THE BEST OF TOKYO
TRAVELIFE Magazine Oct-Nov 2015 issue
On Top of
THE WORLD
PHOTOs BY christine cunanan.
CHRISTINE CUNANAN checks into the ultra-minimalist, ultra-luxurious AMAN TOKYO
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TRAVELIFE Magazine Oct-Nov 2015 issue
T
he lobby of the Aman Tokyo is on the 33rd floor of the Otemachi Tower, a sleek new building in the financial district just a block away from Tokyo Station, and its street-level entrance is as unobtrusive as you can possibly imagine. Hidden from immediate view, there’s just one table for initial formalities when you alight from your car, and then you’re whisked away to their version of a modern paradise at the top.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
“I was completely unprepared for the cavernous space of light, 30 meters high, that awaited me once the elevator doors opened. Talk about making first impressions count.”
On my way up, I was of course anticipating a beautiful hotel typical of the Aman group; and perhaps more so in this case, as the bar to impress guests is certainly higher in Tokyo, the city with the most number of “Aman junkies” in the world.
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THE BEST OF TOKYO
It’s also ground zero for design and technology pushed to the limit; so the pressure was definitely laid thick on Aman to come up with a Tokyo property – their first urban hotel and also their first property in Japan – that would dazzle in a most subtle way jaded guests who have already stayed in amazing hotels all over the world. If this is at all possible to do, that is. I was one of the earliest of these jaded guests and these were my lofty expectations.
VISION OF ELEGANCE Nevertheless I was completely unprepared for the cavernous space of light, 30 meters high, that awaited me once the elevator doors opened. Talk about making first impressions count.
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THE BEST OF TOKYO
TRAVELIFE Magazine Oct-Nov 2015 issue
SPA TO REMEMBER The 2500-square meter Aman Tokyo spa offers treatments in eight private rooms along a corridor with views of Tokyo, just off the reception area. I booked the 150-minute Aman Tokyo Signature Journey, an original treatment that begins with a medicinal footbath and a body scrub of fine camphor powder and Japanese clay, and then culminates with a combination of a dry shiatsu and a traditional oil massage with rice oil. My therapist was a wisp of a young girl named Hikari, “light” in Japanese, further reinforcing my first impression of fragility. In reality, this was the farthest from the truth, for she gave me the most powerful massage I have had in a lifetime of spa visits, with her hands targeting all the right pressure points. Afterwards, I was led to a private relaxation space where I enjoyed a pot of medicinal tea infused with magnolia, green tea and cherry blossoms.
Quite unlike any other hotel lobby in Tokyo, this is literally the equivalent of eight floors of space and soft bright light that deliberately extends one’s vision all the way to the top. Then the designers covered the walls of about six of these floors in textured “washi” paper stretched on a wooden shoji frame to resemble a traditional Japanese paper lantern, giving the lobby an aura of unearthliness appropriate for a hotel so high up. Meanwhile, at eye level, between polished wood, rough grey stone, two Zen rock gardens and a mammoth arrangement of fragile ikebana-inspired greenery resting on a calm pool of water in the middle, I saw the breadth and width of the Tokyo skyline before me, making for a good combination of earth, sky, and, of course, luxury.
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THE PERFECT FIT Admittedly, this truly 21st century hotel is not for everyone, although minimalists and enthusiasts for Japanese design will appreciate its aesthetics at first glance. It is stark, crisp and so seamless like a simple but perfectly cut little black designer dress. At least, this is how I felt, checking in one recent Sunday to happily call Aman Tokyo my home for four days. I was already sufficiently enamored at the outset; but this hotel grows on you and ends up fitting your lifestyle. By the end of my stay, I most definitely would have stayed, had my credit card allowed this.
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TRAVELIFE Magazine Oct-Nov 2015 issue
“Aman Tokyo is stark, crisp and so seamless like a simple but perfectly cut little black designer dress.”
THE BEST OF TOKYO
THE BEST OF TOKYO
TRAVELIFE Magazine Oct-Nov 2015 issue
DON’T MISS THESE DURING YOUR STAY:
- The Japanese bento box breakfast - Spending an afternoon by the swimming pool - A soak in the Japanese-style tub in your room - A look at the rare art books in the
Residents’ Library - The fully-equipped Pilates studio with private lessons
FEELING AT HOME The size of my suite – a grand 141-square meters of soundproof space – aided greatly in the task of making me feel at home, especially in claustrophobic Tokyo. It was all clean lines and a neutral palette, with a palatial foyer that neatly divided the room into a sleeping and bathing area on one side, and a living and dining area for four on the other. Both sides had banquettes with pillows and coffee table books running the length of the room to enable guests to sit and admire the views, if they had managed to ignore these so far.
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vol.8 - issue 2
TRAVELIFE Magazine Oct-Nov 2015 issue
THE BEST OF TOKYO
AWAY FROM EVERYTHING And within this rather generous piece of Tokyo, I even had my own little corner: a private office adjacent to the dining area with a sliding door of traditional design to shut off the rest of the world if I wanted to. Here, a large desk with a phone and all the technological infrastructure a traveler could want – think multi-socket plugs and USB chargers – awaits anyone who actually feels like working instead of enjoying one of the world’s most fabulous new hotels. The suite’s piece de resistance, however, is the massive granite bathtub, Japanese-style but Western in proportions, set up right next to a floor-to-ceiling window. With the Tokyo Skytree in the background, this was certainly the ultimate soak, whether day or night – or, in my case, both.
THE FOOD SCENE Aman Tokyo has private dining venues, a café, and one restaurant. The Restaurant by Aman, located on its lobby floor with views of the Imperial Palace Gardens and Mount Fuji in the distance, serves Japanese and European favorites. It offers wonderful breakfasts in a bright dining space that transforms into an elegant venue for dinner at sunset, with a variety of set menus that showcase some of the best ingredients in Japan.
This is really the stylish apartment most people wish they could have in one of the most exciting cities in the world – and now they can actually do so, even just for a few days, by checking into the Aman Tokyo. n
AMAN TOKYO www.aman.com
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