Winter Fun and Powder Chasing Through Tohoku

Since its opening at the end of 2014, Aman Tokyo has been one of the most talked-about luxury hotels in the city. The most striking thing about it is its location; spread across the top six floors of a 40-storey tower in the Otemachi business district, the panoramic views are simply incredible. What’s more, all of the 84 rooms and suites take full advantage of the lofty position with floor-to-ceiling windows letting light in during the daytime, while also framing the breathtaking lit-up cityscape at night. Aman Tokyo has also received praise for its impressive interiors, which have been inspired by minimalistic design, including the use of camphor wood, washi paper and stone surfaces throughout the rooms as well as traditional Japanese facilities such as large ‘furo’ baths. Situated on the 33rd floor, both guests and non-guests can enjoy the fine Mediterranean food at the hotel’s signature restaurant, not forgetting more of those incredible views across Tokyo stretching as far as the Imperial Palace Gardens and Mount Fuji in the distance. Elsewhere, there is a spa, enclosed garden area, swimming pool, wine cellar, cigar lounge and a whole host of other facilities to keep guests entertained.

Located 38 floors above street level, the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo is a world away from the hustle and bustle below. The rooms and suites here are some of the largest in Japan and each offers soaring views across the city through floor-to-ceiling windows, amplifying a sense of serenity and detachment. The bathrooms are divided from the rooms by a pane of glass covered by a wooden blind; with the flick of a switch, privacy is achieved or the room is washed in daylight. All accommodations have an in-room entertainment system with iPod docking station, high definition LCD televisions in the bedroom and bathroom, wired and wireless high speed Internet access (for a fee) and your choice of preferred pillow type from the property’s extensive pillow menu. The restaurants in the hotel are some of the most highly regarded in the world; Signature (contemporary French), Sense (Chinese) and the Tapas Molecular Bar have each been awarded Michelin stars. Other restaurant options include Ventaglio (Italian), Oriental Lounge (continental bakery), Gourmet Shop, K’shiki (breakfast is served here and Japanese and continental food is served throughout the day) and the Mandarin Bar. The excellent spa has four treatment rooms and five private spa suites, and encompasses a 1,500-square-foot fitness center with the latest cardiovascular and weight training equipment.

Mere steps from the Imperial Palace sits Tokyo’s newest luxury hotel, The Peninsula Tokyo. Located in Marunouchi district just a short walk from the shopping paradise of Ginza, the hotel is perfectly located for business or pleasure. With a total of 314 elegantly decorated rooms and 47 suites, the Peninsula Tokyo’s accommodations are among the most spacious in all of Tokyo, and offer plenty of amenities including espresso machines, complimentary Internet access, multifunction fax machines, nail polish drying machines, and shoe shining service. The hotel’s culinary options include Cantonese cuisine at the Hei Fung Terrace, regional Japanese fare at Kyoto Tsuruya, and International food and beverages at Cirque Culinaire and Peter. For relaxation, enjoy the hotel’s state of the art health club with pool complex, undergo a “spa journey” at the Peninsula Spa by ESPA, or try a leisurely jog around the Imperial Palace. Other amenities include a business center and a boutique store that offers food, gifts and souvenir items.

Pioneering a new direction in luxury hospitality, Aman’s sister brand Janu opened its first hotel in the much anticipated Azabudai Hills development in the heart of Tokyo. This urban oasis offers 122 guest rooms and suites, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of Tokyo Tower or the area’s surrounding greenery. A ‘Modern Urban Village’, Janu Tokyo delivers a vibrant dining scene consisting of 8 distinctive dining venues, including two Japanese outlets, a Chinese restaurant, a patisserie, a grill restaurant and a vibrant Italian food emporium, a bar, and lounge and garden terrace. Facilities include one of Tokyo’s largest wellness facilities (4,000 sqm), which offers group classes such as spinning, boxing, yoga, and Pilates, as well as simulated golf training, circuit training, and a well equipped gym. Additionally, wellness therapies are offered in seven dedicated treatment rooms, and a sprawling hydrotherapy and thermal area, centered around a 25-meter heated swimming pool. Taking cues from traditional Japanese culture, the hotel also has a separate pool lounge as a place for socializing, besides two spa houses. This hotel is a 1-hour drive from the Narita International Airport (NRT).

Stood alone in the undisturbed serenity of virgin nature, the only sounds filling the air that of the Keiryu mountain stream’s trickle and the echo of chirping birds, Oirase Keiryu hotel is a true haven. Time seems to stop for guests who visit this inn in Towada-Hachimantai National Park and walk or cycle through its surrounding beauty, led by experts from waterfall to waterfall or to discover the fascinating world of moss on a guided tour. The inn’s luxurious rooms are modern and sleek in style featuring elegant décor and all the amenities to ensure a comfortable stay. With their source bubbling up from within Mount Hakkodasan, its hot springs wash away stress, tiredness, and soreness and leave the mind and body feeling rejuvenated. The outdoor baths afford incredible views of the neighboring stream and “Kokono-e Waterfall.” In the lounge, guests can enjoy a coffee and look out at picturesque vistas of the local beauty before enjoying a dinner rich with the exquisite tastes of Aomori Prefecture. Both breakfast and dinner buffets are available, and the delicious meals can be enjoyed out on the terrace or within the Aomori Ringo Kitchen serving Aomori apples in many imaginative ways.  Alternatively, a Western adaptation of the kaiseki style traditional multi-course dinner promises to excite the taste buds with dishes of seasonal ingredients prepared with a Japanese touch. 

Melding elements of classical European style with local traditional aesthetic, the Hotel Metropolitan Morioka is one of the best hotels in the city. Easy accessible from Morioka Station, the property houses 121 guest rooms, each representing elegant comfort and the perfect spot from which to set out and explore the nearby Koiwai Farm, Kaiunbashi Bridge, Children's Museum of Science and Yotsuya Church, to name but a few local attractions. Amenities include high-speed WiFi, LCD TVs and refrigerators. Every room boasts a deep soaking bathtub in its elegant bathroom space. There are also the three restaurants spanning Japanese, French, American and European cuisine – Mukai Tsuru, Mont Fleuve, and Giovanni – as well as the bar Clover and lobby lounge, which serve a wide variety of spirits, cocktails, wines and beers.

Weeping cherry trees line the streets of traditional samurai buildings in the town of  Kakunodate, which, beside the loss of its samurai stronghold, remains remarkably unchanged since its founding in 1620 and is home to the exclusive chalet of Kakunodate Sanso Wabizakura ryokan. This hot spring inn provides guests with a relaxing and rejuvinating retreat from daily life as well as a nostalgic view into Japan’s past. Each of the ten rooms is uniqely decorated in some elegant combination of Japanese and Western influences and features a private, free-flowing hot spring spa and terrace with both tatami and living room areas. The suites include Japanese style futons or western beds. The interior of the 200 year old main building is fitted with antique furniture from the esteemed Aoyagi Samurai Clan and the exterior’s star feature is its rustic thatched roof. The inn also houses a bar lounge, massage and oil treatment centre, and star-gazing deck from which guests can stare up in wonder at Kadoya’s famously clear skies. Boasting a two Michelin star chef, the restaurant serves delicious, organic multi-course meals in the manner customary of Japan’s haute-cuisine, Kaiseki. Guests staying at the inn receive complimentary tickets to the nearby Aoyagi Samurai Manor Museum and only need drive ten minutes to arrive at the local samurai village and samurai street.

Founded on the philosophies of rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation, Ginzan Hot Spring Fujiya is the ideal retreat for anyone in search of ‘quiet time.’ The hotel blends modern design and traditional Japanese aesthetics as imagined by architect Kengo Kuma; its layered bamboo screens, textured paper screens, and many stained-glass windows bestow the space with an ethereal quality that emanates through every room and fills anyone who stays here, leaving them with a renewed and heightened sense of wellbeing in body and mind. The three-story all wooden inn simply houses eight guest rooms, and this is what allows every stay here to be so special: the small size and host’s meticulous adherence to Japanese inn-keeping traditions ensure an intimate but never intrusive experience. Moreover, the hostess has gained celebrity status in Japan because of her practice of the traditional Japanese art of hospitality: she can anticipate and meet guests’ needs before they are even aware of them themselves. All fed by the area’s famous Ginzan onsen, the hotel contains five private natural hot spring baths, one of which is on the roof and affords spectacular views of the serene and beautiful surroundings. The dishes served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner are traditional Japanese cuisine prepared with fresh, seasonal ingredients and the café brews three blends of coffee beans.

Set amongst the peaks of one of Japan’s most renowned mountain and ski destinations, Le Vert Zao offers both easy access to adventure trails all year round and luxurious comfort to return to after a long day of skiing or hiking. The hotel houses Japanese and Western style rooms featuring all the modern amenities required and decorated with the art of the late modern artist Taro Okamoto. Another elegantly decorated space is the hotel’s restaurant which serves locally sourced ingredients such as rainbow trout, Yamagata beef, and local rice to be enjoyed by guests as they sit facing out to the mountain slopes. Breakfasts are either Western or Japanese by request. After highly active days, visitors are able to relax with a soak in the hotel’s private or communal natural hot spring baths open 24 hours a day. With ski equipment hire available on site, the hotel is a short walk to the town’s ski resort, renowned for its vast scale and “Ice (or Snow) Monsters,” surreal looking trees coated with ice and snow. It is also conveniently located just seven minutes from the Zao Onsen Bus Terminal, which is served by buses from Yamagata Station, ten minutes from Sanroku ropeway station, and a 20 minute drive from Yamagata Wild Grass Park.

Travellers who like to end days of exhilarating activity in commune with nature by unwinding in luxury rooms and a bathe in a hot spring should make their way to GranDeco Resort, Fukushima. High upon the verdant peaks of the Bandai-asahi National Park in the Tohoku Region, the hotel is the perfect homebase for exploring the nearby famous Mt. Bandai, visiting Lake Inawashiro (Japan’s 4th largest lake), or carving through powder snow. The hotel’s range of 104 rooms is diverse enough to accommodate any need, with a choice of tatami mats/futons or Western beds and space enough for two to six people. Every guest is able to admire the mountains they’ve conquered from their balcony and those with the superior, luxury, or suite rooms can even do so from their bathtub. The hotel also houses three restaurants serving Western (Clair), Japanese (Azuma), and Teppanyaki (Karamatsu) menus, a lounge, bar, conference and meeting rooms, banquet hall, swimming pool with Jacuzzi, and sauna. “Green Harmony” reflexology treatments are available at request as a great means of relaxation and skiiing, snowboarding, all-season hiking, snowshoe tours, and cross country skiiing trails are all accessible via the gondola lift and four quad lifts ascending to 1,590 meters (5,216ft) above sea-level.

To repose in steaming waters surrounded by cherry blossom, fresh greens, orange and red leaves, or snowy landscapes depending on the season is the luxurious comfort on offer at Onsen Ryokan Harataki. Located in the historical hot spring village of “Higashiyama Onsen” in the Aizu Region, Fukushima Prefecture, the traditional Japanese inn is one of the few hot spring inns in the area with a private spring source. Authenticity is key here as guests can enjoy Japanese cuisines at the indoor or outdoor dining spots, which serve freshly sourced ingredients and locally brewed sake in earshot of the neighboring gorge’s waters. The refined and minimalistic accomodation includes Japanese style rooms with tatami mat/futon and Western style rooms. Bathing in their room’s private bath with a panoramic view of the gorge outside, visitors can relax their body and soul before heading to explore the many popular historical sites in Aizu-Wakamatsu City such as Bukeyashiki (samurai residences), Nisshinkan, and Oyaku-en. Sake brewery tours and the sublime landscapes of Lake Inawashiro, Urabandai, Ouchijuku, and Nishiaizu further afield are also highly recommended.