In an unassuming residential neighbourhood on the outskirts of central Tokyo, find Auberge TOKITO, an exceptional ryokan with a sophisticated twist.

The modern ryokan presents a contemporary take on Japanese aesthetics in an extraordinary setting focussed on the beauty of Japanese cuisine, tea, lodging and a very rare on-site natural hot spring sourced from directly below the property. The ryokan’s serene and enchanting interior design abundant in warm timber, copper and bronze details was overseen by Simplicity Design Studio helmed by Shinichiro Ogata — with no stone left unturned in enveloping and emotive design details. TOKITO’s essence also flourishes through its stellar kaiseki dining, a dedicated on-site tea salon and unparalleled omotenashi hospitality and care.

Led by Executive Chef-Producer Yoshinori Ishii and his team of hand-picked skilled culinary talent, Auberge TOKITO continues the thread of Chef Ishii’s pursuit of excellence in every facet of the guest experience. Through their dining, alongside General Manager Kenji Okawara, Head Chef Hiroki Hiyama and Head Pastry Chef Kanako Kuroiwa, the team’s poetically constructs a completely original cuisine and otherworldly atmosphere that can only be experienced at TOKITO.

The property is a sight to behold right from its traditional grand entrance. With a historic front gate that was retained and preserved from the land’s previous owner, the land’s rich history remains at the core of the new Auberge TOKITO. Some of the trees that were removed during the construction process were given new life as tableware — handcrafted plates and bowls — that retain their natural characteristics and even continue to ‘breath’ during the fluctuations of winter and summer temperatures.

Interwoven between a series of new minimalist buildings and roji (contemplative and cleansing) walkways, the entire grounds are interwoven within a tranquil garden of luscious greenery of native plants and trees.

Tokito, meaning ‘to fill one’s time with happiness’, reflects an ever-present eternal question for the modern world yet offers a space where the answer may actually be found.

At TOKITO, every element of the property reflects a conscious and responsible approach to wellness, true hospitality and luxury design through its curated details. Through the Japanese concept of meguru megumi, ‘appreciating the blessings of life and consuming without wasting the bounties of land and sea’, looking to the ethos of regenerative bounties across their dining and in-room guest experience.

With just four guest rooms on the property, each is generously expansive across 100sqm, featuring a private open-air bath and a dedicated massage room. The open-air bath is an exquisite experience, intimate and private, facing the guest room’s private outdoor garden. Utilising a pure kakenagashi hot spring source, the water is extracted directly from beneath the grounds, rich in minerals and health benefits. 

With dining at the heart of TOKITO, the skilled team of chefs forge a journey of Japanese cuisine that has never been encountered. Through an extraordinary depth of sourcing the finest produce through ongoing dialogues with farmers and fishermen, dining at TOKITO is unlike anywhere else. Along at 10-seater counter within a stunning interior, guests are figuratively whisked away to a world of pure magic in its most modest and pure sense.

TOKITO’s original cuisine captures the beauty of Japan’s seasons creating harmonious and spirited dishes. To chef Ishii, a memorable dining experience is as humble and pure as the chef himself, noting homemade house meals to tasting a raw Kujo-Negi (Traditional Kyoto giant Spring green onion) in the snow which ‘tasted as a ‘syrup of earth’.’

Hand-forged fine crafts and exquisite artworks feature throughout the entire property, many commissioned for TOKITO exclusively. Enlisting masterly Bizen potter and ceramic artist Kazuya Ishida for vessels and tableware found at TOKITO, Chef Ishii also creates his own pottery, hand-turned on-site in a small studio located within the hotel. The potter’s wheel sits in one corner alongside tubs of various clays and tools. Through instinct and intuition, Chef Ishii envisions and forms one-of-a-kind plates for his seasonal dishes.

As Chef-Producer, Ishii, alongside hospitality management group Tachihi — over the course of a year — developed TOKITO as a private, serene and exquisite urban luxury hotel that naturally leads with sustainable practices in all aspects throughout the design, experience and dining whilst extending to the neighbourhood and community. He explains, ‘In addition to proposing heartfelt service that is not bound by the methods of existing luxury restaurants and hotels, the chefs create a presence as a destination while developing the town for the entire Tachihi Group together with local people around us (all over Japan).’

The extraordinary story of Japanese chef Yoshinori Ishii and his illustrious 33-year culinary career began in Kyoto at the famed restaurant Kitcho, extending to London at UMU and continues in Nishi-Kunitachi at TOKITO today. From his time in London at UMU, a one-Michelin starred Japanese restaurant in the heart of Mayfair that he led to two Michelin stars by its fifth year (notably the first Japanese restaurant in Europe to receive the accolade), Ishii is also widely known as the pioneer of ikejime — a method of responsible preparation for immediately fresh-caught fish (through skilled immediate movement and puncture to the brain with a steel spike) that maintains their quality. The irrepressible chef’s uncompromising approach led him to directly teach the unique technique of ikejime to fisherman in the UK, sparking a nation-wide interest and moving the proverbial needle for the UK fish industry that started in Cornwall and reverberated across Europe through Portugal to Norway and worldwide.

The magic of TOKITO is incomparable. It encapsulates the highest form of beauty in Japan, across their original cuisine, purist spaces and extraordinary staff that express genuine care and warm hospitality for guests. One must visit Auberge TOKITO at least once in their lifetime, to truly experience the beauty of Japan and its current expression of immersive and sophisticated design paired with thoughtful cuisine through the lens of celebrated chef Yoshinori Ishii.

AUBERGE TOKITO
1 Chome-24-26 Nishikicho, Tachikawa,
Tokyo 190-0022

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Images: Champ Creative © and Auberge Tokito
Text: Editor-in-Chief Joanna Kawecki