Kyoto has history but Nara has HISTORY. Nara was the OG ancient capital of Japan, 84 years before Kyoto. In its illustrious era as Japan’s central power, Nara witnessed remarkable developments, such as the construction of the world’s largest bronze Buddha statue, robust connections with China, and the government’s significant support for Buddhism and the creation of important literature.   In the heart of this culturally vibrant city, Shisui, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nara debuted in the fall of 2023 as part of Marriott International’s esteemed Luxury Collection. Nestled in Nara, the culturally rich neighbor of Kyoto, Shusui Hotel has opened its doors to discerning guests. While Nara boasts a wealth of history and culture, often drawing day-trippers to witness the 1400 deer residing around Nara Park, the emergence of few new hotels in the city signals a shift towards elevated luxury travel experiences. Shusui Hotel stands at the forefront of this trend, offering a captivating blend of opulence and sophistication for those seeking an unparalleled stay in Nara. 

FUFU Kyoto may be one of those hotels that you can easily walk past without noticing, but trust me… This is a good thing. Japanese aesthetics are all about harmony and not disrupting the peace of one’s surroundings, so being in the “flow” of the city, so to speak, is just one of the many ways in which this hotel exemplifies the beauty of the ancient capital. Nestled in the elegant Okazaki area, an absolute favorite of mine, FUFU Kyoto manages to blend in seamlessly with the nearby temples, art museums, and world-famous ryotei restaurants without losing any presence or originality of its own.   When I visited the hotel, I was guided down a narrow path lined with bamboo as soon as I stepped foot on the property. The walk itself was therapeutic, with a soft breeze muffling the sound of the cars behind me and the bamboo dancing on the wind. As I came to the end of the pathway, I was welcomed with a silent bow by one of the attentive staff and entered the world of FUFU.   FUFU Kyoto opened in April 2021, joining several FUFU brand hotels across Japan. The hotel brands itself as a “globally unique Japanese resort experience,” and all their hotels are surrounded by an abundance of nature. Secreted away in the hospitality of FUFU, guests have the chance to luxuriate in what each resort offers, which includes relaxing hot springs and cuisine made from the freshest local produce.     

Cruising along on a 25-minute shuttle ride from Kameoka Station, I passed a lot of rice fields, mist, and billboards selling health products… all true signs that I was in the Kyoto countryside . The very second that the van arrived at our destination, Sumiya Kiho-an, the kimono-clad ryokan staff came bustling towards us. A woman greets us with an energetic “yokosoooo” (“welcome!”), three or four more staff following in her wake. As I step out, she quickly grabs my rugged black bag and ushers us through the thatched roof gate.   Sumiya Kiho-an is a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) located about an hour away from Kyoto Station in the Yunohana Onsen region of Kameoka City. Yunohana Onsen is frequented by locals who are looking to soak in some natural hot springs since central Kyoto offers limited options that are mostly man-made. In fact, the area’s nickname is “Kyo no Okuzashiki” (“Kyoto’s Inner Parlor”), referring to its status as a getaway location that’s still close to the larger city. Legend says that samurai warriors would come to this area to soak in the hot springs to heal their wounds during the medieval Warring States period.

Of all the Japanese companies known throughout the world, video gaming pioneer Nintendo is one of the most beloved. Despite its technology-driven reputation, Nintendo was actually founded back in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce hanafuda, a type of card used for traditional Japanese games. From 1933 to 1959, these cards were produced in a quiet neighborhood near Kyoto Station at a building that served as the company headquarters, factory, and Yamauchi family home. Though the company expanded to larger offices, this former headquarters remained as a private Yamauchi family property. After finding international acclaim in the 1980’s with the NES system and classic video games such as Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros., the company continued to innovate… and Nintendo enthusiasts came from all over the globe to marvel at the former headquarters building, imagining how a bunch of craftsmen painting Japanese playing cards eventually became a video gaming empire.   Over sixty years since the headquarters was shuttered, Nintendo fans who wanted to explore the inside of the building can now rejoice! In the spring of 2022, the former headquarters was transformed and given new life as a beautiful boutique hotel named Marufukuro, after the Marufuku Nintendo Co. brand used to sell the company’s playing cards in the early 1900’s. The hotel is run by Tokyo-based renovation company Plan Do See and boasts eighteen guest rooms (seven of which are suites) ranging in size from 33sqm to 79sqm. While keeping the vintage architecture that preserves an early period in Nintendo history, the hotel has also received a 21st century makeover by world-renowned designer Tadao Ando, “the king of concrete”.

The black monolith façade of the W Osaka caught my eye the instant I emerged from the nearest subway station and looked up towards the sky. Amongst the grey, Showa-era structures around it, this hotel designed by Ando Tadao stands out with a striking identity all its own. However, don’t let the sleek, monochrome appearance fool you! We shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and the W Osaka reminded me to expect the unexpected.   My first introduction to this philosophy at the W Osaka came when I stepped into their Arrival Tunnel, an entrance inspired by the Japanese art forms of cutting and folding paper, kirigami, and origami. The tunnel was lit up pink in an ode to spring, and according to Amy, the hotel’s digital marketing specialist, the color changes every season. As I walked past a bright young couple taking selfies while I was dressed head to toe in black with a Comme des Garçons skirt and newly-colored dark hair… I couldn’t help feeling a bit like Wednesday Addams. After I passed the couple doing my best black cloud imitation, I looked around the space and saw nothing of the subdued and serene wabi-sabi culture of Kyoto I was so used to. This was Osaka— loud, vibrant and fun! And I was there to embrace and enjoy ALL of it.

“You know, my favorite time of the year is around April and May after the cherry blossom season.” I’m in the lobby of the Suiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Kyoto sipping sencha with Sato-san, Suiran’s PR representative, who regales me with her knowledge of the area. “The maple trees start to show off their green leaves around then. Have you ever felt a fresh maple leaf in May? I love the texture… so soft.” Sato-san also talked about which direction the birds fly into Arashiyama and how the shape of the mountain changes depending on the season. It was clear that Sato-san’s knowledge and passion for nature is something that was developed working in this environment… an environment I was ready to dive into!

Salarymen in their dark suits give me sympathetic smiles as I shuffle past, trying not to make eye contact with them. I don’t want to admit that I am now that girl lugging three bags in the pouring rain with my iPhone in hand, running around the financial district of Tokyo slightly lost while trying to get to my destination– Aman Tokyo.

Kasuien – the beautiful ryokan behind The Westin Miyako Kyoto was first introduced to me by Joanna Kawecki from Ala Champ Magazine. She’s always the first person to know about any new designs, art, or architecture in Japan. Her extensive research skills always make me feel slightly lazy. The photo she tagged me in was by Hiroshi Nakamura of NAP who took on the project to renovate the ryokan (completed summer of 2020) that was originally designed by architect Togo Murano in 1959.  The photo was of the garden at the ryokan which looked like a green bean sitting right in the middle of a traditional Japanese Karesansui garden. And although it looks very modern, and as though it was only added recently, it was in fact designed by the legendary architect Murano.   As you step foot into the ryokan you are greeted by two gardens, the one which was designed by Murano, and the other which was designed by Ogawa Jihei VII, a legendary landscape artist of the Meiji and Taisho era. These two gardens alone are good indicators that you are not going to be disappointed by the architecture of the building itself. Ōhashi san, one of the head staff members of the facilities, says one of her favorite features of the ryokan is how the architecture of the ryokan complements the beautiful gardens.

The silhouette of Tokyo Tower was ever so slightly visible through the sheer white curtains. As I was escorted around the newly opened hotel The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon, I naturally gravitated towards the floor-to-ceiling windows to get a better look. To locals it might be an everyday site, but to visitors like myself it’s a bit like a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. Maybe that’s an overstatement, but it’s true that Tokyo Tower summons similar feelings of strength and awe. As I stood there 140m above the ground, practically eye-to-eye with the tower, I was instantly reminded that I’m in one of the biggest cities in the world: the concrete jungle, Tokyo.   Its surprisingly easy to forget where you are inside The Tokyo EDITION hotel, which feels more like a separate space of its own. There are plants, a whole 500+ jungle of them, creating an oasis-like atmosphere and bringing in some clean green oxygen. When I passed the bar, a female bartender with tattoos climbing up her arms switched seamlessly between English and Japanese as she communicated with her customers, a dapper Japanese gentlemen in a tweed jacket and two younger expats dressed to the nines.   While the public space is a fusion of modern oasis themes, the Director of Sales Wataru-san points out that they were also inspired by Buddhist temples, pointing my gaze up towards the woven wooden ceiling that serves as one example of the hotel’s more spiritual aspects. While many luxury hotels in Japan go for the Western glamour finish or opt for a very “wa” Japanese look, legendary hotelier Ian Schrager wanted his new property in Tokyo to be simple and elegant while not looking too traditional or similar to something the country has seen before. To bring his vision to life, he hired Kengo Kuma, a world-renowned architect who is famous for designing beautiful wooden structures around the world, including the national stadium for the Tokyo Olympics.   The result? The space is minimalist with a splash of flavour and fun here and there. The blue velvet seating in the Blue Room restaurant? Fun. The hotel’s signature faux fur rug draping on the lobby couch? Sexy. The glass bottles filled with lime green liquid lining the bar counter? Sexy and fun. However, just like zen and meditative disciplines such as tea ceremony, this seeming-spontaneity comes from a strong foundation and sense of control. “These rugs draped on the couch… the Edition team overseas directed us on how to place them accordingly. They would even tell us things like ‘please move it 10cm to right,’” Wataru-san tells me.   The hotel contains 206 rooms, 15 of them with terraces. My room was minimalist but boasted a spacious terrace that let me take in a gorgeous view of the city when I rolled out the hotel’s yoga mat. The crisp temperature of early March was piercing my skin, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from enjoying a terrace larger than some Japanese university students’ apartments. An endless-seeming view of the Tokyo skyline can also be enjoyed from the hotel’s new restaurant, The Jade Room and Garden Terrace, coming this spring.   Before I left, I was escorted out for a sneak peek of the garden terrace by the hotel staff. As I looked around the empty space, once again coming eye-to-eye with Tokyo Tower, I imagined people gathering there, sitting at the tables, chatting and hanging out… people from all walks of life, both local and overseas. Suddenly, the minimal and refined designs all made sense. Only once the city, the people, and the space come together is the hotel complete. That is the true message of The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon.   Words: Sara Aiko Photos: Sara Aiko   The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon- Tokyo (editionhotels.com)

When I am looking for hotels that are fitting for my clients, of course aesthetics plays a huge role. I mean who doesn’t love a pretty room that makes your soul feel good? However, a hotel that offers the ‘omotenashi’ factor is also important for me when making a booking. Omotenashi is a word that defines Japanese hospitality. A type of hospitality where the love of the host is felt throughout your hotel experience, from the interior design, to the food that is served – exactly what you get at MOGANA.

Shiga, no longer just known as the prefecture with the country’s largest lake, in the last few years,  creatives have been maximising the beauty of the prefecture and setting up new shops, restaurants, and hotels. Hatago Wakatsu is one such artistic project. The accommodation facility opened in November 2020 in a quiet neighbourhood of Omi Hachimangu – about an 80 minute drive from central Kyoto.