One of the most popular tourist spots: Komono Yokoyama Residence Garden

Located in the eastern foothills of the Suzuka Mountains on the border with Shiga Prefecture in northern Mie Prefecture, the town of Komono is one of the most popular tourist spots in Mie Prefecture, where you can enjoy the rich natural scenery of the four seasons, and is home to Yunoyama Hot Springs, known for its 1300 year-old hot springs. In this beautiful town, the Komono Yokoyama Teien, a traditional Japanese residence, is registered as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan. The Yokoyama teien in Komono-cho, whose architecture is registered as a national tangible cultural property and whose garden is a registered monument, is currently closed to the public but can be viewed by participating in tours that are held several times a year. The history of not only the mansion but also its owner, the Yokoyama family, is long. The Yokoyama family served the Ise-mamoru Kitabatake family in the Muromachi period (1336-1573), the Komono clan in the Edo period (1603-1868), and the headman in the Meiji period (1868-1912). In the Taisho era (1912-1926), the Yokoyama family was a prominent family that even produced a member of the House of Representatives.

Gardens in Mie Prefecture designed by Mirei Shigemori

The main gate of the Komono Yokoyama Residence is located at the end of a stone-paved pathway that extends more than 30 meters. After passing through the passageway lined with well-maintained ibuki trees, visitors pass through the main gate and are confronted with the main building, which is an irimoya-style house with a gabled roof. Between the main gate and the main house, there is a garden in front of the entrance, and a path leading from the gate to the main house is arranged in a karesansui (dry landscape garden).
The entrance garden is neatly organized and welcomes visitors with an elegant atmosphere.

These gardens were completed in June 1968, and were created by the famous gardener Mirei Shigemori. Mr. Shigemori is known for his great achievements as a researcher of Japanese garden history, having conducted a survey of Japanese gardens throughout Japan and compiled the basis for the “Pictorial History of Japanese Gardens,” and he has created about 200 gardens in Japan. His representative works include the Honbo Garden of Tofukuji Temple in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, and the Sesshu Garden at Jyoeiji Temple in Yamaguchi Prefecture, which is still loved by many garden lovers. The owner of the house at that time, Mr. Hideyoshi Yokoyama, was fascinated by Shigemori’s works and ideas, and visited him in person without any introduction, which led to the creation of the garden. Mr. Shigemori was so enthusiastic that he agreed to create the garden without hesitation.

In addition to the garden in front of the entrance, there are also an Omoteiwa (front garden) and a Uraba (back garden). The main feature of the Omote-niwa is the expression of the character for “heart” by creating an island in the middle of a karesansui (dry landscape garden) with a moss hill. Other Japanese gardens have also expressed the character for “heart,” but usually in the form of a “heart-shaped pond. For this reason, the Komono Yokoyama Teien is also notable as a garden with a central island in the shape of the character for “heart. The garden stones arranged in the garden are made of Horai-style masonry based on the Horai Shinzen philosophy. The garden depicts boateki arranged in a karesansui (dry landscape garden) that resembles a large ocean with a sandy pattern, heading toward tateishi (standing stones) that resemble the towering Mount Horai. This arrangement expresses the journey of the heart on the boating stones toward Mount Horai.
This garden can be enjoyed from various places such as the entrance garden, the main building, the shoin (drawing room), and the tea ceremony room,
One of the charms of this garden is that it can be seen from various places.

The back garden is a complete change of atmosphere from the traditional front garden, with a more modern style.
Also known as the “Red and White Garden,” the space is divided into several layers diagonally to the house, and is covered with white Shirakawa stones and red Tengu stones.
The backyard represents the rural landscape that Mr. Shigemori saw from the train window when he visited the Yokoyama residence. The veranda, from which one can view the backyard, represents the inside of a train car, the diagonal partition represents the movement of the scenery flowing through the train window, and the red and white stones represent the rice paddies. When Mr. Shigemori visited the Yokoyama residence, the backyard on the north side of the house looked dark and heavy, and he came up with the idea of creating a bright and modern backyard, which led to a sudden change in the original design. From this backyard, one can sense the beautiful original landscape of Komono.

Komono Yokoyama Residence Garden: More than just a garden

The Komono Yokoyama Residence Garden preserves not only a garden but also attractive architecture. On the east side of the main house is a building that was used as a clinic at the time. Inside the building, there is a waiting room, an examination room, and an x-ray room, all of which remind us of its former use as a clinic. The building is a parapet structure with a distinctive exterior wall.
The exterior walls are covered with wooden scale-like boards 1.5 meters high, like the scales of a fish. The distinctive appearance of the building attracts people’s attention, and it is registered as a cultural property for its contribution to the historical landscape of the country.

The Komono Yokoyama Residence also has a tea house called Jinjitsu-an. This tea house was built around the middle of the Meiji period (1868-1912), and is said to have been designed by Shokei Yoshida, the second generation of the Yoshida Shofu-an tea house of the Omotesenke school of tea ceremony in Nagoya. It was moved from the Narita family in Nagoya to the Komono Yokoyama family in 1968.
The adjacent open-air space was also designed by Shigemori, but the interior of the tea house is not open to the public.
In addition to the main gate, main building, infirmary, and tea house, the shoin (drawing room), the cross corridor, and the storehouse are also registered as tangible cultural properties.

The Komono Yokoyama Residence is a historic Japanese house with a relaxing garden.
The garden is a place that takes visitors on a spiritual journey from the traditional architecture to the garden.

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The Ise-Shima Summit was held in 2016. The Shima Kanko Hotel in Kashikojima, Mie Prefecture, which became known not only in Japan but around the world as a result of the summit, is a long-established hotel that overlooks Ago Bay, famous for its pearls. How has it managed to continue to attract visitors even now, some 70 years after it first opened?

A space of the highest quality that has hosted world leaders

The Shima Kanko Hotel is a resort hotel made up of three buildings: The Classic, designed by the famous architect Togo Murano, who also designed the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Cathedral; The Bay Suite, a high-end hotel with all rooms as suites; and The Club, which has no guest rooms but retains the appearance it had when it first opened, and is the heart of the hotel. All three buildings have a wonderful individuality that attracts visitors.

The hotel is located on the island of Kashikojima, which is situated in Ago Bay in Shima City, Mie Prefecture. It is a small island of about 68 hectares, where around 100 people live. It is about the same size as Tokyo Disneyland, and you can walk around the island in an hour.

In ancient times, it was called “Kachikoejima” (Island that can be crossed on foot) because it was possible to walk from the mainland to the island when the tide went out. It is said that this gradually became corrupted into “Kashikojima. The location, with Ago Bay in front of you, is very beautiful, and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe praised it as ‘an area where you can enjoy the scenery of Japan’s hometown, with its natural beauty of large and small islands and beautiful coves, which could be called the original scenery of Japan’.

The Ise-Shima Hotel has been standing in such a place as Kenkōjima, and has been communicating its beauty to Japan and the world in the form of “Omotenashi” (hospitality). When the G7 Ise-Shima Summit was held in 2016, the hotel served as the venue for the summit, and US President Barack Obama stayed at “The Classic”, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President François Hollande, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, and and British Prime Minister David Cameron stayed in The Baysuite.

The hotel loved by Emperor Showa and novelist Toyoko Yamazaki

The Classic is the main building of the Shima Kanko Hotel. Since it opened, it has been visited by many famous people, and the stories of those visits have become the core of the hotel. In 1951, Emperor Showa visited Ise-Shima to inspect the state of post-war reconstruction, and stayed at the hotel. He wrote a poem about the beauty of Kenkōjima, “The view of Ago Bay is beautiful, like the red berries of the Sarutoriibara bush that have turned red”. After that, the Showa Emperor was very fond of this facility and stayed there five times in his life. With anecdotes like this, the hotel, which has been used by many people related to the Imperial Family and foreign dignitaries, has become a facility that represents Mie Prefecture. Novelist Toyoko Yamazaki also used the hotel frequently between 1955 and 2007. The scene in the opening sentence of her masterpiece, “The Glorious Family,” “As the sun begins to set and the tide begins to rise, a glorious twilight descends on Ago Bay on the Shima Peninsula,” is probably this place. The desk and chair that Toyoko Yamazaki used to write at the time are currently on display at “The Club”. You can reflect on the traces left by the literary figures and feel the depth of the history of this hotel.

All rooms are suites of at least 100 square meters.

The Bay Suite, on the other hand, was newly opened in 2008. As you enter the building, you are greeted by a large object decorated with pearls, a local specialty. As you walk further in, you will see pearls not only in the lobby, but also on the walls, information boards, and even the elevator railings, making it look like a scene from a storybook. There is also a refined fragrance in the air. The scent is a combination of garden roses, jasmine and musk, and it is a refined, fresh scent that exudes a sense of luxury, soothing the hearts of visitors and creating a high-quality, adult space.

The shared spaces are wonderful, of course, but what is particularly worth mentioning are the all-suite rooms. There are a variety of room types, including the “Royal Suite”, “Corner Suite” and “Superior Suite”, as well as the “Spa Suite”, where you can receive spa treatments from expert staff, and the “FUTON Suite”, where you can relax as if you were in a private residence. All of these types of rooms have a spacious area of over 100m2, with a separate living room, bedroom and bathroom. You can enjoy a superb stay in this spacious and luxurious atmosphere.

Togo Murano, an architect who thought about the feelings of the people who would use the place

The architect of the Shima Kanko Hotel (now The Classic and The Club) was Togo Murano, who is highly regarded as an architect and is known for his work on the Nissay Theatre (Tokyo), the main building of the State Guest House (formerly the Akasaka Imperial Villa), the Osaka Shinkabuki-za (Osaka Prefecture), and the World Peace Memorial Cathedral (Hiroshima Prefecture). He is widely known in the field of architecture as a builder of buildings of historical value. The Shima Kanko Hotel is a building that harmonizes Japanese, Western and modernist styles, while also retaining its own originality. Mr. Murano was not only involved in the building itself, but also in the design of the furniture inside the hotel, and he paid attention to even the smallest details. This attention to detail was not limited to the pursuit of stylistic beauty, but also included the pursuit of ease of use and comfort.

For example, on the stairs leading up to the second floor of the old building, there is a landing before you reach the top, and Mr. Murano thought that this would allow people to take a breather when descending the stairs, and also make it easier to start walking again once they had reached the top. In addition, Murano’s expression of modernism is to create a “connection” within the building and give the space continuity by making the banisters of the stairs curved rather than ending in right angles or straight lines, and by deliberately making some of them protrude forward, and you can sense that the design takes into account the feelings of the people who will use the space.

The paintings, which evoke traditional crafts and stories, can be felt everywhere.

The props that decorate each room are also remarkable. The Royal Suite where President Hollande stayed during the Ise-Shima Summit was decorated with a hanging scroll of calligraphy by calligrapher Hota Shisen, and ikebana. The room where President Obama stayed was furnished with furniture designed by Togo Murano, including chairs, tables and chandeliers, just as it was when the hotel first opened. Of course, the room is also available for use by ordinary guests, and there are also accommodation plans available that allow you to experience the same space and scenery as the great men who stayed there.

Also, the summit table used during the Ise-Shima Summit is still in the hotel, and you can actually sit at it, so it’s interesting to be able to feel the atmosphere of the summit.

La Mer” is a French seafood dinner that is full of the thoughts of the executive chef.

The executive chef of the Shima Kanko Hotel is Hiroe Higuchi, who was also in charge of the working dinner for the Ise-Shima Summit. She entertained the leaders of each country with the desire to “deliver the deliciousness that is unique to the food country of Ise-Shima with a sense of surprise”. The working dinner featured lobster, abalone, Matsusaka beef and other local Mie ingredients, and the chefs even sliced the abalone into bite-sized pieces so that it would be easier to eat during the meeting.

The menu from the summit was called the “Ise-Shima Summit Commemorative Dinner”, and you can still eat it when you stay at the hotel.

Chef Hiroe Higuchi’s cuisine, which is known as “French cuisine with seafood”, has delighted the palates of gourmets all over the world. The hotel’s signature dishes, such as the lobster cream soup and abalone steak, which have been passed down since the time of the previous executive chef, represent the Shima Kanko Hotel’s traditional menu, and the many dishes that make the most of the nature and seasonal produce of Ise-Shima are the hotel’s famous dishes, where you can fully enjoy the fusion of traditional flavors and the ingredients, culture and thoughts of the producers of Ise-Shima. Chef Higuchi actually goes to fishing ports and other places to meet with the producers. The inspiration he feels through these interactions is the source of the dishes he comes up with, which include local culture and historical background.

In addition to this, the hotel also has a range of restaurants where you can enjoy the blessings of Ise-Shima, such as Hamamoyou, where you can enjoy Japanese cuisine that makes the most of the seasonal ingredients of Ise-Shima, and Yamabuki, a teppanyaki restaurant where you can watch the seafood, produce from the countryside and produce from the mountains of Mie Prefecture being grilled in front of you.

Enjoying the time in Shima, both from inside and outside, while feeling the atmosphere of the Ise-Shima Summit

If you walk a little further from the hotel, you will find a number of tourist attractions in the surrounding area, such as Ise Jingu Shrine, Yokoyama Observatory, Shima Spain Village, Daiozaki Lighthouse, and Anorozaki Lighthouse.

However, the Shima Kanko Hotel is no less than these tourist attractions, with its own history and stories to tell. The beautiful spaces, with their attention to detail, and the experience of staying there, with the superb hospitality nurtured by its long history, is called “Shima Time” and even captivates important people and cultural figures.

The thousands of ways to spend your time and enjoy the culture and history that have been spun together by fine cuisine and culture cannot be experienced in a single stay. That is why you will want to visit again, and each time you visit you will be able to experience a new Shima time. It is no exaggeration to say that the wonderful accommodation experience is the reason why it has been affectionately nicknamed “Shima-kan” for so long. From now on, the appeal of the Shima Kanko Hotel will only increase, and it will provide many people with a wonderful Shima time.

The post Enjoy the beauty of Kenkōjima at the Shima Kankō Hotel, where you can enjoy a stay that is as unique as the people who stay there/Shima City, Mie Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

“Netsuke” a necessity for Kimono

Kimono does not have a pocket where you can keep ”Sagemono (hanging stuff)” which you need to carry day to day such as ”Kinchaku (Small tied bag)” and ”Inro (Seal)”. For those occasions, ”Netsuke” is a must to have. ”Netsuke” is a fastener that prevents ”Sagemono” from falling by tying to it and clipping it to the ”Obi”(sash). Now a days, you can see people attaching a chain to the wallet and to the trousers, so if you can imagine that, this is not far off from it. In the old days, people were fashionable and gave additional design to ”Netsuke” and ”Sagemono”. Today, there are many collectors of ”Netsuke” even abroad. Ise Netsuke became super popular during the Edo period when visiting Ise Shrine became popular. It is said that many people bought it as a souvenir of visiting Ise and brought it home. There is even a story that the design of ”frog (return)” was the popular design.

Challenged carving “Netsuke”

We visited Tadamine Nakagawa, who is a ”Netsuke” artist and also a chairman of International Netsuke Carvers Society. Nakagawa is a Director of the Ise Netsuke Carving Museum that was opened in 1993 and is active in maintaining the tradition to the next generation.
Nakata was charmed by his work and got to challenge carving. However, after continuing carving his hands started hurting and there was a scene when he got a massage from . Nakagawa….
Nakata asked at the end, ”Is a there modern design?” ”Yes, we are thinking of making those as well now, so we are making small things that you can hang on your cell phone too”, says Nakagawa with a challenging expression.

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It takes 100 days to make “Sumi” Ink

It is said that the history of Suzukazumi goes back to the beginning of Heian Period. We met with Kido Ito who is a Traditional Artist making ”Sumi” Ink by hand which is a tradition that has been passed along.
Making ”Sumi” ink is a heavy duty work unlike what people would imagine. First of all you have to use the whole body to knead the glue that is made from leather and bone from deer and cow and spices to the main ingredient, soot.
Nakata holds one of the ”Sumi” ink that has just been kneaded.
”It feels like jelly”, says Nakata.
They put the jelly like thing into a wooden mold and after it is dried, it is then polished to get the glaze. It takes about 100 days to make one ”Sumi” ink.

There are many varieties to “Sumi” ink

It is interesting to know that there are many varieties of ”Sumi” ink. Nakata was surprised to know that and asked Ito, ”There are so many varieties of ”Sumi” ink”. Ito replies, ”we make about 300 different varieties in our place.”

That is of course due to the taste of different people. Some people prefer solid black while some prefer blurry ink. To respond to those needs, he made so many varieties to test.
When people think of ”Sumi” ink, they automatically imagine it to be black. However, are 300 different shades. Ito admired his father as his master and took over the 3rd generation Kido name. In fact he remains the only artist who can make Suzukazumi now. In order not to terminate the history of Suzukazumi that has been continuing for more than 1000 years, he is pouring his energy to train his successor as well as creating his own ”Sumi” ink.

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The idea of Natural Farming

You may often hear the word ”Natural Farming” nowadays. This ”Akame Shizennojuku” is run by Yoshikazu Kawaguchi who is the leading person of this method.
Currently, there is no strict definition of Natural Farming yet, but Akame Shizen Juku works on the basic idea of ”no tilling, no fertilizers and pesticide, do not treat weed and insect as the enemy”, and this method is called ”Natural Farming”. When you let the cycle of living things back to nature, you will get the best crops. Bases on the idea that permanent farming is possible if you observe the cycle of nature and they practice the cultivation method that requires minimum human help observing the vitality of the crop, and adjusting to the climate and soil of the land.
Kawaguchi switched to natural agriculture after he himself became ill due to the pesticide. By looking at his own life and nature, he came to the conclusion of Natural Farming.

To obtain techniques from practice

Akame Shizen Juku is a study group where you can learn Natural Farming as the name suggests.
However, there is no set curriculum and each person who comes here will learn the technique through practice while looking at Kawaguchi work through each season. Kawaguchi and the staff is only there to support the students to become independent.
Today, there are many people from all over Japan who come here to learn Natural Farming. And there has been many interests from abroad where they come to interview him.
The idea is not to challenge nature, but to realize that human being is a part of nature.
Kawaguchi’s Natural Farming will make you re-realize that the life of human being is also a cycle of nature.

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What is a “Storm Watching Inn” ?

There are many iconic words to describe a hotel but this is probably the only place in Japan where the description for ”hotel where you can watch a storm” is used.
Watching a storm, doesn’t mean this place is famous for the storm.
The concept of this hotel is for the human and nature to live together while respect nature. It is to learn from the fishermen and the free diver women from Toba who has been experiencing this from long time ago. And the hotel was made with the thought of continuing this idea to the next generation and to feel the ”earth” as it is.

A place surrounded by ocean and virgin forest

You will think how bold it is to name ”The Earth”. But the phrase is really suited here. Out of the hotel’s entire 178,000 square meter land, the area that was developed for building the facility is only 5%. The rest of the 95% is remained as untouched virgin forest which includes ”Ongi Beach” which is called the last holy land for the freediving women. You cannot help but feel the earth in the open space with the virgin forest and the ocean, many islands floating in the ocean small and large and the horizon into the ocean that you can see from your room.
Many people will wish that it will be sunny when they visit, but earth has sunny days, cloudy days and stormy days. We wish you will enjoy even when it is stormy.

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It was developed as a souvenir from Kishuhan

Kimono that is hang on the hanger like if both arms were spread open. And the beautiful patterns that floats on top of it. It really makes me happy to be born Japanese.
”Katagami (Paper Pattern)” is used to make these patterns and figures to dye on to Kimono. In Ise, the pattern making has been popular since the old days and it has been used to dye ”Yuzen”, ”Komon” and ”Yukata”. It is said that the origin is more than 1000 years ago and has undergone tremendous development during the Edo period with the protection of the Kishu clan.
First, three pieces of Mino Paper brushed with persimmon tannin is overlaid vertically and horizontally and after drying in the sun, it is put in the room called ”Muro” to be smoked and to form the base of the pattern. Then it is completed by engraving patterns with a carving knife. There are various techniques such as ”Pull carving (Hikibori)” which draws even striped patterns, ”Cone carving (Suibori)” carving round patterns and ”Tool carving (Dougubori)”.

“Ise Katagami” give influence to any design

We met Masaaki Kimura, who specialized in a technique called ”Stab carving (Tsukibori)”. By stabbing the paper to carve the patterns, you can create more delicate shapes.

Originally, ”Ise Katagami” was used to dye Kimono but currently it’s art has been highly valued and is also used to dye furniture.
”How beautiful this Kimono is!”, yes, the patterns that many people looked upon in the old days, are still being made by the artists after so many years.

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Great water of Akame Shijuhachi Waterfall

When you follow the origin of the river that runs by the Takijiman Shuzo brewery, you will get to Akame Shijuhachi Waterfall which the label is named after. This waterfall is famous for it’s delicious water and named as one of the 100 famous waterfalls of Japan and was selected for ”100 famous water from Heisei Era”. Takijiman is made with this great water.
But, you cannot make sake that people love just with water. Takijiman Shuzo aims to create ”sake that one person can drink 100 cups rather than 100 people can drink one cup.” It is not to claim that ”this is the taste of our sake”, but to prioritize the person who will drink it. So there is a sake that you can really taste the flavor of the rice to one that is really smooth to drink.

To perform thorough control

However, ”it’s easily said than done”. When you look at how Takijiman Shuzo makes their sake, you can really feel their words. Washing rice is done by hand even in the middle of the coldest days, and they use smaller than regular tank so it is easier to control.
They take precise care for bottling too which brewery with bigger production cannot accomplish. Even though the production amount is smaller, they make ”sake that a person can drink 100 cups”. While eating your food, you will drink more without realizing it. This is a sake just like that.

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Selecting special Futakoji

Moriki Shuzojou started only making ”Junmai” since 1999.. All the sake they produce is hand made and they brew by using ”Koji (rice malt ” called ”Futa Koji” that takes a lot of care.
”Futa Koji” is one of the traditional method of making ”Koji” by putting steamed rice in a small box called ”Kojibuta”. By separating into small portions, it is easier to control temperature and oxygen supply so you can make better ”Koji”.
However, unlike the method of producing a large amount of koji at once by spreading rice on a large table called ”Toko Kojiho” or creating it by machine, this method takes more time and human labor.

In fact, in general, the ”Futa Koji” method is only used when making high-grade sake like Ginjo sake or more. However, Moriki Shuzojo adopts this methods in all of their products. . By taking time and spending human labor as much as it needs, they create ”sake” that has elegant fragrance and deep acidic taste.

Secret conversation with a famous writer

One of the sake that this method created is a sake named ”Rumiko’s Sake”. It was Akira Oze, who is the author of the manga ”Natsuko’s Sake” named this sake.
Rumiko Mori who is currently the director and the person in charge of making ”Koji” read the book ”Natsuko’s Sake” and was moved by it, wrote a letter to Oze about her childhood story growing up in a brewery and about the sake she is making now. After that, she got a reply from Oze.
At the back cover story of ”Natsuko’s Sake” volume 5, Oze said, ”some people said they used the name ”Natsuko’s Sake” and changed it slightly. but I think this was the perfect naming for this sake.” As they say, this sake is truly the special sake for Rumiko. As a footnote, charmed by her passion, Oze drew an illustration for the label.

Commitment to ”sake” makes delicious sake. It may be a matter of course, but here at Moriki Shuzojo they show this clearly by their taste.

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A rare species that is hard to cultivate

Have you heard of the name Kara Mandarine? This fruit called ”Kara” is a rare variety of citrus that is only rarely cultivated in the world.
It is a variety that was introduced by Dr, Floyd from the USA in 1935 and was a cross between ”Owarikei Satsuma Mikan” and ”King Mandarin”.
It was introduced to Japan in 1955. It is hard to cultivate and did not succeed to be commercialized in the USA however, after a long research, they stated to cultivate commercially, though small quantity, in Japan.

The sweetness that matures on the tree

There are two main characteristics. One is the taste. It takes about one whole year for Kara Mandarine to grow from small fruit to harvest on a tree. Therefore, it can collect all the nutrients in the fruit and the sugar content is very high. You will be surprised that it is much more sweeter than mikan.
The other characteristic is that the harvest season is very late. When you think about mandarine, you will imagine eating on the heated table during winter. But the harvest season for Kara Mandarine is between April to May. Amongst the citrus family, this is the latest harvest season.

At a glance, it looks like orange with hard peel, but in fact it is easy to peel with your hands. And once you bite into it, it is sweet as mikan. There are many varieties in oranges and mikan, but to present the finale is Kara Mandarine. We recommend you will try this once.

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