In this third installment of our stay at Hoshinoya Tokyo, a towering Japanese inn that continues to evolve, we will introduce the modern dining experience at Hoshinoya Tokyo, which will begin offering a new dinner course in its main dining room in September 2025, based on the concept of "Japanese home cooking that is no longer made."

Hoshinoya Tokyo's 2-night, 3-day special program "Deep Breathing Rejuvenation" experience report Part 1

“Hoshinoya Tokyo” 2 nights and 3 days special program “Deep breathing regimen” experience report part 2

The Japanese aesthetics and spirit embodied in the Tower Japanese Inn

Otemachi, Tokyo. In an area lined with financial institutions and other world-leading companies, Hoshinoya Tokyo is a towering high-rise building with a black lattice exterior. This "tower Japanese inn" embodies the aesthetics of a modern Japanese inn in the heart of the city. Once you step inside, you'll find yourself surrounded by a space that breathes the memory of the inn, with tatami corridors, futons, and hot springs. A stay here will give you the feeling that it's truly "another Japan in the middle of the city."

One of the attractions of Hoshinoya Tokyo is the large public bath on the top floor, where you can enjoy natural hot spring water pumped up from 1500 meters underground. The open-air bath continues from the cave-like indoor bath. Looking up, you can see the Tokyo night sky spreading out from the cut-out ceiling. The experience of enjoying a hot spring in the heart of Tokyo is an exclusive experience for those staying here, and it even gives you a sense of superiority.

What makes this hotel significantly different from nearby luxury hotels is the presence of the "living room lounge" on each floor. Just like in the living room at home, guests can take off their shoes and relax barefoot while enjoying delicious tea and sweets. This sense of openness is a comfort that is unique to a ryokan. Furthermore, depending on the time of day, there may be staff in the "living room lounge" who act as the inn's landlady, and you can chat about trivial things like travel plans. Spending time feeling like you're in your own living room is the very essence of a ryokan.

The dining experience completes your stay at a ryokan

Hoshinoya Tokyo has two dining areas.

One is the main dining area, where you can enjoy a course meal that highlights "Japanese home cooking" centered on French cuisine. The other is "Sushi Otemon," an Edomae sushi restaurant located in a Japanese inn that opened in March 2025, where you can savor "nigiri" that combines the sophistication of Edomae with local sushi culture, and "sake snacks" that make use of Japanese cooking techniques.

At both locations, guests can visit in their hotel pajamas and enjoy high-quality cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere.

"There is no dress code, and you can come in your hotel attire. We value providing a special dining experience that is an extension of your stay, something you can't get at an outside restaurant," says a staff member.

Guests from all over the world can experience heartwarming hospitality, and this is the essence of dining at Hoshinoya Tokyo.

A new chapter in fine dining that reimagines "Japanese home cooking"

In the fall of 2025, Hoshinoya Tokyo's main dining area will be reborn with a new theme.

The title of the show is "Japanese Home Cooking That's No Longer Made." The unexpected challenge of showcasing "home cooking" on the fine dining stage has attracted attention within the industry.

The head chef is Oka Ryosuke.

He is a chef who has worked sincerely on the food culture of each region, including at the Oirase Keiryu Hotel by Hoshino Resorts. "Home cooking is something that everyone seems to have tried, but in fact it is a culture that is rapidly being lost," says Oka quietly.

"For example, when I was in Aomori, I often heard from local people that in the past, they would make certain dishes using the abundant ingredients. But now, hardly anyone makes them. As lifestyles change, local food wisdom is disappearing. That's inevitable, but I wanted to evoke the local life of that time, dig up the cherished food culture once again, and breathe new life into it on modern tables. That thought was the starting point for this concept."

Edo was a place where local cuisine from all over the country came together

After taking up the position of head chef at Hoshinoya Tokyo, Mr. Oka began to build a new dining worldview using his unique experience and ideas.

"During the Edo period, feudal lords and artisans from all over the country gathered in Tokyo, and food cultures from all over the country intersected. In other words, Edo was a crossroads for the nation's regional specialties. That's why I thought it was only natural to reconstruct home cooking from all over the country here."

The new dinner course that was born from this process consists of 11 dishes that recreate dishes that are being lost all over the country. At first glance, the presentation is modern and beautiful, but each dish is imbued with "family memories and local culture." This can also be seen in the illustrated cards that accompany the dishes.

Dishes that were eaten in a very limited area are sometimes so local that even people from that prefecture don't know about them, making them part of the food culture of that limited area. However, there is a big story hidden within them. As I listen to such stories, I can't help but get excited about which region and what story the next dish will have.

The creativity of reconstructing vanishing local flavors

For example, "Shimotsukare" is a dish popular in the northern Kanto region, particularly Tochigi. It is a traditional dish made with leftover ingredients such as salted salmon from New Year's and lucky beans from Setsubun, and is meant to bring good health and prosperity. This time, we've used all the seasonal salmon to create a dish filled with the umami and aroma of fermented foods, paired with a miso tartar sauce and a cheese sauce flavored with sake lees.
Furthermore, "Kajiya Nabe" (blacksmith's hotpot), a traditional dish from Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture, is a staff meal eaten by blacksmiths surrounded by sparks of fire. This dish, made with sweet and spicy octopus and eggplant, has been transformed into a terrine, garnished with fritters of fig, adding an autumnal aroma.

"It looks completely French, but it's based on Japanese staff meals. It's a dish that translates the wisdom of artisans from the past with a modern sensibility."

Yamagata Prefecture's "Crab Soup" is a home-style dish made by mashing up whole mitten crabs, which are rarely found on the market. This is then prepared like a risotto, with rice absorbing the soup, which has been condensed with the crab's delicious flavor.

"The rich flavor of crab soup is expressed in a three-dimensional way in the form of risotto. Rather than drinking the soup, it feels like the flavor is being eaten."

Furthermore, a main dish incorporating elements of "Funa-zushi" from Shiga Prefecture, where Oka is originally from, is available throughout the year. The dish we had this time added "Clove Fu" as another theme, and was accompanied by deep-fried minced beef marinated in the fermented rice used for "Funa-zushi."

"Many people don't like funazushi, but the culture of fermentation itself is very interesting. We have translated the aroma and flavor into a form that is easy for modern palates to accept."

The new dinner course menu will "translate" Japanese home cooking and help pass on memories

This food experience, "Japanese Home Cooking That's No Longer Made," will not only involve creating dishes, but also "translating" Japanese home cooking. This new initiative will give us new insights through cooking. It will also be an opportunity to convey the culture of each region of Japan, especially to foreign tourists.

"Old home cooking has a reason for supporting the environment and lifestyle of the time. Rather than simply recreating recipes, I try to understand why they were made that way and recreate them using modern ingredients and techniques. I find this both rewarding and exciting."

For this reason, the starting point for developing a menu is always research. He reads old documents, visits local museums, and sometimes even talks to elderly locals.

"I think it's important not just to make things, but also to understand why they stopped being made. In many cases, the reasons for their disappearance are that they were "too much work" or "not suited to modern tastes," but if that's the case, then by updating them to suit modern tastes, we can preserve that culture and history."

A new cuisine is born from the fusion of Japanese and French ingredients and techniques

The same philosophy is also present in the desserts that accompany the final course.

The dessert, inspired by "Suko," which uses "akazuiki," a pickled vegetable from Fukui Prefecture, expresses the sourness and fermented nuances with rhubarb and yogurt.

"It's not normal to turn pickles into a dessert, but we've combined the sourness of preserved foods and the wisdom of fermentation with sweetness."

The gentle sweet and sour taste of the grapes and yogurt leaves a lingering impression of the culture of "pickling." It's a mysterious experience that brings back memories and surprises at the same time.

A challenge that can only be done in Tokyo: fusing flavors from all over Japan

In this way, Oka's cuisine is not simply a creative endeavor, but a "cultural experiment that reconstructs the land and its memories." And it's clear why it works in Tokyo.

"When you value local ingredients and cuisine, in rural areas there is resistance to 'mixing in cuisine from other regions.' But Tokyo is a place where cultures from all over the country come together. Here, 'fusion' is a natural thing. I believe that fusion is a natural endeavor, even in home cooking."

"Home cooking is food that brings back memories the moment you eat it. As a chef, there is nothing more satisfying than being able to revive in a different form the flavors that are in someone's memory." Behind Oka's challenge lies a great deal of effort and passion.

The future of food culture lies in the past

Hoshinoya Tokyo's challenge to serve "Japanese home cooking that is no longer made" is by no means nostalgic. It is an attempt to rediscover Japanese identity through the inheritance and reconstruction of culture.

We will reconstruct the flavors of the local regions that are disappearing with the tastes and sensibilities of today. This will surely lead to the birth of the "local cuisine of the future."

Tonight, in the silence of a Tokyo tower, a beautiful dish that will remain in someone's memory will be created.

Hoshinoya Tokyo's 2-night, 3-day special program "Deep Breathing Rejuvenation" experience report Part 1

“Hoshinoya Tokyo” 2 nights and 3 days special program “Deep breathing regimen” experience report part 2

Hoshinoya Tokyo Main Dining

Price: 33.880 yen per person (tax and service charge included, accommodation not included)
Reservations must be made at least one day in advance via the official website.
Eligible: Guests staying at Hoshinoya Tokyo

*The menu changes depending on the season. Ingredients may also change depending on the situation.

Text by Yuko Taniguchi
Photography by Natsuko Okada (Studio Mug)