“What a beautiful room,” I exclaimed, as soon as I entered the garden suite of the Hotel Chinzanso in Tokyo. Just like many Tokyo residents spending the summer in Japan amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we had decided to book a staycation at a hotel in the city.

Tokyo has many luxury hotels. However, for many people living here, the Hotel Chinzanso occupies a special place full of nostalgia and good memories.

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So many new hotels have sprouted up all over Tokyo. Many of them occupy the upper floors of skyscrapers and upscale buildings. However, the old-fashioned Chinzanso, with its sprawling estate, is a testament to the fact that some good things should never change.

This hotel is a great favorite among Japanese aristocrats. For one thing, it is located in a quiet and genteel residential neighborhood, away from the tourist areas of Tokyo. Also, it is perhaps the most spacious hotel in the city. When you’re at Chinzanso, you feel like you’ve traveled elsewhere both in location and time. You see, this hotel with its garden full of history harks back to the days of Old World Japan.

A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN IN TOKYO

I booked the premiere garden suite because it comes with a view of the gardens. I love waking up and seeing the gardens and the temple first thing in the morning. The gardens are also easy on the eyes as I enjoy my room service breakfast. Even when I’m working on my laptop on the desk in the suite, I feel that the entire Tokyo is literally at my fingertips.

In the evenings, I often can’t take my eyes off the pagoda in the garden. It’s lit up dramatically and it makes quite a picture. In the distance is the skyline of Ikebukuro, a modern suburb of Tokyo. Meanwhile, in the foreground are the lush gardens of Hotel Chinzanso.

ABOUT THE GARDEN SUITE OF CHINZANSO

The hotel has many kinds of suites, each with its own decor. The garden suite I stayed in was a combination of Western and Asian interiors, with Japanese accents. It was very comfortable to spend several days here, just relaxing away from the heat and the stress of the pandemic.

The furniture are classic antique-style pieces merged with chintz, everything in elegant proportions. Meanwhile, the main bathroom is massive by Tokyo hotel standards, and there’s a second bathroom in the foyer. Even with years piling on it, the Hotel Chinzanso is so impeccably maintained that the rooms look fresh.

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It was so easy to feel at home here, especially as room service was excellent. I stayed three nights and only checked out with the greatest reluctance on the last day, determined to find some reason to return to this beautiful garden suite again someday.

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Chinzanso in the residential neighborhood of Meijiro in Tokyo is a grand hotel well loved by the old families of Tokyo. It’s luxurious, beautiful and full of Old World charm. It’s the best of traditional Japanese hospitality and Western comfort put together.

If you’ve been to Tokyo many times and wish to see a less touristy side of this city, this is the perfect hotel to stay in. It has a hot springs on-site, so many excellent restaurants, and a beautiful garden. So once you check-in, you’ll probably not want to leave.

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In fact, the garden of Chinzanso is very famous in Tokyo. Many Tokyo residents book staycations and meals at the restaurants just to enjoy the garden. Many couples also regard Chinzanso as their dream wedding venue in Japan. So it is extremely popular to hold an exclusive wedding reception here, in the adjacent banquet hall.

This is probably the most beautiful garden in Tokyo that is privately owned but accessible to the public. Guests can view the gardens from the premium rooms, the best tables in the restaurants and banquet halls.

HISTORY OF CHINZANSO

The history of Chinzanso’s land goes back to the 15th century, when it was already famous for camellias blooming on-site. However, the gardens itself really began in 1878. This was when Aritomo Yamagata, a former prime minister of Japan, bought the property from the aristocratic Kuroda family.

Yamagata-san then hired Katsugoro Iwatamo, who was then known as the best gardener in Tokyo, to work for him. The gardener created a series of pocket gardens and hills, plus a pond. These all remain to these day.

Actually, Yamagata-san was a great connoisseur of art and culture. So Chinzanso is just one of three gardens he commissioned. However it is his only beautiful garden in Tokyo and it is also the most famous one.

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ABOUT THIS BEAUTIFUL GARDEN IN TOKYO

In 1918, Yamagata-san sold his estate and in 1948 it eventually became the property of Fujita Kogyo, the company that still owns Chinzanso. The founder of Fujita Kogyo also loved gardens. So he planted 10,000 trees to recreate the glory of Chinzanso, as it had been damaged during World War II.

Today, Chinzanso is synonymous with the grand life of pre-war Japan. It’s especially refreshing to see, amidst all the sleek high-rise new hotels made of glass and steel. One only has to walk through the garden, a beautiful oasis amidst a cityscape of Tokyo apartments and office buildings, to transport one’s self to another world and another era.

Read more about the best hotels and resorts in Japan in Travelife Magazine.

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