Hotel New Otani Tokyo

A landmark hotel in Kioi-cho, Chiyoda City, Tokyo. The original main building opened in 1964, and the Garden Tower — 40 stories, 143 meters — was completed in 1974. The property encompasses a 10,000-square-meter Japanese garden with over 400 years of history on the former estate of the Ii clan of Hikone.

Use

Office tower

Area

Chiyoda City

Completed

1974

Floors

40 above ground

Height

143 m

Developer

New Otani Co., Ltd.

A Garden Four Centuries in the Making

At 4-1 Kioicho, Chiyoda City — on a low hill between Akasaka-mitsuke and Yotsuya stations, set back from the main avenues — Hotel New Otani Tokyo spreads across a site that holds more history than its towers might suggest. The original main building opened in September 1964, just weeks before the Tokyo Olympics, positioning the hotel as a flagship accommodation for an era of international attention. The Garden Tower, completed in 1974 at 40 stories and 143 meters, followed a decade later, creating the high-rise silhouette that defines the property today.

What gives Hotel New Otani Tokyo its singular character is the Japanese garden at its heart. The land here was for centuries the estate of the Ii clan, lords of Hikone Domain and one of the most powerful daimyo families of the Edo period. The garden they maintained has been carefully preserved and expanded; it now covers approximately 10,000 square meters and can be enjoyed by hotel guests and visitors to the garden restaurants alike, with paths winding around ponds, stone lanterns, and seasonal plantings.

Hosting History

The hotel’s location adjacent to the Akasaka Imperial Palace grounds and within a short distance of the National Diet Building has made it a natural venue for diplomatic events, state functions, and the gatherings of the political and business establishment. Over the decades since 1964, heads of state and international delegations have passed through, and the hotel has been a backdrop to events ranging from formal receptions to international film premieres.

The Garden Tower’s addition in 1974 substantially increased the capacity and the hotel’s visual presence. In more recent years, parts of the property have undergone renovation, and distinct accommodation brands now occupy different wings of the complex. Through all of this, the Japanese garden at the centre has remained the constant: a reminder that the Kioicho hillside has been a carefully tended place for far longer than any of its towers have stood.

Summary

Hotel New Otani Tokyo traces its origins to the 1964 opening of its main building and the 1974 completion of the 40-story, 143-meter Garden Tower. Located on the former Ii clan estate in Chiyoda City’s Kioicho, it pairs high-rise accommodation with one of central Tokyo’s most historically significant Japanese gardens. Walking up Kioizaka from Akasaka-mitsuke and entering through the garden is still the most rewarding way to arrive.