Cover The Tokyo Edition, Toranomon commands the best views of the iconic Tokyo Tower

Legendary hotelier and brand creator Ian Schrager gives inside access to The Tokyo Edition, Toranomon in one of Japan’s bustling districts

The moment one sets foot at The Tokyo Edition, Toranomon, the seamless balance between the refined, simple approach of Japan’s culture and the luxury hotel’s desire to go out of the box and create something entirely new, instantly unfolds. A dream-team collaboration between Marriott International, Ian Schrager and Mori Trust, led by its brilliant president and CEO, Miwako Date, the hotel reverberates Tokyo’s full essence in a glimpse without having to leave the premises.

“We wanted to build the hotel in Toranomon with the elegance and simplicity that can be seen everywhere in Japan, but without the clichés. The hotel relies on a pure and simple restrained aesthetic—it really is an East meets West experience,” says Schrager, founder of his namesake company that brought to existence some of the world’s most prominent hotel and property brands, and one of the proponents of The Tokyo Edition, Toronamon. 

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Above Ian Schrager; Biophilic design is incorporated in the modern lobby bar

A true bespoke haven that blends the best of the East and West, The Tokyo Edition, Toranomon is a design collaboration between Schrager and Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.

The urban resort features a soaring public space inspired by Buddhist temples: their structure, purpose and organisation. There is an inviting central courtyard designed as a venue to come together and interact. A 450-foot two-storey lobby serves as a centralised space that encourages communal and social interaction in all its forms. Dining, entertainment and other experiences, each uniquely different in look and feel, crystalise from the lobby in the same manner as the peripheral buildings do in a Buddhist temple.

Drawing inspiration from precious stones and rare elements such as sapphire, Japanese jade and gold, the restaurants, bars and entertainment areas are a cacophony of black, blue and jade hues. The rest of the spaces are dressed in natural materials like walnut, oak, bronze, travertine, glass and silk, juxtaposed with yamato-bari (a traditional Japanese wood cladding) and lush greenery. The result is an eclectic mix of elements that has a clear reverence to Japanese culture in the subtlest of ways. 

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As with all Edition hotels around the globe, lines blur between work and leisure. The 206-room hotel spans the upper levels of Tokyo World Gate, a new 38-storey mixed-use skyscraper. All 206 rooms, including 22 suites and several rooms with private terraces, offer unobstructed views of the Tokyo skyline and the absolute best views of the 1000-foot Tokyo Tower. Each room features a neutral colour palette of specially treated white oak and light grey, ivory and silver textiles that evoke quiet zen-like luxury and relaxation. Guests are in for a rejuvenating retreat at the tranquil spa, which offers healing and beauty treatments using products sourced and made in Japan; the 24-hour gym powered by Technogym; and the white-tiled lap swimming pool and Jacuzzi, both bathed in natural light from an edge-to-edge clerestory skylight window above. 

All 206 rooms, including 22 suites and several rooms with private terraces, offer unobstructed views of the Tokyo skyline and the absolute best views of the 1000-foot Tokyo Tower

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Above Japan’s traditional wood-panelling is incorporated in the suite’s interiors
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Above A muted palette is used in the Tower Suite to give emphasis on the sweeping vistas of Tokyo skyline

The restaurants are helmed by world-renowned, Michelin-starred chef Tom Aikens, who is known for his ability to execute a variety of different cuisines from around the world in the most creative and innovative ways. The Blue Room is a romantic all-day dining spot laced with luminescent sapphire and topaz coloured upholstery—reminiscent of a painting by Yves Klein—high ceiling and magnificent views of the city. The Jade Room serves a diverse, beautifully curated menu that gives a sense of Japan’s local flavours. Both restaurants offer private dining rooms. Outside The Jade Room is a garden terrace—an unexpected “Sky Garden” floating over 450 feet above street level, where guests are transported from the hustle of city life to a serene oasis. The garden highlights over 500 plants, trees and shrubs of 25 different exotic species including Asian bamboo, cherry laurels and birds of paradise—a magical spot that might just be the largest skyscraper garden in all of Tokyo.

Schrager’s love affair with the Japanese culture, design and way of life has influenced most of his works including this latest one in Tokyo. “It has had an overriding and profound impact on me. So, it was a great opportunity to build two hotels in Tokyo, one in Toranomon and one in Ginza,” the hotelier shares.

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Above The rooms and suites encapsulate both tradition and minimalism

The Tokyo Edition, Toranomon opened in October 2020 while The Tokyo Edition, Ginza is set to open in late 2021. And while international travel unprecedentedly paused in 2020, the optimistic Schrager sees no paradigm shift. “I believe that as long as there’s life, there will be travel. The adjustments that need to be made are only short-term. I think the services will have to be sensitive and we have to make sure that people feel safe; but I think on a long-term basis and I don’t see any profound change in the way we have been doing hotels up to now,” he says.

Seven Edition properties are set to open this year—in Reykjavik, Dubai, Tampa, Madrid, Rome, Riviera Maya and Ginza. And we just can’t wait to see them all.

Credits

Photography  

Nikolas Koenig