Amanemu
Kerry Hill's minka-inspired Aman above Ago Bay, with a private hot-spring bath in each of its 24 suites and its villas.
- Neighbourhood
- Ago Bay, Ise-Shima National Park (Mie prefecture)
- Opened
- March 2016
- Design
- Kerry Hill Architects
Why we recommend it
Amanemu takes the three things a ryokan is built on, bathing, seasonal food and quiet, and sets them in a contemporary resort without imitation. Every suite has its own onsen, the spa has a communal onsen of its own, and the detail is specific to Japan: kumiko latticework, handcrafted timber screens and obi-inspired textile art.
The setting gives the stay its purpose. Ise-Shima is the home of Ise Jingu, the most sacred shrine of Shinto, and of the ama, the women who dive for shellfish in the bay; the resort arranges visits to both, along with hikes in the national park and cruises on the bay at sunset. Our guide to Ise-Shima, its shrine, its pearl divers and its hot-spring Aman sets out the region, and the article on Ise Jingu, the shrine rebuilt every twenty years explains its central monument.
To the south, the trails of Kumano lead into the mountains, and the two combine well in one journey. Within Japan, the natural companions are Aman Kyoto and Aman Tokyo.
Rooms & Suites
The 24 suites measure 99 square metres each and take their character from the simplicity of the minka; Aman names them Mori and Nagi according to their setting. Interiors are in timber, and each suite has a private onsen bath fed by the spring.
The villas have two bedrooms and extensive living space indoors and out, again with a private onsen, and are the choice for families or two couples travelling together.
Dining
The Restaurant serves Japanese cuisine alongside a short selection of international dishes, in a room that looks across the forest to the bay. The kitchen, led as of 2026 by the Japanese cuisine chef Katsutoshi Kitahara, is built on the produce of Ise-Shima: Matsusaka wagyu, and spiny lobster and abalone from Ago Bay. A signature breakfast is presented in a white wooden box, in reference to the food offerings made at Ise Jingu.
The Lounge, beside the swimming pool, has a sunken terrace for watching the sun go down over the water, with Japanese craft beers and cocktails made from regional fruits and herbs. Sake and Mie tea tastings are arranged on request. For the regional table beyond the resort, see what to eat in Ise, from spiny lobster to tekonezushi.
Design
Kerry Hill designed Amanemu as a group of low pavilions modelled on the minka, with walls of dark-stained cedar and timber interiors, set along the hillside so that each looks over the bay. The effect is of Japanese vernacular building reduced to its lines. Our profile of Kerry Hill, the architect who gave Asian resorts their roofs places the project in his career, and the report on the opening of Amanemu describes the resort as built.
Wellness & Spa
The Aman Spa covers some 2,000 square metres and is organised around a communal onsen, in a tradition of bathing in mineral springs that Aman traces to the sixth century. Treatment suites combine the spring water with kampo, Japanese herbal medicine, and there is a relaxation space. A 33-metre infinity pool overlooks Ago Bay.
Location
The resort stands above Ago Bay in Ise-Shima National Park, Mie prefecture, on the Pacific side of central Japan. From Tokyo the journey is 1 hour 40 minutes by Shinkansen to Nagoya, then about 2 hours 20 minutes by train or car. Chubu Centrair, the international airport of Nagoya, is about three hours away by train, or 35 minutes by helicopter.
Ise Jingu is in the same region. Along the coast, OKYTO covers meeting the ama divers of Toba and the story of Toba and Ago Bay, where the cultured pearl was born.
- Address
- 2165 Hazako Hamajima-cho, Shima-shi, Mie 517-0403, Japan
- Website
- Official website