Since taking over the stewardship of the Aman hotel group, Vladislav Doronin (W*193) has proven to be every bit as canny as Adrian Zecha, the visionary hotelier who launched the first Aman in 1988. Choosing to open the group’s debut Japanese property in downtown Tokyo – an already heavily saturated market – was a calculated risk, but it’s a foolhardy punter who bets against the Aman’s pulling power, much less one as gorgeously austere as the 84-room Aman Tokyo. Designed by Kerry Hill Architects, a long-time Aman collaborator, the hotel occupies the top six, light-washed floors of the 38-storey Otemachi Tower, resplendent in a palette of blonde-hued camphor wood, layers of washi paper, shoji screens and bathrooms with deep ofuro tubs. Needless to say, the views of the city from this height are impressive. But there’s more to see on the ground floor: a café that opens on to the lush greenery of the Otemachi Forest. Its sumptuous afternoon teas – delicate pastries served in bento boxes alongside sparkling sake created by Masumi – attract long queues. Alternatively, hightail it back up to the 2,500 sq m spa for a shiatsu with herbs and mineral salts.

Otemachi Tower, 1-5-6 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, aman.com, Rates: from ¥95,000 ($792)