Janu Tokyo

Winner of the 2024 Tatler Best of Asia "Best New Hotel" award

Whispers of the debut of Aman’s sibling brand, Janu, have been on the lips of travel editors and Amanjunkies for years. When Janu Tokyo opened in March 2024, in Tokyo’s Azabudai Hills, a new sustainable urban village just steps from Roppongi and Toranomon Hills, it was the most highly anticipated hotel opening of the year.

Janu offers the same level of comfort, service and design sensibility found in Aman properties, but with a playful spirit—providing a more lively, less secluded luxury hotel experience. While many Aman properties are designed to ensure interaction with other guests is minimal, if not non-existent, Janu places an emphasis on  community, an approach it calls “social wellness”.

The design is the work of Malaysia-based firm Denniston, under the leadership of Jean-Michel Gathy—who has worked on many Aman properties, including in Venice and New York—with spaces throughout the hotel fashioned to foster connection. Like the convivial, 12-seat counter at Janu Bar, where signature cocktails take inspiration from Tokyo neighbourhoods—a delicate blend of matcha, rose and orchid milk, for example, represents Kagurazaka, once a bustling geisha district. Janu Lounge is always abuzz with people lingering over afternoon tea and champagne, many of whom relocate to the lush outdoor terrace on sunny days. 

The hotel also houses a mammoth, 43,000 sq ft wellness centre, which features a 25-metre indoor pool, one of Tokyo’s largest gyms and five movement studios, including a boxing ring. It also takes inspiration from ancient communal wellness rituals found around the world, with a series of bathing spaces including Russian banya, Turkish hammam and two private bath houses with hot and cold plunge pools.

Should your social battery run out, Janu Tokyo’s rooms and suites are wonderful to retreat to. Most come with a private balcony with views of either the city skyline or the surrounding greenery. The Janu Suite is the hotel’s largest at 3,000 sq ft, with spectacular views—including of Tokyo Tower—and features a residential-style layout with two large balconies, a dining table that can accommodate up to six guests and a gigantic bathtub.

Tatler Tip

Of Janu’s eight restaurants, we loved Sumi, where guests are seated around an open kitchen to enjoy a modern take on sumibiyaki, where organic, seasonal ingredients are cooked over charcoal.