Amanemu: an ultra-luxury onsen retreat in Japan's Ise-Shima National Park

The Japanese portfolio of luxury hotel brand Aman is full of head-turners – from the sleek, sky-brushing minimalism of Aman Tokyo, perched high above the city's electric bustle, to the hushed, lantern-lit elegance of its Kyoto sibling, resting in secret, moss-laden gardens.

But it's Amanemu – a quieter, lesser-known retreat tucked deep into the pine-cloaked hills of Ise Shima National Park, near Nagoya – that feels like Aman's most heartfelt love letter to Japan, and perhaps even its best-kept secret.

True to its name – meaning "peaceful joy" – the hotel's design is a contemporary ode to Japan's traditional ryokan inns. Soaring timber ceilings and pale wood panels bask in natural light, with low-slung beds, tatami-inspired accents and minimal furnishings amplifying the tranquil vibes.

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Yet Amanemu's setting is as sacred as it is serene. Just a short drive from Ise-Jingu – the holiest Shinto shrine in Japan – and the ancient pilgrimage trails of Kumano Kodo, the resort sits at the heart of a region teeming with spiritual significance.

For centuries, travellers have journeyed to the area's forested hills to seek renewal, their footsteps tracing paths through pine-draped ridges and cedar groves to shrines on the glinting, oyster-dotted waters of Ago Bay.

At Amanemu, a four-hour, two-train journey from Tokyo or a 25-minute helicopter hop from Chubu Centrair International Airport, that sense of pilgrimage continues – albeit with a hearty layers of luxury.

Why stay here?

Aman has always been more than just a hotel brand; it’s a lifestyle whispered about in the hush-hush corridors of the celebrity elite. Since its humble beginnings as a single villa in Phuket in the 1980s, it can count Bill Gates, David Beckham and the Kardashians among its devoted celebrity fans.

These days, you'll find Aman's name lighting up city skylines in New York and Tokyo, or attached to upcoming picture-perfect resorts in the Maldives and Dubai.

But Amanemu – perched quietly in Japan's Mie Prefecture – represents the brand in its truest form: a focus on off-the-beaten-track beauty, seemingly magical service and spacious, understated design that draws you deeply into the spirit of the local area.

The rooms

Amanemu's 24 suites and villas – designed by the late Kerry Hill and channelling a modern ryokan vibe – are scattered across the hillside, their verandas peeking out over manicured gardens and spectacular views of Ago Bay.

In our Nagi Suite, soaring timber ceilings create a generous sense of space, while blonde wood panelling, woven shutters and sleek, black stone details bring the design into harmony with its natural surroundings.

Blurring the line between inside and out, traditional screens ease open to drench the space in soft, golden light, while low-slung furniture keeps the focus on the tranquil landscape beyond.

Dark stone bathrooms feature deep onsen baths that pull steaming, mineral-rich water straight from the nearby hot springs. A soak here, as the evening light filters through the screens, feels more like a ritual than a routine.

Service, as you'd expect from Aman, is deeply intuitive. Yukata pyjamas appear neatly folded after turndown, along with thoughtful nightly pillow gifts. The minibar – stocked with complimentary soft drinks and crisp, savoury cookies – is a welcome touch, while heated floors keep toes toasty on cooler mornings.

Eating and drinking

Beneath a high, ribbed ceiling sits Amanemu's thickly carpeted main dining room, cocooned by walls of fragrant hinoki wood, and flooded with light from the sweeping glass windows that frame stellar views of Ago Bay.

Chef Katsutoshi Kitahara's menu is a celebration of the region's seasonal bounty. Delicate sashimi features spiny local lobster and tender abalone, while Matsusaka Wagyu beef is served in salt-baked crusts, finely sliced sashimi and steaming bowls of dan dan noodles. The signature truffle soba is a pile of silky noodles, topped with a delicate quail egg, which collapses at the slightest nudge to coat everything in a rich, golden gloss.

If you're after something more casual, the restaurant also offers bubbling hot pots, and an extensive nigiri selection that's a particular favourite with Asian guests. There's even a dedicated vegan menu – a surprising find in this famously carnivorous corner of the world – and, for the less adventurous, a selection of Italian pastas and sandwiches.

Breakfast (included with all room rates) is served in the cosy poolside lounge, just across the hotel's main pavilion, where morning sunlight glimmers off the water. The four-page menu caters to all tastes but the Japanese breakfast set is a highlight, featuring a platter of fresh sashimi, rolled omelette, tofu, congee, miso soup and assorted appetisers. Too relaxed to leave your room? They'll happily deliver it for a small fee.

As day turns to evening, the lounge transforms into a lively but refined gathering spot. Here, you can sip Japanese craft beers or house cocktails infused with regional fruits and herbs – the perfect cap to a day exploring Amanemu and its serene surroundings.

The spa

It's worth checking into Amanemu for the spa alone. Sprawling across 2,000 square metres and rooted in Japan's sixth-century onsen tradition, the space – with its shallow, stone-lined outdoor baths – feels like a sanctuary within a sanctuary.

Low timber-framed pavilions encircle a steaming thermal spring garden, where daybeds lie under open-latticed cabanas, exposed to the crisp mountain air.

The spa treatments draw on kampo, Japan's herbal healing discipline rooted in Chinese medicine, with expertly blended formulations using seaweed, pearl powder, and seasonal herbs to rebalance body and mind.

And, in the Aqua Movement Suite, there are water-based therapies that float you gently back to equilibrium, as well as a a dry sauna and steam room, to elevate the overall experience.

Things to do

Beyond the resort's steaming onsen baths and sprawling grounds – which can be explored on bicycles borrowed from reception – there's plenty to see and do in the local area.

Ago Bay is the heartland of Japan's legendary ama divers – generations of fearless women who, for thousands of years, have held their breath and plunged to the seabed in search of scallops, abalone, sea urchins and sea snails. Amanemu offers a rare insight on this vanishing world, with the concierge able to line up private lunches or barbecues with an ama in a hut on the water's edge, where fresh catches sizzle over open flames.

A short drive away is Ise Jingu, the most revered Shinto shrine. Accompanied by an expert local guide, guests can explore the tranquil grounds, which are ritually rebuilt every 20 years to embody the impermanence and renewal at the heart of this belief system.

After a two-hour tour around the inner and outer shrines, you can meander among the charmingly old-world, timbered shopfronts and lantern-lit alleys of nearby Oharai Machi and Okage Yokocho. Here, fragrant food stalls offer sizzling meat skewers and plump flavoured mochi balls, while artisans craft wares using techniques honed and handed down through generations.

Other activity options include teeing off at nearby golf clubs, hiking through local woodlands, and kayaking or fishing on Ago Bay – all can be easily arranged with a quick call to the hotel's concierge.

The verdict

Amanemu is a place where the world quietly slips out of focus, but the luxuries never do. The gentle rustle of pine trees swaying in the breeze, the soft curl of steam rising from hot natural springs, the golden glow of the sun slipping into Ago Bay all combine to create a meditative bliss.

It's the kind of peace you don't realise you've been craving until you're here: a moment to pause, exhale and leave the outside world waiting a little longer.

Scott was a guest of Amanemu. Rooms start from $1350 (about £1080) a night, based on double occupancy and including taxes, daily breakfast and transportation from Kashikojima station.