This Tokyo Hotel Pairs Travelers With Local Guides Who Will Take Them to the City's Secret Haunts
Editor's Note: Travel to Japan is currently prohibited as a COVID-19 precaution. Use our inspirational travel stories to plan ahead for a future trip.
When you travel, one of the hardest — and most time-consuming — tasks is researching what to do, see, and eat. And in Tokyo, one of the world's largest cities, the difficulty is only amplified.
That's a challenge Hoshino Resorts' OMO5 Tokyo Otsuka property is taking on. Rather than pointing to a ramen joint or sake bar on a map, you'll be aided by the OMO Rangers — a team of young local guides who accompany you to their favorite local haunts. Dressed in a safari hat and one of the OMO Ranger colors (red, green, yellow, purple, or blue) the team is as kawaii (cute) as they are knowledgeable.
Courtesy of Hoshino Resorts OMO5
You book your ranger based on what you're looking for — team members specialize in food, culture, nightlife, and sports — and the excursions are all local and on foot, so you won't have to leave the hotel's Otsuka neighborhood.
Otsuka feels a tad nostalgic with its old-fashioned tram and small, windy streets, while offering all the modern touches you'd expect from Tokyo. Also known as the home of Nakiryu, the second ramen restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star, you won't have to go far to find great eats. And once the sun goes down, the neighborhood draws young Tokyoites who come to drink in the area's plentiful izakayas (bars).
Courtesy of Hoshino Resorts OMO5
The hotel itself was built in 2018, and is as clean and modern as it gets. You can check in (and get your keys) within moments at the self-service kiosk, or check in the old-fashioned way with an English-speaking front desk attendant. Grab a pair of cozy, OMO PJs ($2 to rent for your entire stay) and head to your yagura-style room — a spacious multi-level design with a bedroom in a stair-accessed lofted area, and a lounge and bathroom below. Thanks to the space's high ceilings and large windows, you can watch the sunset from your elevated vantage point (rooms are on floors 5 to 13) and dream about tomorrow's breakfast at the OMO Café (try the vol-au-vent puff pastry filled with fresh fruit and cream).
Courtesy of Hoshino Resorts OMO5
If you've got work to do, grab a second cup of coffee after breakfast and post up in the lobby's laptop-friendly workspace where you'll find locals mingling alongside hotel guests. And when you're ready to venture out, you won't have to go far — the nearest train station, Otsuka Station, is a minute's walk away and connects you seamlessly to the rest of the city.
From your OMO5 basecamp, it's around an hour to both Tokyo (Haneda) and Narita International Airports, 20 minutes to Tokyo and Shibuya Stations, and less than 15 minutes to Shinjuku Station. Every day at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. (with reservation) there are two free, one-hour OMO Ranger neighborhood tours. All other tours cost 10,000 JPY (around $10) and do not include the cost of food, drink, and entrance fees.
