Tokyo is well worth a visit, but it is huuuuge, and you could easily spend a month in Tokyo just sussing out places to enjoy tea.
Afternoon Tea at
The Strings (Omotesando)
https://intercontinental-strings.jp/offers
In contrast to London, Afternoon Tea in Tokyo takes a much more seasonal approach and changes several times throughout the year. At the Strings in the Omotesando area, there is often a Halloween-themed offer in October, one where strawberries or chestnuts play a central role in November, which is followed by a Christmas-based afternoon tea. Everything is prepared to extremely high standards – and Japanese omotenashi is second to none !!!
Afternoon Tea at
The Peninsula
(https://www.peninsula.com/en/tokyo/special-offers/dining/bubbles-and-bites)
The Peninsula always features prominently in any afternoon tea list of Tokyo. This is well-deserved and they have successfully kept up the standard for ages.
This notwithstanding, booking your afternoon tea here will require you to make a couple of quirky choices: Firstly, can you really trust the tripadvisor reviews that award the Lobby (Tripadvisor 3.11.2026) a comparatively meagre score of 3.9 (with only one review in 2026, two in 2025, one in 2024, preceeded by multiple reviews in 2019), or is this out-of-tune score trying to tell us something about the reliability of reviews ? [Also see: Oscar’s, the top-reviewed restaurant that does not exist in Brixham, Devon]
Another decision to pay attention to is whether you want to dine at the Lobby or at the Peter Bar. The former offers the classic experience near the iconic eye, but for some it is curiously small (for top-notch 5 stars in Tokyo), while others find it strange to see guests with suitcases wheeling past. The latter place is a bar at 24th floor, where the Peninsula sometimes serves afternoon tea, too. At times, it seems to be a slightly simpler version, at other times it is hailed as afternoon with a modern twist. The decision between classic and near the eye, or classy with view, is not an easy one.
It is undoubtedly nice to have this choice, especially if you are staying at the hotel, but the curious effect is that you find yourself browsing through the many options, and all of a sudden you may be tempted to book a dim sum experience at the Peninsula’s Hei Fung Terrace instead.
Afternoon Tea at the
Aman
(https://www.aman.com/hotels/aman-tokyo/dining)
This luxury hotel near the Otemachi Tower has a more than grand reputation, and all their 84 rooms are suites. This sets the tone. (It really does: Tim even smelt at the key card).
Everything at this hotel is sharp and to the point, to use Tim’s words, and so is the afternoon tea on the 33rd floor. So much so that you notice someone (or a lot of people) have thought about all possible aspects – even the placing of individual grapes in a two-tiered jewellery box.
To see this exceptionally attractive and expertly thought-through afternoon tea accompanied by Ronnefeldt Tea does, however, raise an eyebrow, or both. The quality of tea in Japan is generally high, much higher than in Switzerland, and it is not particularly difficult even to obtain tea of utmost quality. In an environment like this, the use of a Germany-based tea supplier is perplexing and can only be explained by the attraction of the foreign. The Swiss Tea Sommelier’s recommendation thus is to beware of モルゲンタウ and カモミール, and to browse the Aman menu for a drink with a touch more thought.
Afternoon or Sunset Afternoon Tea at the
Four Seasons (Otemachi)
(https://www.fourseasons.com/otemachi/dining/restaurants/afternoon-tea/)
When it comes to views, the Four Seasons in the Otemachi area stands out – and it rises high. Here, a French pastry chef works alongside a Japanese sous-chef. The delightful afternoon tea is served on the 39th floor, and the stunning view complements it well.
In fact, on a beautiful day the view may become the main element, especially at dusk for what the hotel calls The Sunset Afternoon Tea. (Obviously not in the afternoon but starting from from 18:30 throughout the year. Unlike the Swiss, the Japanese do not tingle with summer and winter time).
A Secret Find:
The Chinzanso
(https://hotel-chinzanso-tokyo.com/dining/jardin/)
This is reputed to be the hotel in Tokyo that first started offering a full English Afternoon Tea, which was, reportedly, only shortly before the turn of the century. The change as you step from a Japanese road into a quintessentially English parlour is quite dramatic. The restaurant where afternoon tea is served is called Le Jardin. The name is an understatement. With your afternoon tea comes a view onto (and a chance to visit) the hotel’s mighty and lush garden. From 9am to 9pm, the entire garden is shrouded in a cloud of mist at hh:40 every hour, plus evening specials (Cf. Tokyo Sea of Clouds). Here, you should plan for an afternoon tea and a walk – or a stay.
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