I have not been to Tokyo for over 20 years. I want to bring my wife and two children next year and we are big fans of Four Seasons. Since there are two in Tokyo, can anyone give me a recommendation on which one is the better one?

Note: I have not stayed at either hotel, but here are my impressions from the outside:

- Tokyo at Chinzan-so:
Pain-in-the-... location for travel to-from-and-within Tokyo. (Taxi!)
Pool and garden.

- Tokyo at Marunouchi:
Super-convenient location for travel to-from-and-within Tokyo.
Shiny, new, urban sophisticate look about it.

For travel with younger children, I'd suggest the Chizan-so, because of the pool (Must be 4 years old to use pool). For older kids, the Marunouchi is probably more exciting, but it has a kind of "grown up" look to me.
If Tokyo is just a one or two-day stop in a larger tour of Japan, the Marunouchi is probably quite handy because it's right next to Tokyo station. If, however, you're planning to spend the whole time in Tokyo, then you could happily make the Chizan-so your base.

I would have to agree , and add that the Marunouchi screams business and the Chizan-so says leisure. I think you might need the "space" that the later gives. If worse comes to worse and you really want to stay somewhere for the "kid" then any of the properties next to the Disney resort would fit the bill....

How far is the Chizan-so from the Disney reosrt area?

Far, far, away... At least 1 hour via public transport. Not that complicated, but will require some navigational skill.

Is relying on taxis very difficult? We will have a family of 5, are there taxis large enough to accomodate us? I imagine it's pretty expensive.

Tokyo's one place where it's almost mandatory to figure out public transport. Cabs are very expensive (it's around US$300 one-way to the airport), often slower than the alternatives due to congestion, communicating with the driver is an issue, and you're not allowed to put more than 4 pax in a standard cab.

Are Taxi prices expensive? Yes.

- Typical taxi meters start at 660yen for the first 2km.
- Thereafter, the fare increases by 80yen per 274 meters. (or 80yen per 1min and 40secs, when moving at less than 10km/h)

This information comes from the Nihon Kotsu taxi company:
http://www.nihon-kotsu.co.jp/taxi/fare/

Are there taxis big enough for 5 passengers? Yes, but not easy to find.

If you want a taxi and you are in central Tokyo, it usually makes sense to hail a cab... but most cabs can seat only 4 passengers. (3 in back and 1 up front). It is possible to telephone with a request for a larger vehicle. If you call for a cab, you can ask for a "mini van" which is a soccer-mom type vehicle at the same cost - but who knows how soon they can dispatch one.

If you want to call for a taxi (in English) check out this service:
http://www.nihon-kotsu.co.jp/en/taxi/ephone.html

With several people in a cab, the price can be competitive with some public transportation for short rides. (Compare with 170yen each for a short subway journey). But I don't think you want to rely on cabs for every journey. I would prefer to be in a hotel with easy access to public transit.

Is relying on taxis very difficult?

I like Tokyo taxis for the fact that they are safe, clean and virtually ubiquitous *(unless it's raining, when it becomes harder to catch one). The drivers tend to know less about Tokyo geography than they ought to, but they will all know how to reach this hotel.

At the end of a day of sightseeing, when your feet are tired and the kids just want to take a nap, there's nothing nicer than just catching the first available cab and taking the easy way back to the hotel. But with Tokyo taxi prices and traffic conditions, you want to make sure you're not doing this ten times per day.

What this means - In terms of using Chinzan-so as your base in Tokyo

I have looked at reviews on some websites, which all rave about the service at this hotel, but several of the reviews agree that the location is so inconvenient.

- Review on trip advisor kind of confirms what I am thinking:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...kyo_Kanto.html

- Review on eLuxury further confirms it:
http://www.eluxury.com/browse/servic...ervicetypeid=4


So - my advice - only choose this hotel if you can make a really good travel plan for each day and stick to it. Don't plan on popping in and out of the hotel several times whenever the fancy takes you.


If I were running this hotel, I would definitely arrange some free shuttle buses to some nearby railway hubs (maybe Shinjuku and Yotsuya). That would solve the only fault that anyone seems to be able to find in the hotel.

[It seems - I found - they used to offer a shuttle bus to Waseda station, but it is no longer advertised on their website. I imagine that the uptake was low, because Waseda is not a useful transportation "hub"]

Tokyo Disneyland is near Maihama station.

- Walk 10 minutes from hotel to Edogawabashi station (or take a cab)
- Take the Yurakucho subway line to Shin Kiba station (11 stops = 24 mins)
- Transfer to the JR lines (same building - different railway)
- Take the JR Keiyo or Musashino line to Maihama station (1 stop = 6 mins)

Total journey time (allowing for all walking and train changes) = 50 mins

Actually, it's a pretty OK journey - I was quite surprised when I looked it up.

Your concierge might advise you to take a taxi to Tokyo station and then Keiyo line to Disney land, 'cos everyone thinks of the Keiyo line when they go to Disney, but I think the above is better.

If you go to Disney, try to avoid weekends, Japanese school holidays and public holidays. At those times, you have to stand in line for ages to do anything.

ALSO - There are some good hotels near Tokyo Disneyland. But I digress...

I liked the Chinzan-so, but the location was a bit of an issue. Finding your way back from the metro station and then walking up the hill to the hotel was not exactly straightforward ... as I learned once on my way back. I like the hotel grounds and waking up in the morning (early sun) and seeing the grounds and the old main construct on it; it makes for a very good way to wake up. The gym there is small but decent. With the supply of Evian water bottles (for free ) and any clothes or shoes you need to work out, the gym satisfied me. (The green full-size toothbrushes this hotel has seem to last forever. )

Some negotiated rates include a one-way car drop-off on at least weekeday mornings.

I have no experience with the newer Four Seasons in Tokyo.

Dude - Check out this discussion thread on tokyowithkids.com:

http://www.tokyowithkids.com/discuss...ay2020030728pm

This is pretty good insight I think.

I really appreciate the insights, especially jib71! Give me a lot of think about and research. Thanks again everyone.

The FS Chinzan-so exists mainly off of wedding business these days. It really can't be recommended for a tourist because of the horrible location. That 10 minute walk someone mentioned to the nearest subway line is 10 minutes because it is down a steep hill -- which you will have to walk UP when going back to the hotel.

However, because of the location, you can sometimes get amazing corporate rates, if eligible, and if you are on a lower budget and must have FS, this would be where you end up.

Really, there is no choice. If you're a FS-all-the-way person, it's FS Maronouchi for you.

FS Chinzan-so is miles away from anything - we negotiated a free taxi off our corporate rate and never used public transport. It is very quiet though and rooms are a very good size - I've never seen bath tubs so deep!

Maranouchi is more central and a lot of things are walkable and with this heat at the moment you'll probably be wanting to pop back to the hotel several times a day.

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I wasn't sure where the Chinzan-So was, so I checked their website and found that they're 10 minutes from the Edogawabashi station on the Yurakucho line.

I'm a bit of a public transit geek, so I don't think that's an inconvenient location at all, and I see the subway as an integral part of the Tokyo experience.

For one thing, you can ride the subway south to Yurakucho and pick up the Yamanote-sen or walk a few blocks to Tokyo Station. If your kids are typical kids, they won't find it tiring at all, more of an adventure, actually.

I think walking around and just seeing what you can see is one of the great joys of Tokyo.