FUFU Tokyo Ginza – Review

FUFU Tokyo Ginza opened in November 2025, bringing the brand’s celebrated onsen resort philosophy to the heart of Tokyo’s most sophisticated district. Just steps from Ginza’s flagship boutiques and sparkling towers, yet hidden on a quiet side street, this is a property that values discretion and privacy. Every suite features a private garden balcony, a hot spring bath fed by waters from FUFU Atami, and meals served in the privacy of one’s own dining room. With just 34 suites across five floors, it feels less like a city hotel and more like a ryokan in the sky.

The entrance is easy to miss. A discreet doorway on a quiet Ginza side street, the facade finished in earthy plaster decorated with sculpted symbols made from soil excavated during construction.

You step inside and the transformation begins. The ground floor vestibule is gently lit and silent, a bamboo fence running along the wall, and a simple flower arrangement suspended, with a single spotlight casting the art of shadow. This is where you transition from the city to the urban resort. You are guided to the lifts and taken up to reception on the 12th floor, where check-in happens in a private booth and you are offered chilled yuzu juice from Kyoto. Everything here is about privacy. I was privileged to be among the very first guests to experience this remarkable property, FUFU’s first in Tokyo, and the attention to discretion was evident from the first moment.

Throughout the hotel, woven bamboo sculptures appear in quiet corners and transitional spaces. Simple and calming, in natural tones, they offer visual interest and a reference to artisan creativity, a gentle reminder that this is a contemporary interpretation of the traditional ryokan.

The Suite

The 34 suites range from Stylish Suites through Comfort, Precious Corner, Premium, and Luxury Corner categories, up to the flagship FUFU Luxury Premium Suites which can connect to create a grand space for private events. Executive versions on the higher floors offer enhanced views.

Our Luxury Corner Suite occupied 115 square metres on one of the upper floors. The entrance vestibule is where you take off your shoes, choosing slippers for the hardwood floors of the suite’s lobby including a private dressing room, separate W.C., and storage for luggage.

Beyond is the entrance to the suite, where pale green tatami mats are so fine and soft they were a pleasure under bare feet.

In the dressing area, drawers held two sets of pyjamas. Simple white ones, elegant and light, for wearing in the room. And sophisticated dark blue ones, complete with socks and jackets, designed for wearing with traditional geta sandals throughout the hotel. This is a private onsen resort, and guests are encouraged to wear their smart pyjamas anywhere, from the rooftop bar to the private dining rooms.

A connecting service hatch allowed staff to deliver room service and pressed clothes without disturbing us.

The main salon was generous, with a dining area, two sofas placed back to back, one facing the wraparound garden balcony, the other facing the television and built-in furniture. The minibar held a bespoke drawer with a Japanese teapot and two ceramic cups. On the counter was the welcome gift, Shiose Manju from Shiose Sohonke, a confectioner with over 670 years of history. The delicate manju, filled with smooth red bean paste in a yam and rice flour dough, was stamped with the FUFU Tokyo Ginza emblem. Exquisite.

The bedroom, open to the salon but closable with a large sliding screen, held two queen beds with western duvets and fine linens. The television was hidden behind sliding paper screens. Minimalist, but beautiful.

The play of light throughout the day was extraordinary. Morning light filtered through the trees and plants of our private sky garden, casting crisp silhouettes on the shoji screens. By midday, the shadows shifted. At dusk, the room glowed. You become aware of time passing in a calming, natural way.

The Garden

The wraparound balcony was unlike anything I have experienced in a city hotel. Japanese geta waited by the glass sliding doors. Outside, sofas and chairs sat amongst trees and plants, including bespoke places to set down a teapot or a drink. Each suite is named after its garden, ours featuring Japanese barberry with red berries among the greenery. High glass panels protected us from the breeze while framing views of Ginza’s towers. This was our secret garden in the sky.

The Onsen

The bathroom featured a private hot spring bath, the waters transported from FUFU’s own spring in Atami. The tub was edged in bamboo, the tiles textured in a design unique to each room. Water trickled constantly from a bamboo spout, velvety and warm, overflowing gently into the wet room where a small stool and wooden bowl waited for washing before entering the bath.

That first soak, late afternoon, was memorable. The water soft against the skin, with the steam rising, the lush garden beyond the window. Amenities were from FUFU’s own organic line, Komorebi, named for the Japanese word describing light filtering through leaves.

Yusora rooftop

Before dinner, we visited the rooftop lounge. Yusora is a garden in the sky. You find your private seating booth by a stone path winding through clipped pine trees and carefully placed greenery. Booths are positioned throughout the garden offering you a feeling of being alone in nature, each with a side table for placing a glass of wine. The complimentary bar runs from 4pm to 8pm each evening. As you sit, your feet rest in hot onsen waters.

We sat as dusk settled, wine in hand, feet in the warm water, watching the Ginza skyline glitter. It was the perfect way to begin the evening.

Dinner at Ginza Gayu

All dining at FUFU Tokyo Ginza is private. The Japanese restaurant Ginza Gayu is found on the 12th floor. You are shown to your own private space, ours with views over the sparkling towers of Ginza. A dedicated server looked after us throughout the evening, a charming young man who presented each course with knowledge.

The meal was kaiseki, and it was exceptional.

The starter arrived as a still life, with small dishes in individually designed ceramics arranged on a main plate, decorated with real ginkgo and Japanese maple leaves. Snow crab with deep-fried yuba and miso sauce. Sea urchin in bonito broth with wasabi. The appetiser course that followed was equally visual: ginkgo nuts with chestnut and raisin paste, steamed foie gras soup with carrot sauce and mozzarella, mackerel sushi with seaweed, persimmon with mixed nuts and marinated duck.

The soup arrived in a lacquered bowl with a lid, revealed with ceremony: steamed clams with sake, walnut tofu, matsutake mushroom, chrysanthemum greens sprinkled with yuzu zest.

The sashimi was presented in a basket filled with crushed ice: tuna toro, medium toro, lean cuts, peony shrimp with the head prepared tempura-style served apart on a ceramic dish, while the shrimp was on a Japanese mint leaf, on the ice.

The meat course was theatre. Wagyu wrapped in huge autumn leaves, presented on a large serving dish decorated with foliage and twigs. Our server lifted the wrapped parcels with chopsticks, as though foraging, then placed them before us, before unwrapping them to reveal the perfectly prepared beef. It came with grilled taro, lotus root, hawthorn sauce, rock salt, and wasabi.

A hot pot followed: abalone and suppon with white maitake, shiitake mushrooms, Japanese parsley, and goji berries. Then rice, the grains from a rare supplier, cooked in a special pot and served with reverence: conger eel tempura, shredded seaweed, sweet potato with perilla leaf, pickled vegetables, miso soup.

Dessert was pear compote with apple ice cream, strawberry, condensed milk bavarois, and carbonated jelly sprinkled with citrus zest.

It was one of the finest kaiseki meals I have eaten. The seasonal pairing course matched Japanese and European wines to each dish. We began with Ca’del Bosco Cuvée Prestige, an Italian Franciacorta, with the starter. The appetiser was paired with Koshu NOGI 2023, a FUFU limited edition white from 98Wines in Yamanashi. With the sashimi came Kaze no Mori Akitsuho, an unfiltered sake from Nara with a fresh, lively character. The wagyu was matched with Tatenohara Cabernet Franc & Tannat 2023 from Domaine Beau in Toyama, a small Japanese producer making wines with real personality. It was a masterclass in Japanese wine and sake.

Breakfast

Breakfast, also served in a private dining room, arrived in a tall wooden box. The server slid open the door to reveal the contents: individual bowls and lacquered boxes in red wood, arranged across four tiers. A paper guide showed us how to set them out on the mat before us.

The first tier held seasonal fish and vegetables, delicately simmered and marinated. The second, a rolled omelette fragrant with dashi, smooth grated yam, and handmade side dishes including fufu spicy cod roe and clams with vinegared miso. The third, warm simmered eggplant and deep-fried tofu with shimeji mushrooms. The fourth, assorted Japanese pickles with dried plum.

Alongside came grilled eel with sweet soy glaze, a hot pot of Edo-style sweet miso with local chicken and sakura shrimp dumplings, and rice cooked in a traditional pot from grains grown in Yamanashi. Fresh seasonal fruits to finish.

It was called Igayuuzen, FUFU Tokyo Ginza’s original breakfast, and it was a memorable morning ritual.

Sushi Ginga

I did not dine at the basement sushi counter, but I was shown the space. Sushi Ginga seats just eight at the counter, the design simple and beautiful, with folding screens on the seats, so guests can create private booths or open them to share the intimate experience with others. The chefs work directly before you. It is reserved for guests aged 10 and above.

Destination: Ginza

Stepping out from FUFU Tokyo Ginza into Ginza is an immersive experience. The hotel is quiet, understated, nurturing, while the neighbourhood is glamour and energy, flagship stores, and sparkling towers.

Ginza’s history as Tokyo’s first ‘brick town’ dates to the late 19th century, when Western-style Georgian buildings transformed the district into a symbol of modernity. Many of those original structures are gone, but a few landmarks remain. The Wako Building at the Ginza 4-chome crossing, with its distinctive curved corner and Seiko clock tower, dates from 1932 and remains the most recognisable building in the district.

The modern Ginza is a parade of flagship boutiques. Louis Vuitton’s striking white and gold facade. Tiffany & Co in a huge glass tower lit in the brand’s signature blue. Harry Winston was directly beside FUFU, while Bulgari and Hermès were close by. Ginza Six offers over 240 shops across multiple floors, its rooftop garden open to the public with fine views across the city. Tokyu Plaza Ginza, with its exterior replicating intricate Edo Kiriko cut glass, houses over 100 fashion and accessory shops.

At night, the window displays glow. We wandered out looking for karaoke, passing through the lights and energy for a late night out, before returning to the stillness of FUFU.

Final Thought

What stays with me is the quiet and the privacy, the nurturing quality of this property. FUFU Tokyo Ginza is ultra-luxury, certainly, but it is also something more, a place that leaves you feeling restored. The room was like a perfect city pied-à-terre, calming and beautifully considered. The tatami soft underfoot, the light shifting through paper screens, the onsen water velvety against the skin. Small details everywhere: woven bamboo sculptures in quiet corners, still-life flower arrangements visible as the lift doors open, each floor with its own style and fragrance. I fell in love with this urban resort.

FUFU’s philosophy is ‘a place to savour time.’ In Ginza, surrounded by the pace and polish of Tokyo’s most sophisticated district, they have created exactly that