ENGLISH CONTENTS

2019.09.27

ENGLISH CONTENTS

Discovery Resort

Immerse yourself in nature on a road trip with sublime views

TEXT
Kaori Kuwazawa

PHOTO
Masanobu Ito

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The car runs smoothly along the thickly-wooded mountain roads of Tateshina. The road from urban Chino to the Tateshina Tokyu Hotel eventually enters forest, and we escape from the everyday into the extraordinary. We arrive at the hotel, its red roof nestled in the forest, and step inside.
Opened 38 years ago, the Tateshina Tokyu Hotel is a classic Western-style structure. Inside the hotel, the pillars of North American Douglas fir and beams and handrails adorned with hand-carved sculptures have developed a distinctive luster over time. These date back to the opening of the hotel, and because it is hard these days to get hold of or process these materials, they apparently cannot be reproduced. Through reverence for the hotel’s original concept plus repeated repair, the interior is redolent with the warmth of wood that gives one a feeling of nostalgia, even as a first-time visitor. It is a relaxing and comfortable space for adults.
In the Lobby Lounge Azalea stands the symbol of the hotel, a huge fireplace. While we toast marshmallows over the fire, we lose our sense of time, lost in the moment. With the crackling sound of the logs and the flickering of the flames around us, we begin to shake off our everyday fatigue.
We are also intrigued by the Library next to the lounge. While we browse through Tateshina guidebooks, we get increasingly excited about our plans for the following day.
Conversation is natural and lively over a delicious dinner in the Restaurant Fregrant. Outside the window it gradually becomes utterly dark; a multitude of stars twinkle in the night sky, and peace descends. We feel pulled towards a deep sleep, as if we are enjoying a spa treatment of nature itself.
The following morning, we wake up feeling good, and take a stroll through the garden beyond the lounge window. All around, sunshine filters through the trees onto a well-kept lawn, with flowers adding color. We walk around Karamatsu Pond with a distant view of the Yatsugatake mountains. We sit on a bench and look at the pond, feeling our minds as well as our bodies slipping into a state of calm.
This is a hotel at one with nature. When you are here you notice the changes in the direction of the wind, and that the birdsong in the distance is different. We both feel as if our senses are sharper than usual. Released from the everyday, we are utterly relaxed.
Recommended: From forest to firmament along the Venus Line scenic route