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Best London hotels for Japan addicts.
Sushi-making contest at Hyper Japan - the exhibition which creates a little piece of heaven for all those with a slight obsession for Japanese culture.
Attention all Japan lovers!
This weekend (22-24 July) sees the second running of Hyper Japan at London’s Olympia Two exhibition centre, with a share of the proceeds going to the region affected by the recent Tohoku Pacific Earthquake.
The exhibition is a fun extravaganza of all things Japanese, celebrating all aspects of Nippon culture including cuisine, design and fashion. It’s well worth a visit – you can buy tickets through the official website or on the door at Olympia Two. Our mouths are watering already at the thought of the delights on offer at the event’s Eat-Japan Food Court in particular…
Some of the treats on offer at Hyper Japan...I don't know what they are either but, as with a lot of Japanese food, the curiosity to taste can be irresistible!
To celebrate the occasion (and cater to the accommodation needs of anyone like me who has a bit of a Japan-obsession!), we decided it would be fun to do a rundown of London hotels with a distinctly Japanese flavour:
1. The London hotel with its own on-site sushi bar
The Andaz London has been featured here before, largely because of the creative way it makes a play on its East London location. We’ve also complimented the hotel’s flagship 1901 restaurant, but did you know that it also has its own sushi bar – Miyako – nestled to one side of the hotel? It’s probably the perfect London hotel for sushi addicts.
Intriguingly, Miyako also does a rather original Japanese-style afternoon tea including items like Japanese sponge cake with green tea, pure chocolate wrapped in rice cake and warabi mochi wrapped in red bean jelly. It sounds pretty hardcore but me want some!
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The Andaz hosts 5 bars and restaurants on site including the very convenient and intimate little Miyako sushi bar
2. A pod-style, Japan-inspired budget hotel
When I interviewed the CEO of YOTEL – the chain of London airport hotels getting great reviews at Heathrow and Gatwick – he told me that the concept was inspired by Japanese capsule hotels, while adding a “luxe” element. And certainly touches like free WiFi, flatscreen TVs and nice bathrooms in premium rooms help no end.
It’s a hotel that tries to be like an airline but mainly in a good way. And it’s just about as close as you’ll get to a Japanese capsule hotel style experience in London – though thankfully a bit more comfy!
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Premium YOTEL cabins are an evolution from the traditional Japanese "capsule" hotel rather than a copycat
3. A luxury London hotel near the Japan Centre
London insiders know that the Japan Centre near Piccadilly Circus is the place to find some of the capital’s most authentic Japanese culinary and cultural treats. It hosts a supermarket, bookshop and sushi restaurant (Restaurant Toku) within close quarters and is popular with London’s Japanese community – a sure sign that it’s authentic.
And if you’d like to be within a stone’s throw of the Japan Centre while ensconced in total luxury, you could do a lot worse than stay at Sofitel St James – a luxury hotel under French management much loved by this blog.
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The gorgeous Sofitel St James - consistently rated highly on TripAdvisor - is within a short walk of Japan Centre in case you need emergency sushi supplies!
4. A London hotel which serves Japanese breakfasts
The Montcalm Hotel near Oxford Street has been serving a traditional Japanese breakfast for quite a while now – and with such panache that some of the hotel’s Japanese guests have been known to say it’s even better than the ones back home!
For £25 per head you get a bento box with Japanese omelette or poached egg, grilled salmon, sticky rice, miso soup, steamed veggies and seaweed – for a nutritious and satisfying start to the day. It’s certainly a worthy (and perhaps healthier!) alternative to the great British breakfast.
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The stylish Montcalm Hotel has traditionally been a favourite of Japanese guests - so it's no surprise that they pull out all the stops with a well-executed Japanese breakfast!
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Photo credits: Hyper Japan, Montcalm Hotel, Andaz Hotel, YOTEL, Sofitel St James.
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