Amanemu

Amanemu sits on a forested ridge in Ise-Shima National Park, looking down over Ago Bay and the rafts of the pearl farms that have worked these waters for more than a century. Aman built it low and long in the manner of a minka farmhouse, with wide eaves, dark timber and grey slate, so the buildings read as part of the hillside rather than an intrusion on it.

The twenty-four suites and a handful of larger villas each have a private onsen bath on a decked terrace, filled from the local hot spring. The spa is the resort's centrepiece, with thermal bathing pavilions, watsu and treatment programmes that run over several days for guests who want a structured stay.

Ise-Shima is a serious food region, and the kitchen leans on it: Ise lobster, abalone taken by the ama free-divers who still work the coast, and Matsusaka beef from just inland. The Grand Shrine at Ise, the most sacred site in Shinto, is a short drive north and easily arranged as a guided morning.