The Marriott group is on a mission to seduce the Japanese with the Moxy. Aimed squarely at the millennial set – ie, budget-conscious but still rabidly design-conscious and utterly averse to chintz and fussy front-desks – the diffusion brand recently debuted in Tokyo, simultaneously with its Osaka launch. Ginza is rumoured to be in the works.
The location is fascinating for eschewing an expected address in central Tokyo in favour of one in the city’s eastern Sumida quarter with its haul of sumo and baseball stadiums, racetracks and pristine shrines. The surrounding Kinshicho neighbourhood is a colourful snapshot of psychedelic pachinko parlours, public bathhouse, girly bars, love hotels, and a wonderful sweep of local sushi joints, unagi specialists, and tiny, but perpetually packed, izakayas.
The 205-room hotel is the work of Nomura Kougei, the interiors studio transforming an old 10-storey corner office block into a lively bolthole furnished like a hipster’s Alpine pad with low-slung wire furniture, exposed brickwork, and funky graphic art. The rooms, meanwhile, are, for Tokyo and considering the low rack rates, unexpectedly spacious, bright and comfortable; Nomura Kougei cleaves close to the Moxy DNA of collapsible furniture that hang on wall pegs when not in use and the complete absence of desk, mini-bar and closet, which has the effect of opening up the room.
The ground floor public areas, anchored by a bar, fuss-ball table, self-serve deli and breakfast kitchen, acts as a communal watering hole, whilst the basement encompasses meeting rooms, laundry room and gym.
ADDRESS
3-4-2 Kotobashi
Sumida-ku
-
'I'm trying to examine what it's like to be a person': Author Curtis Sittenfeld on her new book, 'Show Don't Tell'As Curtis Sittenfeld publishes her new book, 'Show Don't Tell', she tells Wallpaper* why she is drawn to her ambiguous characters
-
Waiting for Ideas have recast the turntable as a minimal aluminium altar for vinyl worshipThe PP-1 turntable is an ultra-minimal, all-aluminium record player designed to enhance the vinyl experience
-
Fendi celebrates 100 years with an all-out runway show at its new Milan HQIn the wake of Kim Jones’ departure, Silvia Venturini Fendi took the reins for a special co-ed A/W 2025 collection marking the house’s centenary, unveiling it as the first act of celebrations within Fendi’s expansive new headquarters in Milan
-
All aboard the world’s most luxurious train journeysStay on track with our pick of the most luxurious train journeys around the world, whether in 1920s-style opulence or contemporary chic
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Hoshino Resorts KAI Akiu: a soothing onsen hotelIn Japan’s bucolic northeast, Hoshino Resorts KAI Akiu breathes new life into a sleepy hot spring village without betraying its ancient roots
-
Shake off the winter chill at these design-led onsen hotels in JapanWhether you’re heading to the mountains of Hokkaido or the alleys of Kyoto’s Gion district, these immaculately designed onsen hotels will keep the shivers at bay
-
The new hotels you’ll want to stay at in 2025Where to stay in 2025? Let six of the most-read-about hotel openings of the past 12 months inspire your escape – from a tiny Tokyo bolthole to a Tanzanian safari retreat
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this yearFrom the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025
-
The most whimsical hotel Christmas trees around the worldWe round up the best hotel Christmas tree collaborations of the year, from an abstract take in Madrid to a heritage-rooted installation in Amsterdam
-
Six brilliant bars for your 2025 celebrations, hot off the Wallpaper* travel deskWallpaper’s most-read bar reviews of the year can't be wrong: here’s inspiration for your festive and new year plans, from a swanky Las Vegas lounge to a minimalist London drinking den
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Yoruya, a Japanese inn where less is always moreYoruya, which transforms a 110-year-old former kimono merchant shopfront and residence in Kurashiki, is an exercise in graceful restraint and craft
