Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo Celebrates Its Debut; A Thousand Camellia Trees Soon to Bloom

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On New Year’s day, leading Japanese hospitality company Fujita Kanko re-flagged its iconic flagship property under a new name, Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo, after 20 years operating as Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Chinzan-so. The hotel offers 260 rooms and suites; 12 restaurants; 36 meeting and banquet rooms, Tokyo’s most extensive meeting/banquet facilities; and Yu, The Spa, Tokyo’s largest hotel spa.

“To start a new chapter in our history, we're making even more use of our 17-acre Japanese botanical garden”

Fujita Kanko is investing $90 million to renovate the hotel over the next three years. Serenity Garden, a rooftop event space, and Café Foresta, an open-kitchen café specializing in sweets, are among the new additions. Some guest rooms will be renovated to feature bathrooms with magnificent views.

“To start a new chapter in our history, we're making even more use of our 17-acre Japanese botanical garden,” said Kazumasa Suezawa, Fujita Kanko’s President and CEO. “Our garden, with its rich historical roots, has always separated us from competitors. Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo is more than a luxury hotel, it’s a Japanese gem - a one-of-a-kind urban oasis where guests can indulge in the ultimate luxury while experiencing authentic Japanese culture.”

For hundreds of years, the area was a renowned scenic site with abundant wild camellias. In 1918, Baron Heitaro Fujita acquired the property from Prince Aritomo Yamagata, who had named it Chinzanso (“villa on a mountain of camellias”). Approximately a thousand camellia trees – a hundred species – blossom every winter in the garden. To celebrate its debut, the hotel is offering various camellia campaigns throughout January and February, such as a Camellia Lunch Buffet, which includes dishes prepared with camellia oil and jam.

The hotel just launched a series of Japanese art and cultural programs for its international guests, including traditional Japanese tea ceremonies, Kokedama “moss-ball bonsai” workshops and Japanese language and etiquette classes. For more information, call 81-3-3943-2222, or visit the concierge upon arrival.

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About Fujita Kanko Inc.

Fujita Kanko Inc., established in 1955, is a publicly-traded tourism industry corporation headquartered in Tokyo. In addition to its core hospitality business, the company’s subsidiaries include wedding and banquet facilities, high-end resorts, leisure facilities and related services. The company has over 50 properties/facilities, including 28 mid-priced hotels throughout Japan in two chains: Gracery Hotels and Washington Hotels.