Need to know
Rooms
20, including one suite.
Check–Out
Noon. Earliest check-in, 3pm. Early and late times must be booked five days in advance and are dependent on availability; they’re free an hour either side, for two-to-three hours it’s 30 per cent of the room rate, and for three-to-four it’s 50 per cent.
More details
Rates don’t include breakfast (from JPY1,500). But guests get a welcome cocktail made with oolong tea, apple cider, elderflower and pepper.
Also
Unfortunately, this hotel isn’t best suited to guests with mobility issues.
At the hotel
Coffee bar, workspace, free-to-hire bikes, books and records to borrow, charged laundry service, plug adaptors (on request). In-rooms: Bluetooth speaker, record-player and selection of vinyl, minibar, Balmuda drip-coffee maker, Ao teas, selection of books, pyjama set to borrow, free bottled water, and Natural Foundation bath products and skincare kit.
Our favourite rooms
A very fine example of Japandi style, with plenty of respectful bows to traditional Zen minimalism, Swedish designer Ola Rune and architect firm Claesson Koivisto Rune have furnished rooms and suites with largely custom pieces: beds with integrated shelving and a desk, ovoid sofas in bright hues, geometric leather recliners. From the K5 Room up, beds are swathed in light indigo-dyed veils (a nod to local style, alongside sliding doors, ample cedar wood and paper lanterns), and the K5 Suite is vast for a Tokyo crashpad, with dining space and party potential. Whichever category you go for, book the version on the fourth (and top) loft floor, for four-metre-plus high ceilings. Rooms at this level also get a free minibar (excluding wine) too.
Packing tips
Bring your Macbook and a sociable outlook; the trio behind Hotel K5 (Yuta Oka, Akihiro Matsui, and Takahiro Homma) have all done forward-thinking work in spaces for co-workers and global nomads in Tokyo. Hotel K5 has several come-together spaces for work and play, so, get involved.
Also
Hotel windows are tinted in bold hues, making just walking down the corridor feel cinematic. Pause to admire the craftwork that’s gone into the design: hundreds of different tile patterns, curved cedar-wood walls and kintsugi-d cracks.
Children
Kids can stay, but there’s a more relaxed, grown-up feel to Hotel K5 (and while we love the kintsugi fixes, we don’t want the artisans to have their work cut out).
Sustainability efforts
The grand 1920s Dai-ichi bank headquarters Hotel K5 has taken residence in was once due for demolition. But the owners saw its potential and secured Swedish architect firm Claesson Koivisto Rune to convert it into a super-cool stay. In doing so they kept the character of the building with some rough original walls left as-is, cracks filled with gold lacquer in the kintsugi style, and parquet restored. The hotel is also very involved in the local community, building restaurants and bars, and establishing links with local businesses. Otherwise, the hotel has LED lighting, recycles, uses local food sources where possible, and cuts back on plastics.