On a small Japanese island is a new ryokan from the founder of Aman. That might be all you need to hear — but you should also know the story of salt, from the fortune that built this splendid house to the ocean breeze that lashes its windows and wood.
What’s most important about Azumi Setoda, more important than the guests, is how the building breathes.
Constructed 140 years ago for a distinguished family of salt barons, the house was designed to be a symbol of their power, built by the most talented workers using the finest local wood and stone. When Adrian Zecha acquired the estate and set out to transform it into a hotel, he brought in an architect, Shiro Miura, who would restore it with more than just the structure in mind. Miura considered the surrounding environment as well: the light, the wind, the sea.
Those outside elements cause the inside materials to evolve. To warp, crack, and change color. The building breathes, and the building is the most important part of Azumi Setoda. Without it, this is just another luxury resort — albeit one of the type that Zecha, as founder of Aman Hotels & Resorts, is used to creating. The type where you’ll be treated as well as you ever have. Where you’ll be treated to omotenashi, the Japanese art of pure, selfless, wholehearted hospitality. Still, you wouldn’t be here without the house.
Miura is a master of sukiya architecture. Sukiya has respect for tradition while accommodating changing tastes and the passage of time, allowing for the use of modern techniques and materials. As a result, it’s possible to mistake Azumi Setoda for a new build. But the history of this place is as undeniable as the salt in the air — a past made more evident by its resurrection as a ryokan, the world’s oldest existing form of hotel.
Ryokans began appearing over 1,000 years ago, starting out as simple inns — a quiet refuge for samurais, merchants, and other travelers crossing the country. Over time, they evolved to meet the needs of the aristocracy, which is clear in the best ryokans of today. Tranquility, ceremony, hot spring onsen baths, fastidiously prepared meals, and most of all, omotenashi.
It’s a perfect match for Zecha, whose Aman properties have set the standard for all-encompassing luxury service for more than 30 years. He’d always been passionate about the ryokan, so it’s no surprise that it’s the format he chose for the first hotel in his new Azumi line. For a location, he chose the seaside town of Setoda, on the small, lemon-covered island of Ikuchijima.
Ikuchijima’s placement in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea was a strategic advantage for the Horiuchi family, who built their magnificent house from the fortune they made after a couple centuries in the salt trade. Back then, the location of the house, right off Setoda port, made it an asset for entertaining prominent business partners from afar. Today, visitors come to cycle the famous Shimanami Kaido road, and pick citrus in the orchards.
Since its opening a couple years ago, Azumi has done what we expect all great hotels to do: it’s contributed to its surroundings, not just capitalized on them. As with other rural areas of Japan, Ikuchijima’s already modest population had been shrinking, and businesses closing. Now, the hotel has brought a new dynamism to Setoda, helping to spark an increase in the number of restaurants and stores, and a renewed interest from younger generations.
And it all started with salt.
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Nuts & Bolts
A bite-sized breakdown of your most frequently asked questions about Azumi Setoda.
Who comes here?
Azumi Setoda appeals to couples, solo travelers, small families, and even celebrities looking for a sophisticated and peaceful retreat.
When’s the best time to visit?
The best times to visit the island are spring and summer, when the weather is most pleasant. Winter is harvest and the best time to sample the island’s citrus fruits.
What else is there to do in the area?
Cycling along the famous 70km Shimanami Kaido road is a must, as are citrus picking and strolls through the orchards. Visitors can also take advantage of the public baths restored by the hotel, visit the temples and shrines of the region, take a cruise through the archipelago, enjoy the seaside, fish, or sample the local cuisine in the shopping street of Shiomachi.
Best room for a solo traveler? A couple? A family?
Azumi Setoda has 22 unique, secluded rooms. The ryokan offers two sizes of accommodation: 50-square-meter standard rooms ideal for solo travelers and couples, and 70-square-meter maisonettes that can accommodate three people. Each room has its own outdoor space with a large balcony, a private garden, or a combination of both.
What’s a design feature I would miss if you didn’t tell me about it?
The intricate craftsmanship and local materials used in the restoration reflect the island’s cultural and natural heritage and could go unnoticed without explanation. For example, the silver wallpaper in the Azumaya pavilion is hand-maintained by craftsmen using a fine brush, and the shoji screens are remarkably thin.
Anything to say about sustainability, equality, and community?
Azumi Setoda uses local materials, practices organic farming, promotes nearby farms and foods, and seeks to hire fairly with opportunity for education and advancement.
Are there some standout amenities to recommend?
The hotel’s renovated public baths across the street allow visitors to experience onsen, immersion in a bath of hot spring water. There’s also a cold bath, a sauna, and a lounge serving local drinks and snacks prepared by local women.
Without further ado, what’s there to eat?
The chef is keen to introduce visitors to the flavors of the Setouchi region, which includes the Seto Inland Sea. The hotel therefore strives to use as many ingredients as possible grown within a 50-kilometer radius, such as vegetables sourced on the island. The chef himself visits the farms and talks to each producer to deepen his knowledge of the produce. He then creates dishes cooked and seasoned to bring out the best of these flavors.
Tell me about Tablet Plus?
At the time of publishing, Azumi Setoda offers Tablet Plus privileges, including a room upgrade at check-in (if available), guaranteed 2pm late check-out, a wonderful welcome treat, and a 100 USD hotel credit for stays of 2 nights or more. You’ll definitely be staying 2 nights or more.
The final word?
Respect for detail and tradition, a masterful combination of luxury and tranquility, Azumi Setoda is another hospitality success story from the founder of Aman.
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