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This Tokyo hotel is as serene as it is sleek, spanning the top six floors of a 38-storey skyscraper in the business district Otemachi. The minimal interior taps into Japan’s design heritage with its wood, paper and stone, while tall partitions create loose boundaries between the lobby, lounge, restaurant and bar.
 

Location

Say the word “Aman” and remote mountain retreats or exotic beaches with dramatic minimalist architecture may spring to mind. But its Tokyo outpost – which opened in late 2014 – stands in a category of its own as the first “urban” Aman.

And there are few more urban settings than Otemachi in Tokyo’s financial district: close to the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Station, Otemachi is filled with gleaming office towers and bustling crowds of office workers.

Style & character

True to the Aman’s signature understated style, the ground floor entrance is so discreet it’s easy to miss. An ear-popping lift transports visitors to the 33rd floor lobby – where a vast reception steals the show.

Centre stage is a dramatic (and seasonally changing) ikebana flower arrangement, surrounded by water and two meditative rock gardens, beneath a 30-metre high ceiling of white washi paper – with surrounding walls of glass giving way to classic urban Tokyo views.

The minimal interior, designed by Kerry Hill, taps into Japan’s design heritage with its wood, paper and stone, while tall partitions create loose boundaries between the lobby, lounge, restaurant and bar. Even the food matches the monochrome decor: Black Afternoon Tea in the Lounge consists of a chic combo of black bamboo meringues, dark chocolates and black sesame scones.
 

Service & facilities

Staff stand out not only because of their helpfulness, but also their self-possession and friendliness. Visits are likely to be peppered with relaxed conversations with staff, making the atmosphere feel more relaxed than in many other high-end Tokyo hotels.

And then – drumroll - there is the spa. Spanning two deliciously serene floors and an epic 2,500 square metres, the spa is a minimal sun-drenched enclave filled with clean-lined natural materials plus a soothing onsen-style stone bath with urban views across the city and sleek 30-metre pool.

Treatments fuse seasonal herbs, local oils and traditional Japanese kampo to dramatically relaxing effect. Tip: it’s impossible to go wrong with the Aman Tokyo Signature Journey, which consists of a rejuvenating body scrub followed by a massage using Shiatsu and Western techniques using aromatic Japanese camphor oil.

·   Restaurant
·   ·   Bar
·   ·   Laundry
·   ·   Room service
·   ·   Pool
·   ·   Spa
·   ·   Wi-Fi

• ·Fitness centre

Rooms

A sleek modern take on traditional Japanese ryokan inns, its 84 rooms feel refreshingly un-hotel-like – instead, they are airy, bright and spacious (the smallest are 71 square metres – big enough to house a small Japanese family). There are walls of light woods plus sliding screens of paper-lined glass, while several steps lead down to an expanse of windows lined with daybeds framing city views.

Further Japanese touches include abstract calligraphy scrolls, tatami mat rugs, earthy ceramics and wooden boxes containing seasonal fruits. Best of all? A nocturnal soak in the deep, square stone bath – infused with a fresh yuzu fruit – while savouring the sparkling views of Tokyo after dark.
 

Food & drink

The idea at the 33rd-floor Italian restaurant, Arva, is as simple as the food is heartwarmingly tasty: a clean, bold mix of seasonal ingredients rooted in Italian family style culinary traditions.

Offerings range from ravioli with sparkling enobe squid and fava beans to grilled barracuda with a memorable melt-in-the-mouth roasted cauliflower. Look out for the ice cream man who quite literally whips up a mini cone at the end of every meal.

The simplicity of the food provides a grounding balance to the décor – all lofty double height ceilings, clean-lined wood partitions, leather seating and walls of glass framing Tokyo views. Just next door, the Lounge by Aman also serves afternoon teas and light lunches; while The Café by Aman is located near the ground floor entrance, with outdoor seating and a French bistro-style menu (foie gras brioche French toast is a highlight).
 

Value for money

Deluxe rooms from 112,180 yen (£749) in low season; and from 248,800 yen (£1,662) in high season. Prices exclude breakfast, which costs 4,098 yen (£27). Free Wi-Fi.
 

Access for guests with disabilities?

Yes, two rooms have been adapted.
 

Family-friendly?

Despite the grown up décor, staff are unwaveringly charming when confronted with babies hurling specially prepared pureed vegetables across the table or toddlers trying to swim fully clothed in the lobby water feature. Boxes of beautiful origami paper in the room are also a hit.

Otemachi Tower, 1-5-6 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan.

00 81 3-5224-3333 aman.com/aman-tokyo