TRUNK(HOUSE)

"Trunk (House), located in Shinjuku near Edo Castle, is a one-bedroom residence created to immerse visitors in traditional and contemporary Japanese creativity. The 70-year-old town house features art and furnishings by notable Japanese and international talent and includes a mini bar stocked with traditional sweets and local tea. Personalized attention is part of the experience, with a butler available to assist guests." - Keith Flanagan, Adam H. Graham

"Located down a secluded backstreet in Tokyo’s central Kagurazaka neighborhood, Trunk (Hotel)’s sister hotel Trunk (House) is a one-bedroom hotel that was originally a geisha-training house for 70 years. The interior of the traditional wooden house, which fits up to four people at a time, is an immaculate mix of traditional and modern Japan. The aesthetics of the airy living spaces are on the comforting minimal side that features a white puffy mattress placed on a low wooden platform, while the tatami tea room comes with leather cushions and tea utensils by Tom Sachs."

"After the ramen, we visit a place called Trunk House. Based on the traditional town house, or machiya, this hotel sits in “Hide-and-Seek Alley” in Kagurazaka, an area known as “little Kyoto” for its seclusion and charm, and has kept the sign of the geisha dance school it used to be. Inside, it is a wonder — the Trunk House has only one bedroom, meaning Mike and I could rent the whole building for a night. There’s a dark-wood open kitchen where a private chef prepares meals; a dining room; a garden that, at night, fills with water to reflect the moon; and a white-pleather-lined karaoke bar with a disco ball." - Travel + Leisure Editors

"In 2017, when the 15-room Trunk Hotel opened in the heart of Shibuya, Tokyo, it shook up the capital city’s hotel scene. Finally, a truly boutique option (read: organic in-room snacks, pour-over coffee, and bespoke whiskey cocktails at the lobby bar) in a city known for its sleek, high-rise hotels and, on the other end of the spectrum, its low-fi traditional ryokans. The same team is behind the new Trunk House, a mid-century former geisha house in Tokyo’s Kagurazaka neighborhood (dubbed Little Kyoto for its ancient shrines, temples, and parks) that's been turned into a small hotel set to open this August. The goal is to recreate a more residential experience for guests while nodding to the building’s commercial past, with a living room and private garden, a small tearoom with an irori fireplace (a traditional Japanese sunken hearth), a tiny disco with a state-of-the-art karaoke machine, and a bath area with a cypress soaking tub surrounded by shunga (Japanese-style adult artwork) printed onto white tiles. It sounds like just the right mix of old and new, racy and staid."