Escape into Nature at these Four Fabulous Stays 

 

These Japanese hotels are the rejuvenating retreats you’ve been dreaming of

 

From the bustling stations and skyscrapers to city lights and tiny izakaya filled with office workers, a city like Tokyo is almost synonymous with many people’s mental images of Japan.

 

But Japan also has an abundance of gorgeous, nature-filled places: Think vistas of sprawling valleys, tiny mountain towns, and sapphire-blue seascapes. These natural surroundings are the antithesis of frenetic city life — perfect for physical and mental relaxation. 

 

If you’re looking to slow down at a nature-centric retreat, consider venturing further beyond urban areas and staying at a hotel designed to completely immerse you in natural beauty. The travel time to somewhere remote may be longer, but the journey makes the destination even more worthwhile.

 

The hotels below combine beautiful design and impeccable service in stunning settings, promising truly memorable experiences for their guests. Whether it’s the tropical rainforests of Okinawa Prefecture or the bucolic rice fields of Yamagata Prefecture, any of these four fabulous hotels is sure to be a highlight of your travels! 

 

Treeful Treehouse, Okinawa

 

©Treeful Treehouse Sustainable Resort

 

Would you fly to Japan to sleep in a treehouse? Located in the Yanbaru rainforest next to the Genka River, the three treehouses at Treeful Treehouse have been designed to meld seamlessly with their natural surroundings without sacrificing any of the amenities of modern hotels like running water or air conditioning.

 

Just imagine ascending the staircase to the Spiral House for a night under starry skies on a hammock — there’s no light pollution in this part of Okinawa — and then waking up to a plate of tropical fruit for breakfast! 

 

What’s especially laudable is the ethos behind the building of these treehouses: in alignment with the founders’ vision of helping people connect with nature as well as protect the environment, the treehouses are made of living trees, making them carbon-negative, and the amount of electricity used in the resort is offset by solar power. Doesn’t this sound like paradise?

 

Location information

Name: Treeful Treehouse Address: 2578 Genka, Nago City, Okinawa 905-1141 Access: 1 hour 30 minute-drive from Naha Airport Website: https://treeful.net

 

Oyado The Earth, Mie

 

©️Oyado The-Earth

 

Take a 16-suite resort, surround it with lush primaeval forest, and put it at the tip of a cape overlooking the Pacific Ocean. That, in a nutshell, is Oyado The Earth in Mie Prefecture. With palatial suites that blend Japanese and Western elements, as well as a private open-air hot spring bath attached to each one, a stay here is an experience in itself. However, it’s the location that really seals the deal. 

 

Thanks to its location on Cape Toba in Ise-Shima National Park, Oyado The Earth is perfect for ocean lovers. No two stays here are ever the same: Each day is a chance to experience the sea anew, in all its variable moods, whether moonlit and serene, cobalt-blue and sunlit, or choppy and stormy. Indeed, it’s a great place to be when it rains. Just imagine watching a dramatic thunderstorm over the sea while soaking away your stresses in a private bath! 

 

One important factor to consider: the delicious kaiseki meals here use plenty of locally caught seafood, so loving seafood is non-negotiable if you choose to stay here! Its remote location means that there aren’t any other restaurants in the vicinity — you’ll have to drive back to the city.

Location information

Name: Oyado The Earth Address: Ryunosu, Nakanoyama, Ijika-Cho, Toba City, Mie 517-0026 Public transportation: 35 minutes by shuttle bus from Kintetsu Toba Station Website: https://www.the-earth.in/en/

 

Entô, Shimane Prefecture

 

Photo by Kentauros Yasunaga. ©Ama Inc

 

For a genuinely rejuvenating retreat somewhere really remote, there are few better choices than Entô on the Oki Islands, an archipelago north of the Shimane Prefecture that also happens to be a designated UNESCO Global Geopark. The name should give visitors a hint: Entô literally means “distant island,” after all! 

 

Getting there is a journey, and the hotel website even suggests that you consider it part of the Entô experience. Depending on your starting point, the trip there is likely to involve at least one domestic flight (if not two), a bus, and at least one boat ride. Opting to take the train might extend your travel time, but once you’re there? It’s a dream. 

 

Entô is perched on the edge of a caldera millions of years old, making it the ideal base for exploring the rugged landscapes of the Oki Islands. The airy, minimalist hotel also faces a calm inlet. There are 18 rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows in the NEST annex that offer majestic views. Whether you kick back and relax at the hotel, explore the islands by e-bike, or go stargazing at midnight, you’re sure to leave completely refreshed and rejuvenated. 

 

Location information

Name: Entô Address: 1375-1 Fukui, Ama-cho, Oki District, Shimane 684-0404 Access: From Oki Airport, take a bus to reach Saigo Port. Take a high-speed ship to Hishiura Port for half an hour and a three-minute walk to reach the hotel. *Please be aware that the ferry schedule varies significantly depending on the season. Website: https://ento-oki.jp/en/about

 

Suiden Terrasse, Yamagata

 

©YAMAGATA DESIGN RESORT Co., Ltd.

 

A gorgeous hotel in the middle of a rice field with mountains in the distance? It sounds like something straight out of a storybook, but it’s very real. This is Suiden Terrasse, a low-rise boutique hotel on the Shonai Plain facing Dewa Sanzan in Yamagata Prefecture, designed by award-winning architect Shigeru Ban. (Sidenote: He’s one of the people behind the super cool colourful transparent toilets in Tokyo as well as the Mt. Fuji World Heritage Centre in Shizuoka Prefecture.)

 

Completed in 2018, the hotel has all the facilities and services you might want for a thoroughly relaxing stay. Think designer saunas (made with local wood), hot spring baths (finish with craft beer and gelato afterwards), a library, and even a lovely indoor playground found adjacent to the Suiden Terrasse Facility to keep the kids occupied while the parents recuperate. The food is farm-to-table, featuring locally grown rice and vegetables, local meat, and locally-produced sake and wine. 

 

Best of all, it’s more easily accessible than some of the other accommodations mentioned above. It’s ideal for travellers who want to be somewhere beautiful and full of nature without having to travel too far. 

Location information

Name: Suiden Terrasse  Address: 23-1 Shimotorinosu, Kitakyoden, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata 997-0053 Access: From Tokyo, take the Shinkansen to Niigata station for 2 hours, then the Super Express  Inaho to JR Tsuruoka station for 1 hour and 50 minutes, and a short taxi ride to the accommodation for 10min Website: https://www.suiden-terrasse.yamagata-design.com/en/

Conclusion

These four hotels represent just a sampling of all the gorgeous places you can stay in Japan — so why not start with them? For your next trip, consider travelling further afield to some of these locations to immerse yourself in nature. You might just find your new favourite place in Japan! 

 

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