Returning to Tokyo for the second time, I knew I wanted to explore some of the districts of Tokyo in more depth and where better than the historic, cultural and shopping district of Ginza.
Ginza is ideally located close to Tokyo Station and is home to some of the most famous sights in Tokyo, Japan.
We spent 3 days in Ginza and stayed at the Mercure Hotel Tokyo Ginza - we were invited to stay here by the hotel but all views are my own.
Read on to find out where to stay in Ginza and the best hotel in Ginza Toyko for location, convenience and budget.
Ginza Tokyo at night
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Is Ginza a good place to stay in Tokyo?
Tokyo itself is made up of 26 cities and in such a huge, sprawling metropolis, it can feel overwhelming trying to choose the best place to stay in Tokyo when you come to visit.
However Ginza is centrally located, if you look at Tokyo on the map, Ginza is almost in the middle, with the other districts such as Shibuya, Shinjuku or Asakusa scattered around like satellite cities. Built on the site of the old silver mint in the Edo period, Ginza is one of the oldest areas of Tokyo.
This makes Ginza an incredibly favourable location thanks to the transport links that connect it to the rest of Tokyo and the rest of the country. Nearby Tokyo Station serves the Shinkansen connections to Kyoto, Osaka and Nagano to name a few.
The location is not the only reason for staying in Ginza. The area is famous for the Ginza shopping district, the historical sites such as the Kabuki-za theatre and the Tsukiji Fish Market.
There is a lot to do in Ginza and it’s a walkable area, so you have the chance to have a great mix of things to do within the area and take transit further to other parts of Tokyo.
Why is Ginza worth visiting?
Ginza itself is a fascinating part of Tokyo as it was historically the financial centre and built where the mint produced silver coins in the historic city during the 1600s.
Before it became famous as the shopping district, Ginza was the financial hub and carries a huge amount of historic significance from the 1600s Edo period when Tokyo was a growing city.
Now, Ginza is famous for its high end shopping malls such as Ginza Six, flagship stores for popular brands such as Uniqlo, Muji or Shiseido and high-end fashion boutiques.
You can easily visit some of Tokyo’s most icon sights by staying here in GInza:
Tsukiji fish market
Kabuki-za theatre
The Imperial Palace
The shopping district
Ginza Lion - Japan’s oldest beer hall
Hibiya
Tsutaya Books
Grill Bon (great, affordable waygu beef sandwiches)
Ramen Takahashi (go early to avoid the queue!)
Kabuki-za theatre
Ginza shopping district
How to get to Ginza?
The easiest way to get to Ginza from either Tokyo Narita Airport or Tokyo Haneda Airport is via the Airport Express.
The Keisei/Keikyu Narita-Haneda Express connects both of Tokyo’s international airports and makes several stops in Tokyo including Ginza and Asakusa.
From Narita to Ginza, the Express takes about 1 hour and costs 1500 yen. Trains run every 40 minutes.
From Haneda to Ginza, the Express takes around 30 minutes and costs 550 yen.
Ginza Accommodation: Staying at the Hotel Mercure Ginza Tokyo
Firstly, I’m a big fan of the Mercure brand and in general I usually try to stay in ALL hotels when I travel, especially in Europe. I find them to be comfortable, reliable, welcoming, incredibly good value for money and always well located.
So it was a no-brainer for me to stay at the Mercure Hotel Ginza in Tokyo which was no exception to the high standards I’ve experienced at other Mercure hotels, both as an invited guest and as a paying customer.
Mercure Hotel Ginza Tokyo
The rooms:
Mercure Hotel Ginza room
If you’ve ever visited Tokyo, you’ll know that square footage in the city is a premium and hotel rooms are often incredibly small. Unless you’re happy to fork out thousands of dollars, most hotels in Tokyo will have smaller than average room sizes.
So you can image my surprise when I arrived at the Mecure Ginza Hotel in Tokyo to discover that not only was my room bigger than expected, it was big enough to accommodate a desk and sofa space and it also had a small hallway with adjoining bathroom.
I’m personally more of a darker, rich and cosy decor person, so the modern purple and brass decor with black and grey accents was such a beautiful and warm space to arrive into after 36 hours of transit from the US!
In fact the decor throughout the hotel was the perfect combination of modern and traditional, with traditional Japanese silver coins at the entrance way, traditional Japanese sliding doors at the main entrance and also for our bathroom door, all of which is such a beautiful thing to see from an international hotel chain.
Our room had a large double bed, bedside tables with plenty of plugs including USBs, great lighting options, a spacious seating area, a fridge with complimentary water, a Smart TV and robes and slippers for the room.
our hotel room
our personal hallway, door to the bathroom and bedroom ahead
The food:
We always go out of our way to book hotels that include breakfast in the price but that isn’t as common in Japan as it is in European destinations.
So we were very pleasantly surprised to find that that the Mercure Tokyo Ginza Hotel not only included breakfast but it was a very extensive breakfast with both traditional Japanese breakfast choices and American or continental style breakfast options.
I especially appreciated the option to have miso soup, rice and eggs, matcha cake, quail eggs and a variety of vegetable and salad options along pastries, cereals and hot buffet options.
The value for money on the breakfast was amazing, each day we stayed at the Mercure Ginza Hotel, we didn’t need to have lunch - the breakfast kept us full until dinner time!
buffet breakfast at our hotel in Tokyo
The services:
hanging out in the lobby of the Mercure Ginza hotel
The team at the hotel were so welcoming and polite, the Japanese culture and values is reflected at every step with the offer to help, make accommodations or assist in any way.
We had to change our dates at the last minute and the team were able to accommodate us which we were so grateful for. They were also happy to store our luggage on the day we left and were able to tell us about the history of the hotel and the area.
The hotel itself has been open sincw 2004 but underwent a renovation in 2018 and the updated decor and services definitely reflect that.
The hotel also has unique ways to welcome the guests and involve them in fun Japanese cultural experiences. For example, Japanee capsule machines are hugely popular - you insert 300 or 400 yen, twist the handle and get a capsule with a toy or small item.
The Mercure Ginza Hotel has created their own version if you sign up to the ALL membership loyalty programme (it’s free), you get a coin to insert into their own capsule machine where you can retrive your capsule and get a memento from the hotel - a small icon, a branded pen, a traditional Japanese towel cloth or other items.
Accor Limitless Live is a great rewards programme to join if you stay at ALL brand hotels regularly (Mercure, Holiday Inn, Novotel, Ibis, Movenpick, Pullman etc), you can earn points, benefits or rewards for upgrades.
The location:
I’ve already mentioned the ideal location of the Tokyo Mercure Ginza Hotel, but being just 10 minutes walk from Ginza station and 15 minutes from Tokyo Station really is ideal if you’re looking for a hotel near Ginza station to travel around easily.
The Chuo Line and Shinkansen are both 10 minutes away, keeping you well-connected to the rest of the city and beyond.
The hotel itself is located on a quiet side street so despite being just a couple of minutes from Ginza High Street and popular places like Ginza Six Mall, the hotel is quiet and easy to get a good rest at.
Visiting the popular tsukij fish amrket which is nearby
Summary: staying in Ginza Tokyo at the Ginza Mercure Hotel
Japan is a special place to us as it’s where my partner and I met, so returning to Japan together for the first time since 2017 was so exciting and we couldn’t have wished for a beter start to our trip than our stay at the Mercure Hotel in Ginza Tokyo.
If you’re looking for a centrally located hotel in Tokyo, if you’re feeling stuck on what is the best area of Tokyo to stay in, or you’re simply looking for a great location to enjoy Ginza shopping district, this is the ideal hotel and location for you!
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