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2024

Client
Yoshika Co., Ltd.
Yamanaka Onsen Ohanami Kyubei

Creative Director / Art Coordinator
Tsutomu Yoshizaki (MiKS)

Interior Design
Hokuriku Misawa Homes Co., Ltd.

Furniture Design
Horaisha Co., Ltd.

Art Design
Yuri Minagawa
Makiko Marutani | MUMCA
Naomi Sakano

Special Thanks
The Ohanami Kyubei Staff

Located in Yamanaka Onsen, one of the Kaga hot spring resorts, Ohanami Kyubei is a ryokan (Japanese inn) with the slogan "Ryokan Cafe" to bring Japanese culture closer to guests. This time, we planned a restaurant renovation to coincide with a change in dining style, and were responsible for everything from formulating the design concept to coordinating the art and interior plans. The theme of the renovation was "a restaurant where you can experience the changing nature of Yamanaka Onsen throughout the seasons." Unlike traditional ryokan dining, the restaurant adopted a half-buffet format. We also aimed to create a space that would express the cultural hub function that ryokans have traditionally had. Incorporating the atmosphere of Kakusenkei Gorge, which symbolizes the natural beauty of Yamanaka Onsen, the space was zoned into two areas: "Spring/Summer" and "Autumn/Winter." We commissioned Kutani potter Makiko Marutani (MUMCA), dyeing artist Yumi Sakano, and dyeing and decoration artist Yuri Minagawa to depict Kakusenkei in their own unique style, creating a space that would make the artistic expression feel more present throughout guests' stay. Makiko Marutani (MUMCA) created a pendant light to illuminate the buffet counter. Marutani's distinctive style is characterized by her ability to extract and shape the boundaries of a landscape, resulting in a pop piece characteristic of Ohanami Kyubei, evoking the wisteria flowers blooming in Kakusenkei Gorge and the distant ridgelines. Yumi Sakano created a panel featuring an ink drawing of the foliage seen through the gaps in the trees of Kakusenkei Gorge and the scenery of the Steam Highway surrounding the town. Sakano's characteristic bold brushwork is captivating. Yuri Minagawa created a pendant light that spans two zones, "Spring/Summer" and "Autumn/Winter." Minagawa's bold yet delicate use of color organically expresses the plants and sky seen from the valley, tying the entire space together. Additionally, fabric curtains for the entrance were created using over 20 pieces of fabric created by the inn's staff during a dyeing experience. Each staff member added their own unique color, drawing from the colors of Yamanaka Onsen. Hot spring water from Yamanaka Onsen and river water from Kakusenkei Gorge are used in the dyeing and washing processes, resulting in works that make the most of the local characteristics, truly "Made in Yamanaka Onsen." As Ohanami Kyubei seeks to revamp its image amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it is undergoing an upgrade with the motto "how to enjoy a ryokan in line with the times." This restaurant renovation project has been able to achieve updates that preserve Ohanami Kyubei's concept while allowing visitors to feel a sense of beauty and intimacy through an art experience.
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