Tokyo boutique hotel combining elegance and the unique Shibuya vibe

Trunk Hotel Cat Street / Tokyo / Japan

Tokyo is such a town of contrasts. Contrasts between old and new, traditional and futuristic, authentic and superficial, calm and hectic. And all of this are some of the reasons why this city is so easy to love. And in a place where you are constantly showered by impressions it is so great to have a hotel to retreat to. A place to recharge and hang out, before venturing back out. Trunk Hotel Cat Street is such a hotel. It is located right between the busy areas of Shibuya and Harajuku, but has been cleverly located on a quiet side street.

The hotel has been created by Yoshitaka Nojiri who grew up in Shibuya. According to him he felt the area had lost a little of its energy and creativity so he wanted to be part of reigniting it by opening the Trunk Hotel.

The building is made by Mount Fuji Architects and is a 4 story building all made of glass, black steel and a subtle grey stone. But the thing that really stand out to me on the exterior is the greenery. There are terraces wrapped around the facade and they are full of trees, plants and bushes. This addition softens up the austere look of the building and what is even better, when in your room, there is a green ”curtain” that is shielding you off from the outside world, which makes your space feel both softer and more private.

There are only 15 rooms at this adults-only hotel. The vibe is very urban where locals are mixing with us visitors resulting in an eclectic mix of people coming here to work or just hang out. The interior on the ground floor is more or less all wood, wood that has been up cycled from Japanese houses. The look is a celebration of Japanese craftmanship.

Our room was small but very cozy and functional with a lot of clever solutions fit for small space living. One thing I really liked was that there were two pajamas laid out on the bed for us to use during our stay. Robes are a common feature in most hotel rooms but this was a first to me and I love it.

I am such a fan of this facade. Such a clever way to make the building more attractive from the outside, but also to create a kind of shield for us hotel guests when we are in our rooms.

This is how the greenery looks from inside the room.

The reception is placed in a hidden corner of the vast lobby area.

All checked in and ready to head up to our room.

When you check in you are offered a welcome drink that they then bring up when they accompany you to the room. Very clever!

There were two pajama sets to use. Great if you have left yours at home.

The downstairs area which is a combo of work space and bar.

The Trunk Convenient Store where you can stock up on all sorts of things.

And right next to the store is Trunk Kitchen where…

We were lucky enough to time our visit to Tokyo right during Sakura season.

This is Yoyogi Park where they have laid out these massive tarps for people to have their picnics on under the blossoming cherry trees.

My travel companions. We travelled with the Westlund family. So great to experience Tokyo through the eyes of two (almost) teens.

Coffee culture in Japan is strong. This is one of my favorites, Coffee Supreme, on Kamiyama Street.

We visited the Mori Art Museum which I can highly recommend. A bonus is that it is located on the 52nd floor, so you will also have a magnificent view of the city.

We found this bar, Fuglen, close to Yoyogi Park which we really liked. Filled with Japanese hipsters, both behind and in front of the bar.

My husband loves Korean food (and so do I). We found this Korean restaurant that served an excellent kimchi pancake, just of Kamiyama Street.

And when getting back to our room, they had placed a flower, a message and some relaxing etherial oil for us. A wonderful little gesture from the hotel.

RG inside info

This place is perfect if you…

…if you find yourself in Tokyo needing a place to sleep. And if your thing are good-looking, small boutique hotels located in the middle of the madness but on a quiet side street where a lot of local creative types hang out. mixing with us out-of-towners, you are going to love Trunk.

My favorite thing about this place…

…is that they have created a destination hotel, although you are in the middle of one of the largest cities in the world where everything is available. With that said, you have everything you might need at Trunk. A vibrant bar, two restaurants, a convenient store. Hell, there is even a chapel on the top floor.

What not to miss when staying here…

…is to make sure you have brought comfy shoes. Tokyo is perfect for walking (although it is a huge city) so lace up and be prepared to be wowed. One of my favorite parts of the city is Kamiyama Street, which is a 20 min walk from the hotel. A street lined with restaurants, bars, independent shops and great coffee places.

If you like this hotel you might also like:

SP34 / Copenhagen, Denmark

Hotel Pilar / Antwerp, Belgium

Hotel Amour / Nice, France

Redchurch Townhouse / London, UK

Palihotel Culver City / LA, CA, USA