Amanemu Launches in Ise Shima National Park

Amanemu, a hot springs resort in Ise Shima National Park on the shores of Ago Bay, has opened in Japan. Designed by Singapore-based Kerry Hill Architects, which also designed the brand’s first property in the country, Aman Tokyo, Amanemu embodies a traditional ryokan aesthetic with each of the 24 suites and four two-bedroom villas featuring their own onsen, or hot spring bath. 

The resort adopts many traditional ryokan traditions, including architecture based on a contemporary interpretation of Japanese minka buildings, which incorporate low-slung tiled roofs and dark-stained Japanese cedar exterior walls. The winding driveway, which leads to a welcoming pavilion, is lined with maple and cherry trees, and sets the scene for the rest of the property, which is rich in greenery and Japanese foliage.

The warm interior spaces have been carefully crafted with light shades of Japanese timber. Each standalone suite features floor-to-ceiling windows with woven textile and timber sliding shutters, allowing for unobstructed views of the national park that surrounds the resort. Custom furniture ensures harmony with the architecture, and includes white oak coffee tables, and upholstery in neutral tones.

The bathrooms follow the design of traditional Japanese baths, with charcoal colored basalt stone tiles that highlight the private bathing pool, as well as views of the suite’s private garden.

Throughout the resort hangs traditional Kumiko artwork developed in Japan in the Asuka era, and passed down through generations of craftsmen. In addition, the spa and villas feature unique pieces of artwork by Japanese artisan Genbei Yamaguchi, who hails from a family at the helm of making obi, or sashes, for more than 270 years in Kyoto.

The Aman Spa is a 21,527 square foot space that encompasses a large central onsen for communal bathing, plus two private spa pavilions each with an indoor and outdoor onsen. Other features include four treatment suites, a fitness center, Watsu suites, and an expansive glass-walled yoga studio with an outdoor deck overlooking a garden with a Tabunoki tree at its center.

The restaurant has a vaulted and coffered ceiling, and draws on the Japanese tradition of izakaya, or informal sharing. A team of 12 chefs is responsible for creating a menu that encompasses local ingredients, and changes daily.  

A sunken terrace of basalt stone in between the restaurant and bar features glass covered fireplaces, and a 108-foot freshwater infinity pool close by offers panoramic views of Ago Bay. 

Amanemu, which is located 186 miles southwest of Tokyo, offers access to Japan’s most sacred Shinto shrine, Ise Grand Shrine, as well as the Kumano Kodo, a series of seven ancient pilgrimage routes that converge at the heart of the Kii Mountains. The resort has developed hiking trails that will lead guests through parts of the Kumano Kodo. It also offers access to the Nemu Golf Club, an 18-hole championship golf course overlooking Ago Bay.