Aman Tokyo vs Aman Kyoto: Which to Book

They are Aman's two great Japanese icons, and travellers often ask which to choose. The honest answer is that they are completely different experiences, an urban sanctuary in the sky and a hidden forest garden, and most people who can, do both. But if you must choose, here is how they compare.

Aman Tokyo sits on the top floors of the Otemachi Tower above the Imperial Palace gardens: the highest onsen hotel in the city, a 30-metre pool, generous shoji-screened rooms, the Musashi omakase counter, and sweeping views over the world's largest metropolis. It is Tokyo turned into a private retreat, close to the business district, Ginza and the Palace, and it makes the perfect first and last stop on a Japan trip.

Aman Kyoto could not be more different. Hidden in a secret garden within a forest, a stone's throw from Kinkaku-ji and sixteen UNESCO World Heritage Sites, it is all pavilions, moss and water, with private onsen and kaiseki at Taka-An. Where Tokyo gives you the city at your feet, Kyoto gives you silence, nature and the temples of Japan's most beautiful city.

Choose Aman Tokyo if you want the energy and access of the capital with a serene base above it, and if it is your first time in Japan. Choose Aman Kyoto if you are drawn to gardens, temples and quiet, or want the most otherworldly stay in the country. Better still, do both, two or three nights each, linked by a two-hour-and-fifteen-minute bullet-train ride, which is exactly the journey we recommend in our guide to the best Aman resorts in Japan.