A new luxury ryokan opening on Naoshima, a small Japanese island in the Setouchi Inland Sea, hopes to become a magnet for lovers of contemporary art and design.
Roka opens in April 2022, to coincide with the island’s Triennale culture and arts festival.
The island of Naoshima has been transformed by an ambitious project that begun in the eighties, to regenerate and celebrate contemporary art in the setting of the Seto Inland Sea. Since then, it’s become a destination for lovers of modern art and architecture. A giant pumpkin on the pier, the work of renowned artist Yayoi Kusuma, welcomes visitors.
The opening of Roka adds a luxury option for art-lovers wanting to fully experience the island’s quirky attractions. The first traditional inn to open on Naoshima, it was conceived to complement the Naoshima art experience. Run by a fourth-generation hotelier, the chic hotel will offer 11 suites, each with a private rotenburo open-air bath.
The new Roka ryokan will feature a Japanese-style gallery lounge, featuring contemporary art pieces, primarily by young creators, and a restaurant offering locally sourced oysters and other fresh seafood, as well as vegetarian and vegan options.
The opening of Roka adds a luxury option for art-lovers wanting to fully experience the island…
The Roka gallery lounge
Those staying at Roka can use it as a base to explore other Naoshima attractions, including the Benesse House Museum and Ando Museum, both designed by Tadao Ando, and the subterranean Chichu Art Museum. Need to relax? I Love Yu is a functioning bathhouse that doubles as a space for the art community.
The spring Setouchi Triennale is a multi-site festival featuring artists from around the world. Uniquely, artworks are installed across multiple islands, so visitors must island-hop to take it all in. Official guided tours by chartered boat are available to ensure visitors don’t miss a thing.
A visit to Naoshima promises to be an immersive experience – many of the structures on the island have been built to celebrate and challenge the relationship between people and nature, and to transform the island itself and its former structures into a work of art.
Access to Naoshima is via a 20-minute ferry or passenger boat ride from the port in the city of Uno, Okayama Prefecture. Uno is around an hour by local train (JR Uno Line) from JR Okayama Station, which is on a Shinkansen route.
Setouchi is the largest inland sea in Japan, surrounded by Hyogo, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Tokushima, Kagawa, and Ehime prefectures.
Sumo fans visiting Tokyo have a new attraction to add to their itinerary. Opening January 7 is a 150-seat show restaurant that brings together Japan’s national sport, sumo, and traditional kaiseki cuisine. The Sumo Live restaurant, located in Ginza, features a full-size sumo-ring stage, where wrestlers will perform demonstration bouts for diners. The opening follows…
Marking its 200th anniversary, Midleton Distillery has unveiled a special 28 year old whiskey that introduces Mizunara oak to the celebratory series for the first time. The timber is prized for its spicy, fragrant influence and its notoriously difficult cooperage. The limited-edition bottling concludes a year of celebrations recognising two centuries of whiskey-making at the…
Orient Star has expanded its Classic Collection M45 with two hand-wound moon-phase watches built around a newly developed movement and design theme centred on the quiet passage of time. The models, one a regular production piece, the other a limited edition of 140, take their cues from the Pleiades star cluster, a recurring inspiration for…
The Luxe Review 
A new luxury ryokan opening on Naoshima, a small Japanese island in the Setouchi Inland Sea, hopes to become a magnet for lovers of contemporary art and design.
Roka opens in April 2022, to coincide with the island’s Triennale culture and arts festival.
The island of Naoshima has been transformed by an ambitious project that begun in the eighties, to regenerate and celebrate contemporary art in the setting of the Seto Inland Sea. Since then, it’s become a destination for lovers of modern art and architecture. A giant pumpkin on the pier, the work of renowned artist Yayoi Kusuma, welcomes visitors.
The opening of Roka adds a luxury option for art-lovers wanting to fully experience the island’s quirky attractions. The first traditional inn to open on Naoshima, it was conceived to complement the Naoshima art experience. Run by a fourth-generation hotelier, the chic hotel will offer 11 suites, each with a private rotenburo open-air bath.
The new Roka ryokan will feature a Japanese-style gallery lounge, featuring contemporary art pieces, primarily by young creators, and a restaurant offering locally sourced oysters and other fresh seafood, as well as vegetarian and vegan options.
Those staying at Roka can use it as a base to explore other Naoshima attractions, including the Benesse House Museum and Ando Museum, both designed by Tadao Ando, and the subterranean Chichu Art Museum. Need to relax? I Love Yu is a functioning bathhouse that doubles as a space for the art community.
The spring Setouchi Triennale is a multi-site festival featuring artists from around the world. Uniquely, artworks are installed across multiple islands, so visitors must island-hop to take it all in. Official guided tours by chartered boat are available to ensure visitors don’t miss a thing.
A visit to Naoshima promises to be an immersive experience – many of the structures on the island have been built to celebrate and challenge the relationship between people and nature, and to transform the island itself and its former structures into a work of art.
Access to Naoshima is via a 20-minute ferry or passenger boat ride from the port in the city of Uno, Okayama Prefecture. Uno is around an hour by local train (JR Uno Line) from JR Okayama Station, which is on a Shinkansen route.
Setouchi is the largest inland sea in Japan, surrounded by Hyogo, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Tokushima, Kagawa, and Ehime prefectures.
Live Sumo meets classic Japanese cuisine at new Tokyo show restaurant
Sumo fans visiting Tokyo have a new attraction to add to their itinerary. Opening January 7 is a 150-seat show restaurant that brings together Japan’s national sport, sumo, and traditional kaiseki cuisine. The Sumo Live restaurant, located in Ginza, features a full-size sumo-ring stage, where wrestlers will perform demonstration bouts for diners. The opening follows…
Only 636 Bottles: Midleton celebrates bicentennial with 28 year old Mizunara-influenced whiskey
Marking its 200th anniversary, Midleton Distillery has unveiled a special 28 year old whiskey that introduces Mizunara oak to the celebratory series for the first time. The timber is prized for its spicy, fragrant influence and its notoriously difficult cooperage. The limited-edition bottling concludes a year of celebrations recognising two centuries of whiskey-making at the…
Orient Star adds new minimalist moon-phase watches to Classic M45 line
Orient Star has expanded its Classic Collection M45 with two hand-wound moon-phase watches built around a newly developed movement and design theme centred on the quiet passage of time. The models, one a regular production piece, the other a limited edition of 140, take their cues from the Pleiades star cluster, a recurring inspiration for…
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