The JW Marriott Hotel Tokyo has officially opened in Takanawa Gateway City, occupying the upper floors of the LinkPillar 1 South Tower.
Global design studio Yabu Pushelberg designed the 219,583-square-foot property with 200 guest rooms, creating spaces that balance Japanese tradition with contemporary hospitality.
The hotel sits where Goten-yama Hill once provided rest for travelers on the historic Tōkaidō Trail. Yabu Pushelberg used this heritage as a foundation, designing the interiors to encourage guests to pause and reconnect. The elevated location offers sweeping city views while maintaining a sense of retreat.
The arrival sequence starts at ground level with a porte-cochère framed by custom wood paneling. A winding path passes shallow water pools and natural stone, leading to a carved-stone reception desk. Tomonari Hashimotos ceramic sculptures float in a fountain nearby. The ground floor features Fuji by Studio Sawada Design, an inverted Mount Fuji sculpture suspended overhead with an illuminated mirror.
On the 30th level, the main lobby unfolds beneath a terracotta-orange ceiling form. Custom wood screens connect the spaces. A meditation room sits behind book-lined walls, while Le Cres pastry bar centers around an ornate metal oven. The JW Lounge includes Lasvit Cipher pendants, Henge Puddle tables, and a live Ficus Stricta tree behind blown-glass screens.
The 29th level houses the Sefino Main Dining, accessed via a spiral staircase past two-story shelving displaying 128 custom ceramic vessels. The space accommodates multiple dining concepts under Marriotts Tokyo House model. Adjacent restaurant Sefino merges Spanish and Japanese influences with brick floors, a greenhouse-inspired mural, and rope-wrapped chandeliers.
Guest rooms feature custom furniture, Japanese-proportioned closets, and Rubelli curtains. Bathrooms use marble and terrazzo mosaics. The art program follows wabi-sabi philosophy with works by Lori Harrison and Yuriko Kubota.
“The JW Marriott Hotel Tokyo is about discovery,” said George Yabu, Co-Founder of Yabu Pushelberg. “You move through it intuitively, stumbling upon details, colours, and textures that surprise you. It’s bold in form, yet emotionally calm, almost in a meditative way. That tension between stillness and surprise is what gives the hotel its strength.”
