The Okura is an elegant well organised formal hotel that reminded me of a 1960's hotel as seen in a James Bond film. Nothing wrong with that per se but not really my style and I spent my stay feeling slightly out of place.

The hotel is also very large and was confusing to navigate. However staff were always helpful and approachable.

That said -
The room was large and comfortable
The location was ideal for me (I could walk to the office in the financial district)
Staff were very helpful Both check-in and check-out were efficient.

The Okura has a distinct preserved-in-amber quality to it. There are touches of 60's decor everywhere you look, the spaces are invariably hushed and everywhere you go, there's someone standing there, bowing at you. The hotel seems to have been designed to be timelessly classy, and that shines through in some parts and not others. The lobbies and the hotel bar (the Orchid) are deliciously retro and very, very cool. The pool, locker room and bathhouse, however, just feel dated. The shopping arcades in the basement are downright baffling, with their procession of shops packed with dowdy, dusty stuff.

Which is not to say that the facilities aren't clean and well-maintained. Quite to the contrary. Our room was neat as a pin and colossal by Tokyo standards. The pool was large enough to actually get a decent swim in (though annoyingly, you have to pay an extra fee to use it). The bed was comfortable and firm and though there must have been smoking rooms around, we didn't catch of a whiff of it anywhere. Free wi-fi everywhere was a nice touch. And the room had a nice, deep tub to soak in, which was delightful.

Some people have commented on how dead the neighborhood is, and I can't refute that. You are sandwiched between the Swedish embassy, a handful of corporate towers and some nondescript apartment blocks. But then, if you want to get all rowdy, the main drag in Roppongi is a short walk away and there are 3 subway stations nearby.

On balance, I'd recommend this place. I'm sure you could stay somewhere cheaper or more glam, but the Okura is perfectly pleasant and is an experience unto itself.

We found this hotel very well organised and maintained; the staff were excellent. It may be too expensive for a holiday, especailly if you wanted to eat breakfast in the hotel. The take away area of the Camelia cafe was handy. The bar was very expensive at the current exchange rate. It is not that near the metro and is in one of the business districts: however the area is pleasant and the museum and its small garden is a welcome respite.

Many visitors to Tokyo have mixed feelings about the Okura. It is an older hotel but at one point was rated the finest hotel in the world by some. It has not lost any of the charm and elegance that it always had. Unlike most other high end hotels in the world the Okura retains the elegance that the newer hotels substitute with modernization, fancy and exotic materials, technology and gaudy ambiance. "Dated" is a common description but in my opinion this is due to an expectation that expensive=modern. If you are expecting Ritz-Carlton, Mandarin Oriental or Park Hyatt luxury and ambiance then most certainly avoid the Okura. The problems with those 5-star hotels is you wake up no knowing what country you're in because they all look and feel alike. When you stay at the Okura you know you are in Japan.