Near Kanda and Ochanomizu with many publishers and bookshops, the Hilltop Hotel in Surugadai — about ten minutes on foot from Palaceside Building — feels unique.
Kawabata Yasunari, Shiba Ryotaro, and Mishima Yukio were regulars. Dan Kazuo lived there with actress Irie Kyoko; his novel House of Fire (filmed with Ken Ogata and Miho Takada) shocked audiences.
Designed by William Merrell Vories, completed 1936. Used by the Imperial Navy in war; after defeat, requisitioned by GHQ as quarters for the Women's Army Corps — they called it "Hilltop," hence the Japanese name on reopening. Classic Art Deco on Surugadai hill — refined and quiet in the city center.
Tenpura, Chinese, and Mediterranean restaurants plus a stylish bar — a grown-up off-time retreat.