A serene dining view where a pale wood counter overlooks a meticulously framed Zen garden. The picture window captures two tall, dark, organic stones against a white wall and green lawn. The design uses natural light and raw materials to integrate the refined interior with the peaceful, authentic Japanese landscape.

Yoruya Hotel: A Contemporary Tribute to Kurashiki’s Craft Heritage

Words by Eric David

Kurashiki, Japan

The Japanese town of Kurashiki is one of those postcard-perfect places that transports visitors back in time thanks to its beautifully preserved Bikan Historical Quarter, featuring willow tree–fringed canals lined with quaint historic buildings that span four centuries. Occupying a 110-year-old merchant’s residence, YORUYA hotel was conceived as a reflection of Kurashiki’s layered heritage. Masterfully renovated by architect Takeo Imai in collaboration with design studio SIMPLICITY, the project involved reconstructing much of the original structure as well as building new wings that echo the diverse architectural styles found throughout the historical quarter. Combined with an unwavering commitment to craftsmanship, the 13-room YORUYA embodies a more grounded kind of luxury hospitality, defined by authenticity, stillness, and an intimate sense of place.

A close-up of the verdigris bronze lantern hanging above the roof tiles. The oxidized copper features an aged patina, contrasting with the soft, inviting glow of the lantern's paper panels, which bear the hotel's name. This detail celebrates vintage-retro craftsmanship and authentic street furniture, signaling a sense of timeless tradition and welcome.

Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

The entrance to the hotel is defined by a simple, dark wooden door and a large, textural hand-woven rope noren. This traditional Japanese element uses natural, tactile materials against the severe, dark wood framing. The composition highlights the beauty of craft and texture, reflecting the hotel's focus on authentic materials and reserved hospitality.

Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

The exterior of the traditional Japanese townhouse features a serene composition of a dark tile roof, muted earthen walls, and wood lattice windows. A prominent, antique verdigris lantern, glowing warmly, marks the entrance. The design reflects a quiet neo-vernacular beauty, where dark wood frames the warmly lit interiors glimpsed through the latticework.

Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

Kurashiki's prosperity dates back to the Edo period, when the reclamation of nearby marshlands transformed the area into a fertile land, perfect for cultivating cotton along with soft rush grass. This laid the foundations for its textile industry, which thrived during the Meiji era when the city became a hub of industrial innovation. Much of that history endures in the Bikan Historical Quarter’s restored storehouses, which now house museums, cafés, and boutiques, including the heritage-listed building that YORUYA occupies. Constructed over a century ago as a kimono merchant’s residence, it later became a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn offering simple hospitality. Its latest transformation carries this legacy forward, linking Kurashiki’s past with a quieter, contemporary sensibility.

The building renovation was guided by a single yet profound principle: to preserve as much as possible while allowing the building to evolve. Many architectural elements were carefully repaired including the foundational stones supporting the structure, the thick floorboards, and the carved handrails fashioned from a single piece of wood. For the project’s newly built sections, the team channelled the stylistic diversity of Kurashiki, using white plaster walls that recall the town’s Edo-period storehouses, red brickwork evoking the industrial spirit of the Taisho era, and rounded wooden beams that subtly allude to the region’s shipbuilding past.

A narrow outdoor passageway separating the hotel structures. A towering brick wall, featuring dark, architectural recesses, contrasts with a smooth white wall and a dark wood fence on the other side. A small, glowing lantern sits on the clean concrete path, establishing an intimate, atmospheric transition space.

Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

  • A collection of rustic, glazed earthenware jars sits on a concrete patio outside the hotel, establishing a tone of traditional Japanese craft. The varied textures and natural glazes of the ceramics contrast sharply with the clean, modern white wall behind them. Shadowplay from overhead foliage adds a dynamic, authentic ambiance to this outdoor display.

    Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

  • A close-up of a tall, highly polished black suiseki stone in the hotel's garden, featuring a glossy, reflective surface that enhances its organic lines. Set against a soft gray sky and clean white wall, the brutalist monument stands on a manicured lawn, highlighting the Japanese reverence for natural forms and the balance of light and shadow.

    Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

  • A quiet moment captured through a blurred shoji-style window, revealing a hint of a courtyard tree and dark flooring. The vertical composition is bisected by a dark structural beam, contrasting the heavy wood with the bright, filtered natural light. The chairs' simple forms and Zen atmosphere underscore the hotel’s reserved aesthetic.

    Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

A dramatic dining space combining rough and smooth textures, featuring a minimalist long counter of pale wood framing a sunken preparation area with a brutalist stone wall. The deep, matte black ceiling and warm ochre walls create a moody, intimate atmosphere. The composition emphasizes the Japanese concept of simplicity and raw material honesty.

Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

  • Raking afternoon sunlight illuminates a minimalist place setting on a light wood counter. A dark, textured stone mat holds bamboo chopsticks and a crisp paper chopstick rest bearing a subtle hotel emblem. The interplay of light and shadow emphasizes the clean lines and authentic, tactile materials central to the Japandi design philosophy.

    Photography by Renee Kemps.

  • Golden hour light streams through a wooden-framed window, casting geometric shadows of the lattice onto the warm, ochre wall. This moment highlights the simple, elongated service counter and the material contrast between the light wood and the dark grey accent wall. The scene is defined by light and texture, embodying the elegant simplicity of Japandi design.

    Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

The hotel's quiet Zen garden features three prominent, dark, polished suiseki stones standing sentinel against a crisp white wall. Flat stepping stones across the lawn and a subtle overhanging branch create a composition focused on natural, brutalist forms and negative space. The atmosphere is one of profound, tranquil minimalism.

Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

Just as much thought was given to the hotel’s layout as to its materiality. At the front of the property, the communal areas foster interaction between locals and visitors thanks to a wine bar open to the public while the guest rooms located at the back ensure privacy and tranquillity, an arrangement that preserves the traditional layout that once separated a merchant’s house into spaces for business and living. Connecting the communal areas with the four guestroom wings is a narrow hiyasai, or alleyway, a spatial motif distinctive to Kurashiki. Lined with white plaster and red brick, it provides a gentle threshold between public life and domestic calm, while a serene courtyard at the centre of the proprty invites quiet reflection and a moment of pause.

  • A sunny outdoor patio displays a collection of traditional, earthenware storage jars with varied glazes and textures. The pots sit on a light concrete surface next to a clean white wall, with a small lawn and two large, dark suiseki stones visible beyond. The scene blends historic Japanese craftsmanship with modern, minimalist garden design.

    Photography by Ian Lanterman for Design Hotels.

  • A detail shot of a discreet recessed shelving unit in a guest room. Thin, dark wood floating shelves hold minimalist objects and ceramic wares, including a book with Japanese text and a map motif. The composition, set against a clean white wall, emphasizes curated simplicity and the hotel's focus on traditional art and design accents.

    Photography by Ian Lanterman for Design Hotels.

  • A minimalist living space featuring a long, low, built-in ivory sofa. A dark, rustic timber beam is exposed near the ceiling. A bespoke, dark wood side table cantilevers over the cushion, holding a small vase of greenery and white flowers, highlighting the elegant contrast of dark and light materials in the room's Japandi aesthetic.

    Photography by Ian Lanterman for Design Hotels.

A minimalist bedroom featuring a tatami-elevated bed and light wood floors, contrasted by a dramatic, full-height glass wall. The window reveals a private, enclosed courtyard faced with an intricate red and gray brick pattern. The design frames the textured wall as a piece of interior art, using natural light and materials to create a serene sanctuary.

Photography by Yoshiro Masuda.

  • A bright, minimalist living space featuring a low, ivory built-in banquette and a sleek, dark carved wood coffee table. A narrow horizontal window provides a framed view of traditional Japanese tile rooftops. A wooden slatted element hangs from the ceiling, introducing natural material texture to the otherwise clean, white room.

    Photography by Yoshiro Masuda.

  • A minimalist bedroom featuring a tatami-elevated bed and light wood floors, contrasted by a dramatic, full-height glass wall. The window reveals a private, enclosed courtyard faced with an intricate red and gray brick pattern. The design frames the textured wall as a piece of interior art, using natural light and materials to create a serene sanctuary.

    Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

A serene, minimalist bedroom featuring twin beds on a tatami platform, defined by crisp white walls and a structural dark wood beam overhead. A small window offers a framed view of the vibrant garden outside. A simple, cube-shaped lantern provides a warm, Zen-like accent light, maintaining the room's elegant simplicity.

Photography by Yoshiro Masuda.

A bedroom defined by the dramatic geometry of dark, heavy curved structural beams against a sloped, white ceiling. The low-profile bed sits on a tatami mat platform, adhering to Zen minimalism. The rich, dark wood millwork lining the window and forming the bedside cabinets provides textural contrast, emphasizing the room's elegant austerity.

Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

Discreetly tucked at the back of the property, the hotel’s 13 rooms range from compact studios to larger maisonette-style spaces, several boasting private courtyards, Exposed beams, tatami floors, and shoji panels evoke the textures of old Kurashiki, while contemporary furnishings crafted in pale hinoki or reddish cedar offer subtle counterpoints. Throughout, a muted palette of earthy browns and creams, punctuated by handmade fabrics and art objects, cultivates a sense of stillness.

YORUYA’s philosophy of preservation extends into every crafted detail, from the hand-blown glassware and hand-carved wooden trays found in each room to the restaurant’s ceramic tableware. Custom-made by local kilns specialising in Bizen ware, one of Japan’s six great pottery traditions, the latter are characterised by earthy textures, organic forms, and extraordinary detail, exemplifying Japan’s living ceramic heritage as well as the hotel’s devotion to Kurashiki’s artisanal legacy.

  • A quiet, minimalist work corner features a dark, live-edge wood desk set against a sunlit window framing a traditional Japanese roofscape and flowering tree. The room's simple geometry is warmed by a single, glowing desk lamp and an exposed rustic timber beam. The space rests on a tatami mat floor, blending modern form with traditional materials.

    Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

  • A close-up detail of a dark, brutalist coffee table featuring a heavily hand-chiseled texture across its entire surface and base. The rough, matte black wood contrasts sharply with the smooth, pale tatami mat and the soft, neutral fabric of the surrounding seating, emphasizing raw materiality and Zen minimalism.

    Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

A close-up of a simple tea serving set on a textured black tray. The set includes two clear glasses and two inverted, rough, glazed earthenware cups with matching lidded jar. The authentic materials and soft natural lighting highlight the Japanese appreciation for rustic craftsmanship and simple ritual.

Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

An intimate dining corner features a curved, cylindrical chair tucked under a low, dark minimalist table. The composition is defined by the soft, diffused light of large shoji-style screens that cover the far wall. The rich, dark wood grain of the floor and table contrasts beautifully with the ambient, Zen-like translucency of the screen.

Photography by Renee Kemps.

A guest suite living space features a raw wood floor and a profound sense of light and space. A long, dark, minimalist dining table sits near a low tatami seating area. The space opens onto a lush private courtyard through a wall of shoji screens, embodying the seamless biophilic integration of interior Zen tranquility with nature.

Photography by Yoshiro Masuda.

An airy guest room featuring a long, dark wood dining table and custom chairs. A raw, organic column supports the structure, juxtaposed with abstract, rectangular wall hangings. The space marries traditional timber construction with modern minimalist furnishings, while large windows integrate the lush, biophilic exterior landscape.

Photography by Yoshiro Masuda.

A detail shot emphasizing the textural contrast between a dark wood desk and a prominent wall of ochre-colored rammed earth blocks. A heavy, rustic beam overhead reinforces the building's structure. The Japandi design marries rough, traditional textures with clean, modernist lines in the tatami platform and furniture.

Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

A sun-drenched living space with a soaring pitched ceiling and exposed rough-hewn beams. The area features modern, light-colored seating and a console with floating shelves, all set on rich wood flooring. Sliding shoji-style doors open to the exterior, letting in natural light and emphasizing the sophisticated Japandi blend of styles.

Photography by Renee Kemps.

  • A bright, minimalist living space is dominated by white walls and light wood floors. A low, ivory built-in banquette contrasts with a striking, dark wooden dining table. A narrow, horizontal window frames the view of traditional tile rooftops. The clean lines and light palette embody sophisticated Japandi functionality and calm.

    Photography by Yoshiro Masuda.

  • A guest suite is organized around a raised tatami mat sleeping platform and framed by two floor-to-ceiling windows. The bright, minimalist space is anchored by a wooden cabinet with a black stone top. The composition uses pure white walls and light wood to create a sense of uncluttered, Zen-inspired tranquility.

    Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

An enclosed, private outdoor bathing nook. A dark ofuro tub is set beneath a bamboo blind and illuminated by a single warm bulb. The space is defined by smooth, pale gray walls that curve subtly, contrasting with the dark stone and a gravel floor, creating a secluded, intimate, and Wabi-Sabi retreat.

Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

A close-up captures the precise action of a chef placing fish into a small, dark, cloud-shaped stoneware bowl using metal tongs. The rough, organic finish of the bowls, each accented with a small, green leaf, highlights the authentic, wabi-sabi appreciation for imperfect materials and the meticulous ritual of food preparation.

Photography by Momoka Omote.

The spirit of craftsmanship continues through to YORUYA’s cuisine. Each dish draws on the micro-seasons of Okayama, featuring locally caught seafood from the Seto Inland Sea, local reared beef, and produce from nearby farms, alongside seasonally adjusted condiments and broths such as soy sauce and dashi, all made in-house. Served in the hotel’s dining room, an intimate space centred on a U-shaped chef’s counter, the restaurant’s set menu is rooted in place and time, honouring simplicity and precision. The hotel’s bar extends this sensibility into the evening, offering a curated selection of regional sake and Japanese whiskies, served in handmade glassware that echoes the textures of the building itself.

YORUYA is less a reinvention than a renewal: through its architecture, materials, and quiet devotion to craft, it captures the very essence of Kurashiki’s heritage while redefining contemporary hospitality. In its stillness and sincerity, it offers guests a moment of pause, where the past feels close enough to touch.

An overhead view captures a lavish Kaiseki-style dining arrangement, combining multiple textures and vessels. Courses rest on organic ceramic bowls, raw clay risers, and patterned porcelain plates. This maximalist plating on a light wood counter celebrates the harmonious blend of traditional Japanese aesthetics and modern, refined culinary art.

Photography by Takuya Rikitake.

  • A stark minimalist dining vignette featuring two delicate courses and a drink, symmetrically placed on a textured black slate. The presentation utilizes custom cylindrical wooden pedestals, drawing the eye. Low, dramatic lighting casts sharp shadows across the smooth, pale hinoki wood counter, celebrating the ritualistic simplicity of Zen dining.

    Photography by Nicolas Yuthanan Chalmeau.

  • A chef in a pristine white uniform presents three vibrant yellow citrus fruits on a dark metal plate. The image captures the ritual of service against a backdrop of natural wood and muted tones, underscoring the authenticity and reverence for natural ingredients. The simple, clean lines reflect the subtle luxury of Japanese hospitality.

    Photography by Nicolas Yuthanan Chalmeau.

  • A highly focused image capturing a chef's hands pouring a rich, amber liquid from a modernist glass teapot with a wooden handle. The bright, concentrated light on the pure white counter accentuates the precision and artistry of the service. This Zen moment focuses on the material texture and the ceremonial simplicity of the act itself.

    Photography by Nicolas Yuthanan Chalmeau.

  • A hand places a citrus wedge over an intricately presented dish. The pale orange course is served inside a hollowed citrus peel resting on a stack of smooth, dark, organic river stones. Warm, focused lighting creates a deep atmosphere, highlighting the contrast between the vibrant fruit and the natural brutalist stone base.

    Photography by Takuya Rikitake.

  • A close-up of two pieces of sashimi served on a vintage-inspired Imari porcelain plate, contrasting the plate's busy, traditional pattern with the pale, clean simplicity of the fish. The shallow depth of field and soft lighting capture the dish as a piece of culinary art, highlighting the intersection of traditional Japanese craftsmanship and authentic food.

    Photography by Momoka Omote.

The bar area features a striking minimalist dark-wood communal table, creating a dramatic focal point. The room incorporates traditional Japanese wood joinery beams and shelving against earthen-toned walls. Low, focused lighting enhances the mood, highlighting the simple vase and the rich texture of the dark, authentic timber paneling.

Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

A person pours dark red wine into a glass on a darkly stained, textured wood counter. The warm side-lighting creates a deep shadow and highlights the rich wood grain and the wine's color. The image captures the intimate ritual of service, emphasizing the rustic, authentic materials and the relaxed, sophisticated evening atmosphere.

Photography by Rika Sakurai.

An intimate detail shot of a dark wood wall adorned with various utilitarian plaques. Rustic metal signs, including a faded vintage address plate and a minimalist icon for the 'BAR,' are mounted on the richly toned lumber. The focused spotlight emphasizes the material texture and the subtle integration of function into the traditional Japanese structure.

Photography by Shinsui Ohara.

A dramatic nighttime view of the hotel's long window facade, framed by dark wood lattice (koshi). The light within, filtered through vertical slats, casts stark, repeating shadows on the pavement, emphasizing geometric composition. This Zen aesthetic creates a warm, atmospheric glow, offering an abstract, silhouetted glimpse of the communal space within.

Photography by Shinsui Ohara.