Restored railway hotel opens in Tokyo

Ever since I stayed at the magnificently restored St. Pancras Renaissance London railway hotel on its opening night last year, I've had a keen interest in grand, historic railway hotels, so this story caught my eye...

Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reports that an upscale hotel has just opened in the newly restored, historic JR Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building in Tokyo's Marunouchi business district.

The building was restored to the way it looked a century ago and since its opening has quickly become a hot spot for tourists, the article says. The areas around the renovated station are packed each day with photo-snapping tourists.

The 150-room Tokyo Station Hotel opened on Oct. 3, the paper says.

Since opening, the Tokyo Station Hotel has been more than 70% full and its restaurants are fully booked, the story says.

According to East Japan Railway's website, the ambitious project began in May 2007. The hotel's website shows what appear to be lovely rooms designed in a classic-yet-modern style. The government has designated it as an "Important Cultural Property of Japan," the site says.

All the activity has already boosted train ticket sales and sales at nearby shops and restaurants, the story says, citing ownership group Mitsubishi Estate Co.

I'm still working on obtaining photos, but if you'd like to see some now, one source is the Tokyo Station Facebook page, which an impressive 53,735 people have "liked."

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