|Places| Japanese Idylls From countryside to coast, a pair of design-forward hotels in rural Kyushu showcase their individual senses of place. By Ute Junker L eave the light on when you slip between the sheets at KAI Yufuin. Even if you usually prefer total blackout at bedtime, you will want to savour the swirling shadows cast by the spiral bedroom lights, crafted to mimic the fireflies that dance above the local fields on summer evenings. It is just one of the small touches that firmly anchor the newly opened KAI Yufuin (hoshinoresorts. com) in its landscape. Sitting 10 minutes outside the hot-springs haven of Yufuin in northeastern Kyushu – a relaxing two-hour train ride from the island’s main city, Fukuoka, best enjoyed aboard the Yufuin no Mori sightseeing train – the hotel is framed by mountains on one side and rice paddies on the other. It is the latest local project for celebrated architect Kengo Kuma, who also created Yufuin’s sleek Comico Art Museum, a celebration of contemporary Japanese art. (The equally celebrated Shigeru Ban designed the local visitor centre.) Kuma drew his inspiration for KAI Yufuin’s design from local motifs and materials such as bamboo flooring and tatami seating, as well as the lowslung silhouette of traditional farmhouses that is echoed in the shape of the hotel’s freestanding villa suites. Yufuin has always appealed to travellers looking for a laidback travel experience – horse-drawn carriage tours are a popular way to explore the scenic streets – and guest wardrobes at KAI Yufuin come equipped with comfortable resort wear. Slip on your samue suit when you head to the hotel’s onsen, or sashay to the restaurant, where walls are made with decorated washi paper, wearing your yukata robe. Speaking of meals, they are not to be missed. Kaiseki dinners celebrate local ingredients including the Above: the tranquil onsen at KAI Yufuin, and a postcard-perfect view of the resort‘s idyllic surrounds from one of its suites PHOTOS AKIFUMI YAMABE 22 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
