Janu Tokyo

Aman has spent decades making solitude feel like the ultimate luxury. Janu, its younger sibling, has a rather different idea of a good time. The group's new brand made its debut in Tokyo in March 2024, bringing with it eight places to eat and drink, an extraordinary wellness centre and an atmosphere closer to a sophisticated private club than a secluded sanctuary. Apparently, even paradise benefits from a little company.

Its setting is equally ambitious. Azabudai Hills took more than three decades to develop, transforming a patchwork of old streets into a new neighbourhood of gardens, galleries, shops and soaring towers. Heatherwick Studio designed the undulating, greenery covered public spaces, while Pelli Clarke & Partners conceived the tower housing Janu. Tokyo has never been particularly sentimental about standing still, but this is urban reinvention on an impressive scale.

The hotel's interiors are the work of Belgian architect Jean Michel Gathy, a familiar name to Aman devotees. His arrival sequence is wonderfully theatrical: a monumental desk of rough black stone, towering walls of illuminated timber panels and carefully positioned bonsai. French inspired mouldings meet Japanese plasterwork, with straw and gravel lending texture to otherwise immaculate surfaces. Even the bedside lamps have a secret. Their minimalist square shades reveal the pleats of a traditional French lampshade when switched on. A small detail, but one that says rather a lot about Gathy's approach.

Upstairs, the mood softens considerably. The 122 rooms and suites favour warm neutrals, tactile fabrics, sliding screens and beautifully considered lighting. Even the smallest measures a generous 55 square metres, with a private balcony and a bathroom designed for lingering. The Corner Suites are particularly appealing, with separate living rooms, floor to ceiling windows and views of Tokyo Tower. Given the hotel's position on the lower floors of a much taller building, choosing the right outlook is worth the effort.

Downstairs, Janu's more outgoing personality comes into its own. The lively Janu Mercato brings three open kitchens, fresh pasta and Italian market flavours to the ground floor. At Iigura, Edomae sushi is prepared with meticulous attention to seasonality. For a particularly memorable evening, book one of the 13 seats around Sumi's copper counter, where chefs work with Japanese binchōtan charcoal, coaxing extraordinary flavours from carefully selected seafood and meats. Tokyo Tower provides the backdrop, although the cooking should have little trouble holding your attention.

Then there is wellness, and Janu has devoted an almost improbable 4,000 square metres to it. Across four floors are a beautiful 25 metre swimming pool, hydrotherapy facilities, an extensive gym, five movement studios and two private Spa Houses. Boxing, yoga and group fitness classes reflect the hotel's philosophy of social wellbeing. Of course, nobody will object if your preferred form of exercise involves moving from the swimming pool to a treatment room.

Azabudai Hills is an immaculately composed vision of contemporary Tokyo. Travellers hoping to lose themselves among old wooden houses, tiny neighbourhood restaurants and wonderfully tangled streets will find more character beyond its polished boundaries. Yet that contrast is part of Janu's appeal. Outside, one of the world's most fascinating cities awaits. Inside, the atmosphere moves effortlessly from the calm of a beautifully appointed bedroom to the conviviality of a lively restaurant or the warmth of the spa.