MASATOSHI UEDA, SECOND-GENERATION OWNER OF THE ASEBINO RYOKAN ON THE IZU PENINSULA, TELLS US ABOUT THE GENESIS OF THE HOTEL AND THE CHOICE OF USING RITZWELL FURNITURE TO MAKE THE ENVIRONMENT EVEN MORE ELEGANT AND COSY.
"There is nothing I appreciate more than the lush nature of this place.
Even rainy days here are simply wonderful."
Asebino is a ryokan conceived for couples that takes its name from the Japanese Andromeda (Asebi in Japanese), a native Asian evergreen that has grown in this region since ancient times and has beautiful flowers resembling lilies of the valley - poisonous but with symbolic romantic meanings. Many of these plants grow around the building but the biggest of them towers in front of the entrance – more than 5 metres tall. The ryokan is located on the crossing of two streams in the Amagi mountains on the Izu peninsula, which is famous for its thermal springs, splendid coasts, mountainous inland and mild climate, located about 100 km south-east of Tokyo.
“My parents founded Sagasawakan" says Masatoshi Ueda. "An onsen (Japanese spa) not far from here, in 1928, but it was unfortunately destroyed by a typhoon thirty years later. My mother chose to rebuild it and luckily the thermal spring continued to flow so guests came back to support us. Asebino opened in 2022 on a site which used to host a corporate recreational centre we purchased to be able to offer a different kind of hospitality and reserve a more intimate environment to those who travel as couples”.
A magical place equipped with warm thermal waters where you can listen to the whispering of the mountains, breathe in the scent of flowers and enjoy the colours of nature that change with every season to renew the energy of body and mind.
“Our ryokan offers 18 rooms, all equipped with outdoor bathtubs facing the forest. For the Asebino project, we worked with Mr. Suzuki from Ishii Architect & Associates, a designer specializing in ryokans whom I have known since the days of Sagasawakan. Although this guesthouse has the facade of a typical ancient private house (Kominca in Japanese), we wanted to make the indoor atmosphere as modern as possible, using earth walls and local cedar wood. I think the project turned out even better than we had imagined. Despite the fact that more than 20 years have gone by since its construction, it still seems highly contemporary”.
Built on three different levels on the slope of a valley surrounding a mountain brook, the building is in perfect harmony with the lush nature surrounding it where the absolute protagonist is the natural landscape you can admire through the large glass windows in the entrance.
“This area, the hall, is the place where the first encounter between us and our visitors takes place, and where they first encounter the facility. The guests walk in, sit down on a chair and observe the landscape. If they can feel absolute relaxation at that moment, they will feel satisfied and completely different”. This was the feeling Mr. Suzuki had in mind when he decided to propose Ritzwell’s furniture to Ueda.
“Everything is highly consistent. The fabric on the sofa (LEEWISE EXCLUSIVE SOFA) was chosen by the architect to adapt to the space of the lobby, while the structure of the piece is designed in a Japanese style, so it easily integrated with everything else. The Ritzwell sofas and armchairs (RIVAGE EASY CHAIR) are truly comfortable, and I believe that the choice of including them in the interior enhanced the elegance of the whole space. It is important that the furniture convey a relaxed atmosphere. The chairs we had previously did not have the same vibe and replacing them made a big difference. Since our guests visit us with the desire to spend a relaxing moment, we could even say that Ritzwell’s furniture plays the role of an important staff member at “Asebino” – the furniture seems to smile at each other and savour the breeze of the valley as summer approaches”.
Photocredit by Tonari_no_koho
Products by Ritzwell: LEEWISE EXCLUSIVE SOFA with fabric chosen specifically by the designer Mr. Suzuki, RIVAGE EASY CHAIR and JK COFFEE TABLE.
