The luxury Japan travel guide

Best for: Kyoto honeymoon

26 pavilion-style rooms in a secret forest garden north of the city — the calmest luxury address in Kyoto and the strongest fit for a honeymoon that doesn't want tour buses.

Avoid if: You want to walk to Gion each night.

Best for: Design-led Tokyo base

Kerry Hill's tower of washi paper and volcanic stone above Otemachi — the quietest luxury hotel in central Tokyo with the city's most restrained arrival.

Avoid if: You want Shibuya or Ginza on your doorstep.

Best for: Ginza-adjacent glamour

Top eight floors of the Yaesu tower above Tokyo Station — Antonio Citterio interiors, the Bulgari spa, and Il Ristorante by Niko Romito.

Avoid if: You prefer the calm of Otemachi to the buzz of Ginza.

Best for: Traditional immersion

Boat-access ryokan on the Oi River in Arashiyama — 25 rooms in restored merchants' houses, resident tea master and kaiseki dining.

Avoid if: You need to be walking distance to central Kyoto.

Best for: Onsen + wellness

24 suites and 4 villas above Ago Bay — private mineral-spring onsen in every room, the strongest wellness programme of any Aman in Japan.

Avoid if: You want city access — Amanemu is deliberately remote.

Best for: First Kyoto luxury stay

Kamogawa River setting with 134 rooms — the most polished big-brand base in Kyoto, with walking access to Gion and the Higashiyama temples.

Avoid if: You want a boutique, ryokan-scale feel.

Best for: Onsen escape from Tokyo

77 pavilion rooms along a mountain stream 70 minutes from Tokyo by Shinkansen — the classic urban-luxury onsen pairing.

Avoid if: You want a shorter transfer or ryokan-scale intimacy.

Best for: New-generation Tokyo design

Aman's sister brand — 122 rooms in Azabudai Hills with a 4,000sqm wellness floor, seven restaurants and Tokyo's most ambitious new hotel opening since Aman itself.

Avoid if: You want the compact intimacy of a small ryokan.