Atami SEKITEI prides itself on its Japanese garden that spans 3,000 tsubo. Dotted by Sukiya-style detached buildings, sculpted stones in the garden blend with toro lanterns and flowing water in total serenity. The long-established Japanese inn with more than 55 years of history has continued to evolve with time while serving as a successor of Japan’s traditional culture.
The large hall that used to cover 60 – 24 tatami mat space was renovated into the main dining room “Suzaku” and 11 private dining rooms, each with a different flavor.
The theme of the spatial design is to combine the spirit of Japanese essence, or “wa,” that is passed on in the long-established inn, with the form and style of the “present” by harmonizing and balancing it with tradition.
In the main dining room “Suzaku” pendant lights adorned with shades that use traditional techniques from Kyo Wagasa umbrellas project light in soft, relaxing tones. Here, Echizen washi papers overlap with iron gridwork – an arrangement that symbolizes the “present” with its random width and pitch – to tactfully demarcate the space. On the walls, the skills of sakan masters to blend metal powder in the clay wall plaster reverberate with byobu folding screens crafted by sunago artisans. The overlaid images of these artefacts are reflected on the polished urushi lacquer table.
Solid wood tabletops made from Japanese zelkova and other trees, clay walls and Edo karakami papers are used in private dining rooms overlooking the stone garden, adding to the relaxing atmosphere.
What considerations should be made to create a welcoming space filled with relaxing atmosphere? This example seeks to answer that question by emphasizing light and materials as forms of expressions in the design. The texture of clay walls that stands out in indirect lighting, light permeating through washi papers and silhouettes of lattice and other shapes overlap, accentuating the space with rhythm and creating harmony.
It is here at this ever-evolving long-established inn that Kaiseki cuisine and pleasant services are offered with unparalleled hospitality of “Japanese omotenashi” recognized around the world.