Hoshinoya Tokyo
A MODERN RYOKAN EXPERIENCE
Thermal water is directly pumped up from a naturally occurring hot spring, 1500m beneath the building's foundation, up to the open-air bath situated on the penthouse floor. Towering over two-storeys high in dark terracotta cladding, it bewilders and invites. Rainy evenings were special occasions: looking up, the pitter-patter of rainwater in stark contrast to the pool of thermal water reinvigorates and delights. After long wanders and tiring days, a nightly visit to the onsen became an eagerly and almost religiously awaited ritual.
What was a week-long stay felt relatively short. From the moment we arrived, we were served authentic omotenashi hospitality: the Japanese concept of anticipating the needs of a guest and acting without being asked to do so. Hoshinoya Tokyo deliberately indulges with carefully restrained splendour with subdued quietude. So much so that we easily forgot at times that we were in the heart of a bustling and vibrant metropolis as intended.