m away
• Rock FishBars & Nightlife · 190 m away
• Tokyo Midtown Hibiya Park View GardenPhoto Spot · 200 m away
• Ginza Sushiko HontenSushi & Seafood · 210 m away