Greenery, community, artistry: Trunk Hotel Yoyogi Park makes you see Tokyo in a different light

The air was a bracing eight degrees Celsius on a winter’s day in January, a stark contrast to the steaming waters I was soaking in at the rooftop Jacuzzi.

As I leaned against the edge of the pool, I could see the shadowy outlines of trees in the Yoyogi Park directly opposite. In the distance twinkled the mini light squares of the NHK Broadcasting Center. It was hard to believe that just a 15-minute stroll away was heady Shibuya, where I had been shopping earlier that day and feeling overwhelmed by the incessant crowds, traffic and chatter.

This was the magic of Trunk Hotel Yoyogi Park, the latest opening by the Tokyo-based Trunk brand in a lesser-known neighbourhood known as Oku-Shibuya (Inner Shibuya). It has two other properties whose designs are informed by their locations: Trunk (House), a one-room former geisha house in Tokyo’s “Little Paris” Kagaruzaka, and Trunk (Hotel) Cat Street, an art-flecked 15-roomer with a vibey lobby that doubles up as a co-working space.

The seven-storey Yoyogi Park hotel’s concrete facade, with plants drooping over the balconies, blended so well with its surroundings that I almost missed the entrance, not least because it was a nondescript side door that slid silently open when you press the doorbell or tap with a key card. Obviously, guest privacy was zealously guarded here: Outsiders have no access to the rooftop pool club where there is a lounge, heated pool and Jacuzzi. The only company you’ll have is your “tribe”; the kind that values recharge and relaxation as much as the buzz of the city.

Yet the Inner Shibuya charm still wafts through. Surrounding the hotel is a plethora of quaint cafes, cool bars, unique restaurants, bookshops, art galleries and even public baths — all summarised into a nifty pocket-sized map for guests to bring around. The hotel’s only restaurant, the ground floor Pizzeria e Trattoria L’Ombelico is family-friendly, pet-friendly, and mostly filled with locals. The menu is an Italian roll call of classics done right, namely wood-fired, Neapolitan-style pizzas whose cheeses bubble and tomatoes tease your tongue with their sweet tang, and perfectly al dente pastas with clingy sauces. The lunch sets were the best deals, winning even at the appetisers, which were tiny but mighty on flavours. Breezy Italian wines and beers, including a Yoyogi Amber Ale from a microbrewery down the road, add to the convivial air.

On a clear sunny day, the best place for breakfast is at the sixth-floor pool club, just because blues segueing into park greens makes plates of delicious eggs Benedict, pancakes drizzled with maple syrup and pecans, and local mushrooms taste even better. Later in the day, tuck into oysters, seafood platters and cocktails.

Just like its sibling properties, Trunk Hotel Yoyogi Park is studded with local craftsmanship. From furnishings to art pieces (some of which are for sale), the seamless interplay of textures, nature and natural light create a warm atmosphere of a museum-home.

Japanese architect and designer Keiji Ashizawa, who is known for his practical forms and impeccable conveyance of homely joys in the smallest details, helmed the hotel’s architecture and teamed up with Danish design studio Norm Architects on the interiors.

The 20 rooms and five suites are gently scented with ylang ylang and cinnamon, and decked in neutral hues of light wood, rattan and soft textiles, all beautifully illuminated like pages off a Kinfolk magazine by sunlight dappling through the ceiling-high windows.

The website doesn’t say so, but all the rooms have balconies. The one in my 45 sq m Park View Suite had the second largest area (16 sq m) spanning from the bedroom to the living area. Only the suites have televisions and bathtubs, but you probably wouldn’t notice with so much to do outside.

Despite the cold, I loved sitting at the balcony with a piping hot cup of herbal tea, gazing at the verdant park across the road. The people and traffic curiously seem to trundle at a slower pace from this vantage point—as if a gentle voice is saying it’s ok to pause life’s throbbing beats and just breathe and live to mine.