On August 1st, Hotel Ryumeikan Ochanomizu Honten, a small luxury hotel with nine suite rooms, will open in Ochanomizu, Tokyo. It will be operated by Ryumeikan, a company that has been operating hotels, inns, and restaurants for 116 years.
The hotel's predecessor was the 116-year-old inn, Ryokan Ryumeikan Honten. The inn, which operated until March 2014, was described as a renowned establishment by novelist Aya Koda, second daughter of author Rohan Koda, in her novel "Nagareru" (Flowing). It is also a long-established establishment beloved by artists such as Shinsui Ito and Manshu Kawamura, as well as many other cultural figures. The newly opened hotel will inherit the spirit of hospitality cultivated during its time as a ryokan, and will offer high-quality service and culture. Room rates start from 52,000 yen per night. The hotel also focuses on food, and operates "GREEN TEA RESTAURANT 1899 OCHANOMIZU" on the first floor, a restaurant based on the concept of "brewing and tasting Japanese tea." The spacious restaurant seats 48 people inside and 32 on the terrace. With the tradition of brewing tea at home becoming less common these days, the restaurant hopes to inspire a renewed appreciation of Japanese culture. This is why the restaurant employs dedicated tea brewers, known as "chavariers," who specialize in serving tea at temperatures and brewing methods perfectly suited to the tea leaves. Ten varieties of tea leaves are available, and guests can choose from approximately 50 teacups displayed throughout the restaurant. A variety of dishes and sweets featuring Japanese tea are also available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The breakfast menu includes eight types of ochazuke (rice with tea) served in a special broth made with roasted green tea and bonito broth (Kishu Nankou plum, salted kelp, green shiso wakame seaweed, grilled mackerel, minced chicken, dried baby sardines with Japanese pepper, mentaiko, and salmon; 500 yen each). There's also an elegant acai bowl (850 yen) served in a matcha bowl. Lunch offers a wide variety of dishes, including "Special Sea Bream Ochazuke" (880 yen) and "Seven Kinds of Sashimi Seared Fish Bowl" (980 yen). Dinner offers around 60 different dishes, including "Matcha Potato" (560 yen), a potato salad made with Hokkaido Danshaku potatoes and kneaded with matcha. They also offer alcoholic beverages, such as the original matcha-infused beer cocktail "1899 Matcha Beer" (720 yen).
Ryumeikan President and CEO Hamada Toshio commented, "We paid particular attention to pricing and menu selection so that not only guests but local people can feel comfortable using the restaurant."
Opening hours are breakfast from 6:30am to 11am, lunch from 11am to 3pm, and dinner from 5pm to 11pm. Also, from 2pm to 5pm, you can enjoy several carefully selected Japanese teas as well as cafe menu items such as "1899 Handmade Pudding with Matcha Syrup" (630 yen).
