A Ryokan Rising Towards the Sky: Hoshinoya Tokyo

In the busy financial district of capital Tokyo, Hoshinoya Tokyo is a unique ryokan that blends the city’s modernism with mystical Japanese traditions and embellishes it with a fascinating wellness concept.

As soon as you leave your shoes, the symbol of the outside world, at the door and step into the place, you're enveloped in a blissful zen atmosphere. The visual, aural and fragrant elements included in the tranquil ambience of the place will relax your entire being, and you'll enjoy reconnecting with your Self thanks to its exclusive spa treatments.

Ryokan Culture meets Urban Design 

Ryokan, a.k.a. traditional Japanese inn, is the oldest hotel concept in the world, dating back to the eighth century. Built with a minimum number of rooms as single-story or low-rise structures, these inns are often located in secluded areas in nature, as they are based on having or being close to hot spring baths (onsen), to provide guests with a deep sense of Japanese hospitality (Omotenashi).  Their rooms, furnished with tatami mats and futon mattresses on the floor, are intimately concealed by shoji curtains. Food, another element of the culture, is served in your private room or in the guests' common hall. 

The resort and solo traveler's favorite capsule hotels in Tokyo, on the other hand, are usually built Western-oriented and influenced by the modern technological lineas of the city. That's where Hoshinoya Tokyo steps in with its glamour that manages to warm up this metropolitan and somewhat "cold" personage of the city with the gentle hospitality of Japanese culture... With its seventeen-story ryokan tower rising like a gem from the Otemachi business district since September 2016, Hoshinoya blends luxury with minimalism, taking guests on a privileged cultural journey without pulling them away from urban amenities.

A Design Art Combining Technology and Nature 

Hoshinoya Tokyo is one of 37 properties of Hoshino Resorts, which was first founded a century ago by Kuniji Hoshino as the only Japanese inn in Karuizawa. The name behind its amazing design is Azuma Architect & Associates, led by renowned architect Rie Azuma. 

Hidden amongst taller skyscrapers in an idyllic Zen garden with sculpted trees, boat-shaped stone benches and artistic planters, every corner of Hoshinoya is filled with elements that wink at Japan's mysterious history, but are reinterpreted with an intuitive sense of comfort. For example, the ancient Edo period's “komon” patterned cage wrapping around the building shimmers like a jet-black opal against the backdrop of the glazed facade with a soft lighting. At the entrance, guests are welcomed with an inviting visual ambiance with washi paper pendants reflecting Japanese paper lanterns, along with the contemporary lighting embedded in the walls.

The interior design of the venue is reminiscent of a sacred temple born from the heart of nature. As you enter through the massive cypress doors, you're greeted with a traditional bow of respect by a kimono-clad doorman and immediately “relieved” of your shoes to leave the chaos of the outside world behind. As your shoes are placed in one of those brilliant large wooden compartments covering the entire wall, you step onto the soft, wood-scented tatami mats that elegantly cover every surface. 

From the artistic textures you’ll find on the walls to the furniture, the interiors are mostly oval and square elements dominated by different shades of black and brown. High wooden ceilings divided into square sections and bamboo-wound wall furniture are valuable elements imbuing the design’s natural aspect. Decoration is characterized by simple and ingenuous elements such as Japanese trees and paper vertical lighting, attaching importance to not tiring your senses.

Rooms that Silently Draw Curtains to the World

Hoshinoya Tokyo has 84 guest rooms, six on each floor, which take the centuries-old ryokan culture one step further. Tatami mats throughout the building generously adorn the room floors, as well. You'll find all the elements of an authentic ryokan in these rooms, but more enhanced for your comfort. For instance, with chestnut-colored shoji sliding screens used instead of a typical ryokan's traditional curtains, your privacy is made sure to be held in higher esteem. Folding futon mattresses are replaced by cozy low beds in shades of black, chestnut and cream. Seating areas and tables are presented in a low Japanese design with a modern texture in dark colors. And wide and deep baths, reminiscent of a personal onsen, are framed by transparent glass that can become opaque if you wish. In addition to the natural light filtering through the window, the interior lighting hidden behind the walls gives the room a dim calmness.

Generously Welcoming Ochanomas 

The Ochanoma lounges on each floor, accessible only to guests staying on that floor, are connected to each room by a tatami-covered corridor. Entwining the alluring Omotenashi culture with contemporary design perception, these halls have a similar design to guest rooms in decoration and lighting. However, to create a comfy atmosphere similar to that of your home, you may see some decorative elements of Japanese art, like traditional vases on shelves embedded in the wall, are used more in these areas. Ochanomas are living rooms where guests can read, work or chat at any time of the day while sipping green tea, sake or plum wine and savoring delicious Japanese snacks. With daily tea ceremonies and musicians performing ancient palace music, these lounges’ “shojis are always open” to you, be it to spend time with your Self or to immerse in heart-warming social interactions.

A Japanese Restaurant With A Design As Sumptuous As Its Food

Helmed by award-winning chef Noriyuki Hamada, the restaurant serves a deliciously light Japanese cuisine with a French twist, reinventing the traditional food with today’s palate. The design of the restaurant is just as palatial... Traditional plaster mixed with compressed earth covers the side walls at the entrance of the restaurant. The entrance's feature wall made of Japanese granite creates a divergent and attractive harmony with the asymmetrical, sandy rock art in the front. The dining area, with its avant-garde dining table surrounded by traditional bamboo screens, provides a royal atmosphere for its guests.

Hot Springs Reaching to the Sky

Perhaps the most eye-catching part of the venue is the Spa and hot spring area on the terrace...The spa areas, which consist of a gender-separated indoor pool and outdoor pool connected by a cave-like tunnel, greet the sky with high granite and cypress panels that gently illuminate the walls from the inside. The pools are fed by hot spring water drawn from 1,500 meters underground, which, thanks to its high salty mineral content, remains permanently warm. 

From the open roof of the hot spring, guests are also treated to a feast of light hues, adorned with rainbow colors and decorated with clouds. When you visit at night, your unwinding experience in these pools might become even more sensual with the seasonal aromas of the fresh air.

Spa Treatments That Evoke Your Inner Calm

Bringing the hotel's charming ryokan design into its ambience, the Spa focuses on enhancing the healing power of hot spring. Your therapy begins with relaxing exercises in the pools, followed by a bespoke oil treatment session and a program dedicated to your health and beauty. The Spa offers traditional therapies such as Shiki and Wakatake, each lasting 90 minutes, in treatment rooms with chestnut-colored walls and furnishings that call your soul to nature, providing the perfect environment for you to experience both physical and mental rejuvenation.

Spa treatments you'll experience while staying at Hoshinoya Tokyo's ryokan tower in the heart of the city, yet as far from the city; and making the most of Japanese hospitality that invite serenity to your soul, can take you a on deeper, unwinding and more Zen journeys.