<p>Japan’s XIV Toba Bettei membership hotel, owned by RESORTTRUST, INC, opened in March 2016, but diners at its »floating restaurant« might think they’d slipped back in time a few hundred years. Modeled after the 16th century Karakasa-tei teahouse of master Sen no Rikyu, the dining room features a ribbed circular ceiling, discreet panels between the tables, and polished natural wood – all built exactly at water-level to give the sensation of drifting on the hotel’s picturesque pond.</p>
              <p> That combination – classic Japanese architecture immersed in nature – was the guiding aesthetic of designer Nobuko Suzuki (for Nikken Space Design), and her interiors for Toba Bettei’s guest rooms are filled with homages to time-honored Japanese style. Low-set furnishings, minimalist lines, soft lighting, and repeating rectangles all contribute to a nostalgic look. The color scheme pairs customary Japanese hues with metallic lacquers and foils: deep red with gold, indigo with silver, and mustard yellow with copper. Sliding wood-and-paper shoji panels let in light while creating a layered space.</p>
              <p>The emphasis on tradition is appropriate for Toba, a small fishing village on the Ise-Shima Peninsula. The town’s winding stone streets, tiny izakaya pubs, and numerous shrines are a throwback to previous centuries – and visitors to the area can still find locals mending nets and diving for shellfish and lobster by hand, as they have for centuries.</p>
              <p>Suzuki’s vision for the resort goes well beyond historical recreation, of course. »We tried to capture the essence of Japanese traditional architecture, without building something completely traditional,« says the designer. To that end, the rooms also showcase dramatic rim lighting, sleek black ceramic surfaces, and wooden-slab sofas – all unmistakably modern. The bathroom fixtures, including INAX’s Asteo spalets, also add a dash of contemporary, plus state-of-the-art technology, to maximize comfort at this getaway dedicated to quiet relaxation.</p>