‘Yuen Shinjuku is a modern and urban version of the traditional Japanese ryokan. While the hotel is owned by JA Mitsui Lease Buildings, UDS is involved in its planning, design and operation.Stepping inside the modern, minimal space, a series of design touches evoke ryokan interiors: from the night-time shadows of bamboo plants moving in the wind, seen through white washi-paper screens behind the check-in desk, to the hovering under-lit wooden platform with circular straw cushion, minimal ikebana displays and the traditional incense burning in corridors.

Clean-lined signage by Tokyo-based branding agency artless Inc. guides guests to the elevators. ‘Through unique impressions and delicate sign designs, I would like guests to feel the unique qualities of Japanese hospitality,’ explains Shun Kawakami, founder of artless Inc.

The seven room types span a range of sizes, but all share the same aesthetic: tatami-style flooring, low-lying white beds, walls that evoke traditional plasterwork, and touches of craftsmanship in the round ceramic washbasins made in Shigaraki and the tiered wooden jubako boxes containing amenities.

The windows are also eye-catching in their simplicity: a single horizontal slit framing views across the Tokyo skyline. Inspired by the traditional concept of yukimi shoji (which literally means ‘sliding screens for seeing the snow’), the intention is for guests to slow down, position their gaze and savour the view.