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Foreign Luxury Hotels in Japan, 2023 to 2026: Opening Dates, Room Counts and How to Choose
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Foreign Luxury Hotels in Japan, 2023 to 2026: Opening Dates, Room Counts and How to Choose

AuthorMIRUTOBE editors

Table of Contents3 items
  1. The 2026 openings are in Kyoto, Nagoya and Takayama; the Tokyo and Osaka newcomers were done by 2025
  2. Hot springs, a station at the door or the size of the house: the one you rank first narrows it to a single hotel
  3. Waldorf Astoria Tokyo Nihonbashi is scheduled for autumn 2027, and the 8 October announcement gives no season
Of the nine here, opened in 2026 (as of 12 October)3hotelsCapella Kyoto, Conrad Nagoya and Hilton Takayama Resort
Covered here
Nine foreign-brand hotels: eight opened from June 2023 to September 2026, one still to open
Opened in 2026
22 March, 31 July and 14 September
Still to open
Waldorf Astoria Tokyo Nihonbashi, scheduled for autumn 2027 (announcement of 21 April 2026)
Room counts
52 at Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto to 308 at Canopy by Hilton Osaka Umeda
Checked on
2026-10-12

Of the nine foreign-brand hotels covered here, three opened in 2026: Capella Kyoto, Conrad Nagoya and Hilton Takayama Resort. Dusit Thani Kyoto and JW Marriott Hotel Tokyo opened before 2026, and the one still waiting is Waldorf Astoria Tokyo Nihonbashi, Hilton’s top brand.

The 2026 openings are in Kyoto, Nagoya and Takayama; the Tokyo and Osaka newcomers were done by 2025

HotelLocationOpenedRooms
ASAI Kyoto ShijoShimogyo-ku, Kyoto1 June 2023114
Dusit Thani KyotoShimogyo-ku, Kyoto1 September 2023147
Banyan Tree Higashiyama KyotoHigashiyama-ku, Kyoto26 July 2024 (soft opening)52
Canopy by Hilton Osaka UmedaKita-ku, Osaka6 September 2024308
JW Marriott Hotel TokyoMinato-ku, Tokyo (Takanawa)2 October 2025200
Capella KyotoHigashiyama-ku, Kyoto22 March 202689
Conrad NagoyaNaka-ku, Nagoya31 July 2026170
Hilton Takayama ResortTakayama, Gifu14 September 2026 (rebrand)283 (about 90 in service at opening)
Waldorf Astoria Tokyo NihonbashiChuo-ku, TokyoScheduled for autumn 2027197

Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto had its soft opening on 26 July 2024, announced by its owner Samty Holdings; Banyan Group announced the grand opening in August. Hilton Takayama Resort is not a new building but the former Hotel Associa Takayama Resort of JR Central Hotels, renamed after a refit. Across these nine, 2023 to 2025 stayed inside Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo, and 2026 is when Nagoya and Takayama join.

Redevelopment sits behind many of the openings. JW Marriott Hotel Tokyo is on the upper floors of Takanawa Gateway City, Canopy by Hilton Osaka Umeda is inside Grand Green Osaka, Conrad Nagoya is on the upper floors of The Landmark Nagoya Sakae, and Waldorf Astoria Tokyo Nihonbashi will be on the upper floors of Tokyo Midtown Nihonbashi. Four of the nine are part of a large redevelopment complex.

Hot springs, a station at the door or the size of the house: the one you rank first narrows it to a single hotel

For a hot spring in the room or in the hotel, the candidates are Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto, Capella Kyoto and Hilton Takayama Resort. Banyan Tree has onsen baths in 8 of its 52 rooms and a natural hot-spring public bath. Every one of Capella Kyoto’s 89 rooms is 50 m² or more, and 6 of its 29 suites have a private onsen. Hilton Takayama Resort has an onsen building with a large bath and open-air baths.

The main hall of Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto among autumn leaves
Kiyomizu-dera in Higashiyama, Kyoto. Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto stands on a hillside within a ten-minute walk of the temple (photo: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)

To keep the walk with luggage short, Conrad Nagoya (Sakae subway station) and JW Marriott Hotel Tokyo (Takanawa Gateway station) connect directly to a station. Canopy by Hilton Osaka Umeda is about 7 minutes on foot from JR Osaka Station, Hilton Takayama Resort is about 8 minutes from JR Takayama Station by free shuttle bus, and Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto is about 10 minutes by taxi from Gion-Shijo Station, so it does not suit a trip made on foot from the station. I would pick from the two with a station at the door for a trip with a lot of luggage or with children.

For a stay spent mostly inside the hotel, it comes down to Conrad Nagoya and JW Marriott Hotel Tokyo. Conrad Nagoya has six food and drink venues, an 18 m indoor pool and a spa. JW Marriott Hotel Tokyo has six restaurants plus a lobby lounge and a bar, with an indoor pool and a spa. ASAI Kyoto Shijo and Canopy by Hilton Osaka Umeda are described by their operators as lifestyle hotels. Hilton Takayama Resort is under Hilton’s flagship brand, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, a different tier from the Conrad and Waldorf Astoria brands that Hilton calls luxury. All are foreign-brand hotels, but those three sit in different places in their groups.

A street in the old town of Takayama
The old town of Takayama in Gifu, Sanmachi (photo: 663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)

Of Hilton Takayama Resort’s 283 rooms, about 90 were in service on opening day, 14 September. The number grows as the refit proceeds and all 283 are due to be usable in spring 2027, so until then the rooms that can be booked are limited.

Rates change by date and by room, and even the official sites show them only once a booking screen is open. How to compare them, including whether the quoted figure carries an accommodation tax, is set out in the comparison of luxury hotel rates, and which cities and dates are hard to book is in the guide to booking foreign luxury hotels.

Waldorf Astoria Tokyo Nihonbashi is scheduled for autumn 2027, and the 8 October announcement gives no season

On 21 April 2026 Mitsui Fudosan and Nomura Real Estate named the Nihonbashi 1-chome Naka district redevelopment Tokyo Midtown Nihonbashi and said the hotel would open in autumn 2027. When Mitsui Fudosan and Hilton announced the contract on 27 October 2020, the opening was planned for 2026. In the announcement of 8 October, after completion of the building on 30 September, the grand opening of the district is put at some point in 2027 and the hotel is described only as “scheduled to open”, with no time given.

The hotel is planned at 197 rooms on floors 39 to 47, of which guests can use floors 40 to 47. It is to have three restaurants, a lounge and bar called Peacock Alley, an indoor pool and a spa.

To stay in 2026Choose from the eight that have opened. No announcement points to Waldorf Astoria Tokyo Nihonbashi opening within 2026.
Booked in Takayama?Look again at the room type and dates on your confirmation. All 283 rooms are due to be usable in spring 2027, and until then the rooms in service are limited.
Torn in Kyoto? Go by placeOn foot from Kyoto Station, Dusit Thani Kyoto (850 m, near Nishi Honganji); around Shijo-Karasuma, ASAI Kyoto Shijo; a hot spring on the Higashiyama hillside, Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto; a low-rise house in Miyagawa-cho, Capella Kyoto.

Source: Dusit International (20 February, 12 April and 1 September 2023) / Samty Holdings (10 June 2024) / Banyan Group (August 2024) / Hilton (6 September 2024) / Marriott International Japan (18 July 2025) / NTT UD Hotel Management (22 March 2026) / Conrad Nagoya (12 May 2026) / JR Central Hotels (20 May 2026) / Mitsui Fudosan and Nomura Real Estate (21 April and 8 October 2026) / the Capella Hotels & Resorts website / Photos: Martin Falbisoner and 663highland, each CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) / Checked on 2026-10-12 / Featured image: 運動会プロテインパワー, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

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