Ito is to Tokyo what Brighton is to London: a weekend seaside retreat within striking distance of the capital. Where Brighton offers the murky English Channel, walks along the pier and sticks of Rock, Ito boasts the sparkling Pacific, hot springs and spectacular sushi.
The Anjin, which is the latest offering by KAI, a chain of contemporary luxury hot spring ryokan operated by Japanese hotelier Hoshinoya, makes the most of Ito’s appeal, with 45 suites each opening onto panoramic sea views. Perhaps in a nod to its namesake, the 16th century British navigator, ship-builder and samurai, William Adams (known in Japan as Miura Anjin), the tatami mats and futons you’d associate with a ryokan have been replaced by queen-sized mattresses and seagrass rugs, though other traditional offerings, like the indoor/outdoor onsen on the roof and a full kaiseki dining experience, are retained.
Art pieces made of reclaimed wood lend the hotel a subtly nautical suggestion and like the interiors are the work of Tokyo design studio, Super Potato. Best known for its ongoing 30-year collaboration with home minimalists, Muji, the Anjin showcases studio founder Takashi Sugimoto’s preference for simple colours and the manipulation of contrasting textures and light, to create drama.
ADDRESS
5-12 Nagisa-cho
Ito City
Shizuoka
-
The modernist home of musician Imogen Holst gets Grade II listingThe daughter of the composer Gustav Holst lived here from 1964 until her death, during which time the home served a locus for her own composition work, which included assisting Benjamin Britten
-
This fun and free-spirited photography exhibition offers a chromatic view on the world‘Chromotherapia’ at Villa Medici in Rome, explores how we view colour as a way of therapy, and how it has shaped photography over the last century (until 9 June 2025)
-
Bike maker Canyon goes custom with a new service offering unique artist-designed framesMyCanyon is a new design service from the German racing bike specialists, with contributions from artists Elena Salmistraro and Felipe Pantone and bespoke technical specifications
-
All aboard the world’s most luxurious train journeysStay on track with our pick of the most luxurious train journeys around the world, whether in 1920s-style opulence or contemporary chic
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Hoshino Resorts KAI Akiu: a soothing onsen hotelIn Japan’s bucolic northeast, Hoshino Resorts KAI Akiu breathes new life into a sleepy hot spring village without betraying its ancient roots
-
Shake off the winter chill at these design-led onsen hotels in JapanWhether you’re heading to the mountains of Hokkaido or the alleys of Kyoto’s Gion district, these immaculately designed onsen hotels will keep the shivers at bay
-
The new hotels you’ll want to stay at in 2025Where to stay in 2025? Let six of the most-read-about hotel openings of the past 12 months inspire your escape – from a tiny Tokyo bolthole to a Tanzanian safari retreat
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this yearFrom the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025
-
The most whimsical hotel Christmas trees around the worldWe round up the best hotel Christmas tree collaborations of the year, from an abstract take in Madrid to a heritage-rooted installation in Amsterdam
-
Six brilliant bars for your 2025 celebrations, hot off the Wallpaper* travel deskWallpaper’s most-read bar reviews of the year can't be wrong: here’s inspiration for your festive and new year plans, from a swanky Las Vegas lounge to a minimalist London drinking den
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Yoruya, a Japanese inn where less is always moreYoruya, which transforms a 110-year-old former kimono merchant shopfront and residence in Kurashiki, is an exercise in graceful restraint and craft
