November 2026
Four Seasons Otemachi vs Mandarin Oriental Tokyo: Which Property Is Better?
If you only have room for one, book the Four Seasons at Otemachi. The room is newer and calmer, the palace gardens (and Fuji, on a clear morning) fill the window, and it has the pool and the better bar. The Mandarin Oriental has the warmer service, the Pizza Bar and the night view of the Skytree, and it's usually quite a bit cheaper.
Better overall hotel: The Four Seasons
The first morning at the Four Seasons at Otemachi, the curtains opened on their own and there was Fuji, floating behind the towers over the palace gardens. That room, the pool and Virtù downstairs are why it wins. It's the newer hotel by fifteen years, and you feel it the moment you walk in.
But if you love food, or you're watching the budget, book Mandarin Oriental Tokyo. It's usually quite a bit cheaper, the staff are warmer, and the Pizza Bar on 38th is one of the best meals in Tokyo.
Better rooms: The Four Seasons
Both entry rooms are about 50 square metres, but the Four Seasons' feel newer and calmer, with lapis and gold touches, washi sliding doors and one of the best beds I slept in on the whole trip. The Mandarin's room was redone in 2019, all wood and washi lamps, and it's comfortable and spotless, but it's a little plain now and the hallways are showing their age. At the Four Seasons book the palace side, and at the Mandarin ask for the Skytree side, high up.
Better bathroom: The Four Seasons
The Four Seasons' bathroom is big and calm, with two basins and a deep freestanding tub that, in a lot of the palace-side rooms, sits right by the window. The Mandarin's is handsome grey marble with a deep oval tub, but there's only one basin in the entry rooms.
Better view: The Four Seasons, by day
In the daytime it's the Four Seasons, for the green sweep of the palace gardens and Fuji on clear winter mornings. At night it's the Mandarin. You're higher up, there's nothing between you and the Skytree, and I spent every evening on the daybed under the window watching it light up. From the Mandarin's lobby on the 38th floor you can see Fuji at sunset, too.
Better service: The Mandarin Oriental
Both are very good, but the Mandarin's staff are the warmer of the two. Turndown came with aroma oil and a little gift, the welcome was house tea and sweets from Eitaro, and they let us keep the room until 2pm on the last day. The Four Seasons team learned our names on day one and the app makes it easy to sort things before you land, but check-in felt brisk when cars were queuing, and breakfast was rushed at peak times. Neither concierge is great at the hardest restaurant bookings, so do those yourself.
Better bar: The Four Seasons
Virtù is one of the best hotel bars in Asia, a moody Parisian room with huge windows over the skyline and an extraordinary whisky and cognac list. Order the Smoked Ume Fashioned. The Mandarin Bar is fun, with jazz and a waterfall beside it, and it's buzzing by 10pm, but it isn't in the same league.
Better food: The Mandarin Oriental
The Mandarin has about a dozen restaurants and bars, and the Pizza Bar on 38th (eight seats, second in the world on the 50 Top Pizza list in 2025) is the meal I'll remember from the whole trip. K'shiki's dinner set menu is great value, and there's serious sushi at Sushi Shin. The Four Seasons' est is a special night and its breakfast, when it's quiet, is excellent, but the Mandarin gives you far more to choose from.
Better pool and spa: The Four Seasons
The Four Seasons has a black-tiled 20-metre pool, a hydrotherapy pool and Japanese baths in the changing rooms, all free for guests. The Mandarin has no swimming pool. Its two soaking pools face the city and are lovely first thing, but guests only get them free until about 9am.
Better location: The Mandarin Oriental, just
Both are business districts that go quiet at night. The Mandarin sits on top of Mitsukoshimae station, ten minutes' walk from Tokyo Station, with Mitsukoshi and the Coredo malls on the doorstep and plenty of places to eat nearby. The Four Seasons has the palace gardens next door for an early run, but Otemachi is emptier, and Tokyo Station is about a 15-minute walk.
Better value: The Mandarin Oriental
The Mandarin is usually quite a bit cheaper for a room of about the same size, and the food is better. The Four Seasons is worth the extra for the room, the pool and the bar, especially on a first trip. If the budget's tight, book the Mandarin and go to Virtù for a drink.
If you'd rather walk to Ginza, look at The Peninsula instead. There's more Tokyo on my Japan page.