Japan is a country rich in history and culture, where the food is phenomenal, and the hotels are luxurious. For the most exquisite and relaxing stay, here are Insignia’s top hotel picks for Japan to ensure an unforgettable time.
Aman Tokyo
Aman Tokyo hotel is sleek and spectacular, spanning the top six floors of a 38-storey skyscraper in the Otemachi district. The minimal interior, designed by Kerry Hill, plays to Japan’s clean and austere design heritage. Service is spectacular and serenity is readily achievable, courtesy of the 2,500 square metre spa. Designed in soothing creams and bamboo-colours, this sun-drenched oasis offers views of the iconic skyline for what feels like eternity. Inside there is also a traditional onsen-style stone bath and an impressive 30-metre pool. Elsewhere the 84 rooms are bright and beckoning, and feature a series of nods to the traditional – calligraphy scrolls, tatami mat rugs, earthy ceramics and wooden boxes containing local fruits.
The St Regis Osaka
Known for its modern, cutting-edge architecture, dynamic nightlife and its authoritative street food, Osaka is a fashionable and upmarket destination in Japan. The St Regise hotel is set in what is locally known as the Champs Elysées of Osaka and is one of the city’s leading high-end hotels. There is a variety of entertainment available and special additions on offer, such as the live piano bar and bottomless brunch on the sun-drenched garden terrace, for example. Rooms here are large, inviting and contemporary. The larger suites feel more like apartments and the Royal Suite is fitted with a fully functioning kitchen. There is a fitness centre and small but well-appointed spa; however, there is no swimming pool.
Gora Kadan
Gora Kadan is one of Japan’s most luxurious Ryokans – a type of traditional Japanese inn that typically features tatami-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear yukata and converse. The original building dates back 300 years and was once the summer home of the Kan’in-No-Miya Imperial family.Attention to detail is one of the hallmarks of this property – such as pristinely manicured gardens, walkways lined with identically shaped river stones. Each traditionally styled room includes its own large soaking tub, sauna and natural hot-spring bath with a floor-to-ceiling garden view. Meals are precise and presided over in an authentic and traditional manner – some are languorous and feature many courses, while other consist of little more than a few fresh mouthfuls.
Hoshinoya Tokyo
Surrounded by towering office buildings in the business district of Otemachi, this urban enclave of Tokyo is both convenient and coveted. Hoshinoya Tokyois an impressively large and sprawling hotel, with 84 guest rooms spread out across 14 floors. Each floor is uniquely designed to emulate a traditional and self-contained ryokan inn. Rooms are sleek but slightly austere – with low-slung beds to replicate a futon and gargantuan central tubs for soaking. Food here is elaborate and experiential and served only in the room instead of a central restaurant. And instead of the expected white bathrobe, each room comes with an exquisite kimono for the guests to lounge in.
