The art of staying in between the chaos and calm of Tokyo

If you had ever suggested that I voluntarily attend a morning yoga class while travelling, chances are I would have laughed, politely declined, or found a very convincing reason to disappear. And yet, never say never. On my first morning at Soho House Tokyo, there I was, on a yoga mat, attempting to find some semblance of balance. Much to my own surprise, it wasn’t a bad way to begin the day.

Tokyo has always had a way of making me do things differently. I never really need a reason to return; usually, I’m looking for an excuse. I love the contradictions of the city: the energy and the order, the eccentricity and restraint, the obsessive attention to detail, and the fact that no matter how many times you visit, there is always another tiny bar, vintage store or bowl of something life-changing waiting to be discovered.

After several rounds of date changes and diary gymnastics, this trip finally happened, and this time I was discovering the city from Soho House Tokyo, the first House in Japan. I’ve been lucky enough to visit Houses around the world and, while part of the pleasure is always discovering how each one interprets its city, Tokyo might just have become a firm favourite.

Walking in feels less like arriving at a hotel and more like stumbling into a beautiful, slightly eccentric bookshop you wish you could live in. It’s layered and eclectic, warm and fuzzy in that difficult-to-manufacture way. Nothing feels too perfect or precious. There are vintage pieces from Japan, Britain and Europe, Japanese washi paper, lacquer work made in Kyoto, Murano lights and deep burgundies sitting alongside greens and earthy tones. East and West are constantly in conversation, but quietly so.

Then there is the art, which is everywhere without ever making the House feel like a gallery. More than 40 artists born, based or trained in Japan, as well as artists from the Japanese diaspora make up the collection. I loved that the commissions weren’t simply things to hang on walls: Toru Otani reimagined the traditional Japanese room divider as a sculptural installation, while works by Yuko Mohri and Ryoji Ikeda bring a distinctly contemporary energy to the space. You find yourself noticing something new each time you walk through.

The bedrooms continue that sense of comfort. Mine felt wonderfully cocooning, with a soft Bancha palette inspired by green tea, parquet referencing tatami, Japanese lacquer and, perhaps my favourite detail, textiles made from upcycled vintage kimono fabrics and sakiori weaving. There is craftsmanship everywhere, but none of it screams for attention. Mostly, the room just makes you want to climb into bed, order something, and temporarily forget that Tokyo exists outside.

Not that there was much danger of going hungry. There were far too many meals at The House Brasserie, where British comfort food meets Japanese produce, which sounds slightly improbable until you are eating Yamayuri pork sausage rolls with black garlic HP sauce. There was sweet shrimp with cauliflower and corn, pork loin with a mead reduction and soft serve topped with white miso popcorn. I was also introduced to the Highball Fifty, with jasmine, green shiso and cherry, which did little to encourage restraint.

Somewhere between all this eating, I was also put to work. Soho House Tokyo’s Head Sushi Chef, Kunihiro Shinohara, gave us a lesson in Edomae-style sushi. Watching someone who has mastered a craft make it look effortless is always dangerous; you briefly become convinced you too possess the skill. My own attempts suggested otherwise.

But perhaps my favourite part of the trip was that the House didn’t want us to experience Tokyo only from inside it.

Our itinerary took us out into the city to eat, hunt down tiny speakeasies and trawl vintage stores. What I discovered is that Soho House has something particularly useful for travellers: genuinely good lists. Not the sort that simply round up the places everyone has already seen online, but recommendations that feel considered and curated by people who actually know the city. You can spend the day getting wonderfully lost in Tokyo and then come back to a place that feels reassuringly like home.

That warmth comes largely from the people. The staff is a wonderfully diverse mix, each bringing their own personality, background and relationship with Tokyo to the House. There is no stiffness that can occasionally come with beautiful spaces; instead, conversations happen easily and recommendations are offered enthusiastically. By the end of a few days, you begin to understand why people talk about Soho House less as a collection of properties and more as a community.

One evening, we found ourselves upstairs watching Japan play opposite Brazil. What began as watching a football match quickly became one of those wonderfully unplanned travel memories. There was excitement, of course, but also something incredibly endearing about the humility and grace of the Japanese supporters around us. It felt very Tokyo: passionate without being performative, celebratory without ever losing its sense of consideration.

And that, perhaps, is what stayed with me most about this visit. The best places to stay don’t compete with the city outside their doors; they somehow help you understand it better. Soho House Tokyo borrows from Japan without turning it into a pastiche, while still retaining that slightly eccentric, familiar House DNA.

I will always be someone who wants to leave the hotel, walk too far, eat too much, discover a bar I will never find again and return home with a suitcase that mysteriously refuses to close. But I’ve also realised there is something wonderful about having a place to return to that lets you stop.

Tokyo gave me plenty to discover this time around. Soho House gave me somewhere to exhale between it all. And yes, apparently, somewhere along the way, it also got me to do yoga.

This article originally appeared in Harper's Bazaar India's August - September 2026 print issue.

Images: Courtesy of the brand (Sean Hazen and Edvinas Bruzas)

Also read: The Indian getaways made for a 72-hour escape

Also read: The essence of a luxury safari lies in nature making all the rules