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Mar 20, 2024

First in: Trunk(hotel) Yoyogi Park, Tokyo

Reviewed by Danielle Demetriou Why book Trunk(Hotel) Yoyogi Park? Three words: Shibuya, infinity and pool. This heady fusion can now be found hovering, with near-surreal serenity and stylish

Reviewed by Danielle Demetriou

Why book Trunk(Hotel) Yoyogi Park?

Three words: Shibuya, infinity and pool. This heady fusion can now be found hovering, with near-surreal serenity and stylish green-tinged waters, on the sixth floor of the new Trunk(Hotel) Yoyogi Park. It’s the third Tokyo outpost for the pitch-perfect hip Trunk collective, whose diverse spaces are smoothly composed and unwaveringly playful. Its debut Trunk(Hotel) Cat Street (formerly Trunk(Hotel)) added a new creative layer to Harajuku life in 2017, with hipster rooms, fashionista-packed event spaces and buzzy eateries. Two years later came the bijou Trunk(House), an escapist art-scattered one-bedroom retreat in a former geisha-training house (with its own private glitter-balled karaoke bar) in the Kagurazaka district. The latest hotel inhabits a completely different Tokyo cosmos – the intimate minimalist escape overlooks the lush treetop canopies of Yoyogi Park, one of the biggest expanses of greenery in the capital. While each venue has its own distinct location, design voice and atmosphere, underpinning their shared Trunk DNA is a deeply-rooted concept of community, contemporary creativity and local Tokyo culture.

Set the scene

The latest chapter of the Trunk trilogy is all about relaxation – or, in the words of the hotel, “urban recharge” – with a playful Tokyo twist. Located on Inokashira Street in the creative low-key Tomigaya district, the hotel is positioned between the buzzy neon chaos synonymous with the heart of Shibuya and the heaving street culture crowds of Harajuku. Despite its urban location, the new hotel possesses perhaps the ultimate inner-city luxury: 180-degree full-frontal views across a vivid green horizontal sweep of the forest-like trees of Yoyogi Park, which sits directly opposite. The compact vertical seven-storey new build is Trunk’s biggest so far in terms of guest capacity, with 20 rooms and five suites. The atmosphere, however, has an intimate VIP edge, with a focus more on personal relaxation than expansive social events.

This is clear upon arrival at the threshold of the hotel, with its exotically plant-scattered and roughly-textured concrete façade. Here, guests ring a bell at a discreetly set-back glass door – before staff, many in sleek cream outfits, greet them in the lobby. Their ensembles are a perfect mesh with the design. The design was smoothly dreamt up, both inside and out, by Tokyo-based Keiji Ashizawa Design, harmonised with interior elements by Copenhagen-based Norm Architects: picture expanses of natural wood and stone textures, smoothly curved structural lines, a neutral palette, splashes of contemporary artworks and sculptural artefacts – all combined to create a seductively soft minimalism. The heartbeat of the hotel is its sixth-floor Trunk(Pool Club). Open only to hotel guests, the lift doors slide open to reveal new-level Trunk chic – an intimate light-flooded lounge area, with light blue-green seating, sand-blasted concrete wall panels, water-like tiling, angular green plants, hammered copper lighting and an elegant oyster and cocktail bar, all opening onto a heated rooftop infinity pool with views across a deep green sweep of park. The panorama may be a serene symphony of trees and skies, but it’s unmistakably Tokyo – with distant clusters of landmark skyscrapers rising high beyond the park. The pool, lined with taupe sun loungers and forest-green striped Trunk towels, sits alongside a jacuzzi and sunken firepit for intimate after-dark gatherings. Amid the elegance, playful Trunk touches abound – from the cheeky white flower-filled vase in the form of a woman’s posterior on a centre-stage table to the sensor-activated body-jiggling blast of Nerd’s “All-the-girls-standing-in-the-line-for-the-bathroom” upon entering the ladies’ loo. Meanwhile, the lively community philosophy synonymous with Trunk thrives on the ground floor – home to the street-front restaurant Pizzeria e Trattoria L’Ombelico, a modern Italian trattoria, open from breakfast to dinner, complete with outdoor seating for locals with dogs.

The backstory

Step forward Yoshitaka Nojiri – the man behind what has been dubbed “punk omotenashi”. Trunk is the fast-growing creation of Nojiri, a new-generation entrepreneur behind a successful wedding company. Shibuya was perhaps always going to be a key hub for Trunk to take root. Nojiri grew up in Shibuya and was inspired by the idea of recharging the vibrant neighbourhood with a new socially conscious hotel model, rooted in local culture. Today, another Shibuya hotel is already in the pipeline, opening on lively Dogenzaka Street in 2027. The company is also venturing outside the capital for the first time, with a Trunk hotel in Kobe, a scenic port city in southwestern Japan, also opening in 2027.

The rooms

The message to unwind is loud and clear the moment guest room doors open – not only from the words lighting up the TV screens (“URBAN RECHARGE”) but from the serenely composed interiors, fusing Japanese and Scandinavian design touches. The rooms, filtered across five levels, are peaceful havens of minimalist lines, curves and textures, all with plant-filled outdoor balconies. Details include handcrafted Japanese furniture, from paper cord chairs by Ariake Collection to bespoke outdoor oak seating by Karimoku; low-hanging triangular washi paper pendant lights by Kojima Shoten; rattan space dividers between bathroom and sleeping areas; and subtly nuanced woven carpet textiles by Hotta and Kvadrat. Even the balcony railings consist of simple vertical metal lines, with zero horizontal details, adding a clean modern edge. The 20 guest rooms are compact and neatly laid out, with shower bathrooms and Trunk amenities made from local organic ingredients – either with park views (choose a high floor for maximum impact) or peaceful city views, across the neighbourhood’s low-key rooftops. Four suites, all facing the park, are similar in layout and design – with an extra adjacent living space, plus the added luxury of bathtubs. The icing on the Trunk cake is the Owner’s Suite, a spacious light-drenched glass-fronted retreat spanning the seventh-floor apex, just above the swimming pool. A contemporary residential feel imbues the space – from abstract artworks on sand-blasted concrete walls, the crafted curves of a Kvadrat-textile sofa and ceramics to the multi-buttoned Yuri Suzuki-designed Ambient Machine providing a suitably edgy soundtrack. A highlight? The suite’s white freestanding bathtub, surrounded by honey-tone tiling in the airy bathroom overlooking an intimate terrace – perfect for a soak with a rare Tokyo-sky-and-treetop view. Throughout the hotel, the rooms’ crafted simplicity is peppered with Trunk touches. Labels read “Take me home :)” on the black recycled rubber Trunk flip flops; there are quirky signage illustrations by Akina Haga; bathroom tumblers made from recycled tile scraps; CBD chocolate and cricket insect snacks in the minibar; an eclectic array of artworks by Atelier Yamanami in the guest room toilets (all for sale); and stylish sage green yukata-style bathrobes (perfect for Trunk-style pool-lounging).

Food and drink

Pizzeria e Trattoria L’Ombelico taps directly into the restaurant-packed neighbourhood – aiming to fill an apparent local gap with quality modern Italian food. Centre stage is a copper-covered wood-fired oven – with hip T-shirted pizza staff fluidly stretching pastry and wielding large wooden paddles to perfect the art of authentic Neapolitan pizzas in the open plan kitchen. The menu – created by the chef behind Tokyo’s respected L`Arte restaurant – ranges from horse carpaccio to a plethora of pizzas, split into red and white ingredients (a highlight? The Nojiri – packed with delicious garlic-sprinkled clams, named after the owner). There is even a dog menu for locals with pets. “The Trunk concept is all about local,” says Masaaki Tanbo, the hotel’s upbeat F&B director. “We are making authentic modern Italian cuisine, using Japanese vegetables and fish and other ingredients from local producers.” The space is no less inviting – from hammered copper lighting by artist Eiko Miki and Karimoku wood tables and oak chairs to monochrome photography by Norm Architects’ Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen transformed into colour-strewn artworks.

Meanwhile, in the upstairs pool-side lounge, open until midnight, the exclusive menu is all about oysters and fine seafood, laid out on ice on a curved copper display. During my visit, there was a delicious mix of oysters, from Japan's famously large variations (memories of the milky, melty Senposhi still linger on my tongue) to US and Australian types – plus a medley of lobster, shrimp cocktails and king crab. This being Trunk, the seafood goes hand in hand with inventively crafted cocktails (graded in terms of alcohol strength), such as Chick Pea of the Crop – a mix of Kinobi gin, green tea, sage, lemon and Acquafaba.

The service

Young, friendly, informal, cosmopolitan – and typically as photogenic as a Japanese fashion shoot. The playful Trunk effect can be found in the lively L’Ombelico restaurant, where staff wear T-shirts with a to-scale drawing of a pizza – in anticipation of that ubiquitous question "how big is it?”. Despite Trunk’s fresh take on so-called punk hospitality and an almost family-like atmosphere among staff, they were minutely attentive during my stay – with poolside staff carefully arranging towels and beds whenever I took a dip in the pool, to ensure maximum comfort on exiting the water. Refreshingly for Japan’s sometimes inflexible service, staff also seem happy to go off piste – as reflected in an impromptu late-night pool-side shochu-tasting session, following a relaxed seafood feast in the fire pit under the stars.

The area

Perhaps the biggest local attraction is the park – a vast expanse of greenery, containing a microcosm of Tokyo life. In the lanes just behind the hotel are a number of creative local gems, including the popular Fuglen coffee shop. The bigger shops, restaurants and neon buzz of Shibuya’s station area are also within walking distance – as is Meiji Jingu Shrine in the park and the Harajuku district, among other spots. The hotel offers guests the use of very sleek forest-green electric bicycles, with caramel leather handles – perfect for exploring the area in Trunk-style.

Who comes here?

The chicest of the Trunk universe, will, no doubt, soon be in swimwear poolside. During my visit just ahead of opening, the pool was already filled with a curated clutch of stylish Tokyoites, from hip young families to edgy creatives.

What’s the spa like?

No spa, although plans are in progress to introduce in-room treatments. It’s the heated rooftop pool that lies at the heart of the hotel’s wellness concept.

Is it worth it?

For the experience of swimming alongside the treetops of Yoyogi Park, from sunrise to sunset – with the added bonus of a serenely designed contemporary backdrop in which to recharge – a definitive yes.

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By Kate Crockett and Chris Schalkx