Aman Tokyo

Aman's first city hotel takes the upper six floors of the Otemachi Tower, directly north of the Imperial Palace gardens. The arrival is the point: a lift opens onto a lobby thirty metres high, wrapped in washi paper and dark timber, built around a reflecting pool and a single stone garden, with plate glass looking out over the moat and, on clear winter days, Mount Fuji.

The eighty-four rooms and suites are among the largest in Tokyo, laid out with engawa-style window seats, deep stone bathtubs and shoji-inspired screens. The spa runs across two floors and includes a thirty-metre pool that faces the city through floor-to-ceiling glass, plus Japanese bathing suites and a banya-style thermal room.

Downstairs are the restaurants Musashi-by-Aman, an eight-seat sushi counter, and Arva for Italian cooking, and the hotel has one of Tokyo's better cocktail bars. Otemachi puts Nihonbashi, Ginza and Tokyo Station all within walking distance, and the palace gardens are directly across the road.