Positioned on the shore of the Seto Inland Sea in Japan, the Simose Museum and Art Garden Villa unites culture, cuisine and hospitality in a cutting-edge venue that was unveiled in 2023. By Ben Southan

From palaces on Venetian palazzos with their Rococo frescoes and white marble statues, to any humble airside overnighter with its ubiquitous photo of a jetty on a misty lake hung above the bed, we can find art serving as a defining feature in hotel rooms. At its grandest it can evoke a sense of decadence, refinement and luxury, and at its most modest, serve as a welcome antidote to the monotony of magnolia walls where a television is the only other feature to break up the blank canvas.

Now imagine a hotel which is itself the art on display. Enter the Simose Museum and Art Garden Villa in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan; an Art Museum Hotel offering ten contemporary home-style vacation villas designed by Pritzker prize-winning architect and living national treasure, Shigeru Ban. If you’re not aware of Shigeru Ban he is perhaps most notable for his signature use of recycled cardboard tubes as a major component in his innovative structures, as well as his award-winning work in the disaster relief sector.

Alongside this runs a mastery of traditional Japanese timber construction, which can be seen in Simose’s oval entrance hall where an expanse of intersecting wooden beams emanate from two pillars supporting the roof, like tree branches spread across the sky.

Completed in 2023, Simose Art Museum includes an entrance hall, exhibition hall and administration buildings all connected by a 180-meter-long screen of mirrored glass panels running parallel to the sea which reflect the sky and landscape around it. At points, the building disappears into itself where two surfaces intersect, and where a distant ridge-line of wooded hills are sliced in two by a mirrored edge, we find them made continuous again in their reflection. The effect is totally modern, yet somehow natural and harmonious.

From within, these mirrored walls form a transparent corridor who’s surface ripples with refracted light from a lake outside where an array of eight gallery units sheathed in coloured glass float mysteriously in a basin of black water. Each unit is connected to another by a bridge and in the dark they glow like a string of festival lanterns. These symbolic islands float on barges whose position can be changed by just two people in order to suit each exhibition narrative. They house an impressive collection of approximately 500 works by both Japanese and European artists assembled over half a century by Yumiko Shimose, president of Marui Sangyo Corporation.

At the time of my visit, the works on display included automatons by Yotsuya Simon, paintings and prints by Kuniyoshi Kaneko, Hina dolls by Heizo Oki VII, Japanese style paintings by Matazo Kayama and Kazuki, lithographs by Braque, Western Art Nouveau glassware and marquetry by Emile Gallé and Daum Fréres, and paintings by Henri Matisse, Camille Pissarro and Marc Chagall.

Opposite these floating units sits an expansive white-cube exhibition hall where the roof doubles as a sea-view terrace overlooking the bay and is host to banks of solar panels which serve most of the Simose’s energy requirements. The gallery opens from 9.30am to 5pm (closed Mondays) and various group prices can be obtained including free entry to those with a disability certificate when accompanied by a partner.

Whilst the gallery is worth visiting for its fine collection of arts and crafts, other works of art are available to explore in the ten playful and innovative Villas designed by Shigeru Ban. Located within the the 4.6-hectare site is a choice of accommodation ranging from £600 to £1,600 per night, based on two adults sharing. To the south of the gallery sit five Forest Villas occupying a sandy pine forest, showcasing several recreations of Shigeru Ban’s early designs including the Furniture House (£1,068 per night for 2 adults) where bookshelves and closets are used as walls and pillars and sofas and lampshades are made from cardboard.

The Wall-less house, (£1,602 per night for two adults) is a cantilevered masterpiece enclosed on three sides by sliding glass doors which retract to create an open airy space within the trees, and the Paper House (also £1,602 per night) which uses 110 paper tubes to create both the supporting structure and rooms within the property. To the north are five Waterfront Villas situated on a leafy avenue overlooking the ocean, each styled in warm wood panelling and built using traditional Austrian Kielsteg construction.

I stayed in Kielsteg House C, a 55 sqm light, spacious room with twin beds facing the sea through large glass doors which opened onto a deck complete with spa bath. The bathroom and bath were made from green Towada stone which feels pleasantly soft and warm underfoot and I found a well-stocked bar and tea preparation facilities in the lounge. After pouring myself a beer I ran a bath on the terrace and relaxed in the hot water, enjoying the breeze and the keen shrilling of gulls over the sea. A low background hum pulsed from somewhere far off over the bay where red and white chimneys steamed steadily into the sky and beside me sparrows flitted through the bushes. Beyond the fence I watched figures strolling slowly along the sea wall. It was quiet, private and calm, and in the morning I awoke to an incredible sunrise over the islands.

Each villa has a different layout to the next making it enjoyable for returning guests and for those who stay multiple nights to experience each in turn. When booking there are two plans available: "Simple Stay" and "All Inclusive". The Simple Stay plan includes bed, museum ticket, minibar beverages and car service, at the rate of £587 based on two adults for one night. All Inclusive includes art, auberge late autumn menu, dinner, breakfast, minibar, transfers for £854 based on two adults for one night. It is also possible reserve all ten villas or even rent individual apartments long-term upon application.

Walking from the villas through the Emile Gallé flower Garden and past the gallery, one arrives at the restaurant serving French-style cuisine from an airy open-plan kitchen. Glass walls on four sides give diners panoramic views during the day and at night become a dark canvas dotted with the silvery lights of boats on the bay. During my stay our chefs prepared a nine-course meal of delicate, fresh, imaginative food, thoughtfully prepared and expertly presented.

Each course was explained to us by the head chef and I was lucky to be served an exclusive vegetarian menu prepared specially for me: An appetiser followed by soup with seasonal vegetables; gargouille with citrus, porcini and fresh truffle; tagliatelle with shingiku and almond; grilled Matsutake mushroom with chestnut purée; then two different desserts before a pot of green tea.

The restaurant seats 50 and has an exclusive lounge for hotel guests serving drinks and snacks throughout the day. Prices range from about £30 for a set lunch to £200 for an Anniversary Dinner for two including wine and a bouquet presented with the meal.

Other facilities one can find on site include a comprehensive gym complete with Technogym equipment housed in the beautiful reception building clad entirely in cedar-wood shingles and the Emile Gallé flower garden on the north side of the property. The garden is home to species of plant and wild flowers beloved by Art Nouveau artist Emile Gallé who not only created works of art with motifs of nature, but also worked as a botanist. The garden has been planted in harmony with the climate of Setouchi with flowers selected for their appearance in Gallé’s works of art.

VERDICT:

Whether seeking culture or a calm retreat, the Simose Art Garden Villa offers its guests both in a refined combination of home-style comfort framed by truly innovative architecture where the natural beauty of its surroundings are rivalled only by it’s collection of world-class art. The food served in the restaurant is exceptional.