Benesse House - Japan
Benesse House is a facility incorporating a museum and a hotel, based on the concept of a coexistence among nature, architecture, and art. The complex, entirely designed by Tadao Ando, is made up of four buildings, centered on the Museum, with additional lodging facilities in the buildings known as Oval, Park, and Beach. The Museum, which performs the complex's principal function of displaying art, has an imposing structure open to the outside world, and visitors can sense the presence of Nature even inside the building. In addition to the works in its collection, the Museum also contains permanent site-specific installations that artists have created especially for this building, locating the installations on their own and designing the works for those spaces. In fact, the Museum's artworks are found not only within its galleries, but in all parts of the building, as well as in scattered locations along the seashore that rims the complex and in the nearby forest. One of the pleasures of visiting Benesse House is unexpectedly encountering works of art, not only within the walls of the Museum but also while strolling around the grounds, enjoying the abundant natural beauty of the Inland Sea region.
Museum: This hotel lets you stay as close to the artworks as possible. The guestrooms, available in four distinct styles, are decorated with drawings, paintings, and prints created by the artists whose works the museum collects. This facility is also equipped with lecture rooms suitable for meetings and other events.
Oval: Situated on a hill and connected to the Museum building by a monorail, Oval offers spacious, luxurious lodgings in a mere six rooms. Large floor-to-ceiling windows in the guestrooms offer expansive views of the Inland Sea.
Park: Park offers views of a verdant green lawn and the sparkling sea, with the mountains of Shikoku rising up in the distance against a bright blue sky. The Park building contains a restaurant and shops, as well as art spaces throughout the facility.
Beach: Located just a few steps from the water's edge, Beach offers a panoramic view of the Inland Sea that extends all the way to the horizon, giving you a real sense of the Sea's presence. All of the eight rooms in Beach are suites and perfect for a family stay.
