Janu — Aman’s new spin-off brand launches in Tokyo

What’s the buzz? Thirty-seven years ago, Indonesian hotelier Adrian Zecha was walking along a beach in Phuket when he stumbled across an abandoned coconut grove. He had been looking for somewhere to build a holiday home but instead decided it would be perfect for a small hotel, a kind of international version of a Japanese ryokan, or traditional inn. It opened in 1988 as the first Aman resort, and while the brand grew steadily (by 2000 it had 10 locations) its influence was far greater. The exquisitely designed yet intimate resorts, often in remote settings and typically with fewer than 40 rooms, changed perceptions of luxury and won dedicated fans (the so-called Amanjunkies) who would travel the world to seek them out.

Now owned by Russian-born real estate developer Vladislav Doronin, Aman is launching a spin-off brand, Janu, with larger properties aimed at a younger, hipper clientele than the secluded retreats of old. The first, which opened in March, is in Tokyo’s Azabudai Hills, a “modern urban village” of flower-filled walkways (designed by London-based Heatherwick Studio) and designer boutiques set around three new skyscrapers, one of them the tallest in Japan.

Janu commands the lowest 13 floors in a tower next door and its five-storey Wellness Centre — including seven treatment rooms, a boxing-ring, a 25-metre pool and two spa houses — surely sets the standard now for Tokyo. Where small, out-of-the-way Amans used to feature just one restaurant, maybe two, Janu has eight places in which to eat or drink.

Though there are already plans for a dozen Janu properties, from Montenegro to the Maldives — with three in the United Arab Emirates and one in Saudi Arabia — the next is not due to open until 2027. So this is your first chance to decide whether you wish to become a Janujunkie.

Location, location, location: Janu is about an eight-minute walk from the nearest subway station, Kamiyacho, but the strength — and challenge — of Azabudai Hills is that you don’t really feel you’re in Japan at all. Amid the huge Hermès and Dior outlets, with roughly 50 per cent of the faces you see foreign and an international school in the complex, you could easily feel you’re in some sleek planetary Beverly Hills.

(If you want to sample a more classic version of Japan, you may be better off in a traditional tatami-mat inn — or at Aman Tokyo, in the centre of town, listening to a kimonoed koto player in the atrium lobby designed to resemble the inside of a paper lantern.)

Checking in: I was met at the exit of the bullet train in Tokyo Station, whisked into a dark SUV and presented not just with cartons of water, but with wrapped matcha raspberry and black sesame chocolates to enjoy on the 20-minute ride. The service throughout the property blends the sweet attentiveness and seamless efficiency you’d expect in Japan with a more friendly and informal vibe imported by staff from countries including Mexico, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal and the US.

The first time I went to the fitness centre, a jovial attendant from Havana found the perfect shoes for me after I realised I’d left mine at home, and then a kind Japanese woman hurried up with water as I was walking the treadmill.

The rooms are huge by Japanese standards — larger than the apartment in which I’ve lived here for 31 years — and the private balconies enjoyed by 90 per cent of them increase the sense of light and space. The long, hushed corridors and the subdued minimalism of the decor remind you you’re in an Aman-group property, and even with 122 rooms the silence remains impeccable.

There are walk-in rainforest showers and minibars in which every item is free, plus connecting rooms that mean kids — and nannies — can be easily accommodated too.

What about the food? My Kyoto-born wife fell in love with the Japanese breakfast at the Janu Grill, while I was relishing my first taste ever of matcha pancakes. The Italian and Chinese restaurants are busy spaces open to the general public, and I enjoyed some excellent pork amid the loud red decor of the latter. At the 10-course omakase served at Sumi — one of two very intimate Japanese restaurants — we enjoyed a simmered dish, a grilled dish, soba and sashimi. I never dreamt I’d end such a meal eating strawberry ice cream tucked into Camembert cheese while the Tokyo Tower shone in cherry-blossom colours right behind me.

What to do? Janu is not an ideal site for sampling Tokyo since it’s much farther from most of the sights than many of its competitors. There’s plenty to do around the 150 shops and restaurants of Azabudai Hills, however, and the hotel seems to be made for lounging around the huge, light-filled indoor pool area, engaging in some of the yoga and meditation classes offered every day and maybe practising Muay Thai, or enjoying the golf simulation room and spinning studio.

A classic Aman used to feature a library, as if you were staying in a refined friend’s country home; Janu features two Aman-branded shops, and doors that open on to a shopping mall, as if to speak for its very different, 21st-century priorities.

Other guests? Fashionistas, young international couples and people draped in Vuitton.

The damage: Double rooms start from about ¥164,850 (£834) per night, including breakfast — hardly a bargain, but then the Aman Tokyo would cost almost as much again.

Pico Iyer was a guest of Janu Tokyo (janu.com)

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