Tenkū no Mori, a Private Onsen Villa Where Nature Defines True Luxury

Screenwriter Kundō Koyama advocates for the recognition of yudō, the ‘way of the bath’, alongside sadō, the way of tea, and kadō, the way of flowers, as a fundamental element of traditional Japanese culture. He immerses himself across Japan in different types of baths, from hot springs (onsen) to public bathhouses (sentō), as well as domestic bathtubs. In each issue of Pen, he records these journeys in his ‘Bath Chronicle’.

What is true luxury? I felt that the answer could be found in this bath.

At the top of a mountain, with no one else’s gaze to think about, you remove your clothes and sink into the open-air bath at the end of a wooden deck. The water, neither too cool nor too hot, is adjusted to a perfect temperature. It is a bicarbonate spring, flowing directly from the resort’s private source without circulation. Feeling the gentle breeze against your cheeks, you listen to the birdsong. Before your eyes, the Kirishima mountain range unfolds like a primal landscape of the Earth.

‘A resort is an industry that restores humanity,’ says the owner, Mr. Tajima. In 1994, he began clearing a bamboo-covered mountain, and 10 years later opened Tenkū no Mori. Across a vast site equivalent to 13 Tokyo Domes, there are only five villas, each with its own hot spring. You do not sense the presence of the neighbouring villas, let alone any other people. As far as the eye can see, you have nature entirely to yourself. The phrase ‘the dress code is naked’ is no exaggeration.

More than 30 years have passed since the land was first cleared, and the resort has continued to evolve. A beautiful sunset, a sky filled with stars, a calm breeze, the soothing sound of rain… Every building has been designed with nature as the protagonist, and at the centre of it all is the hot spring.

As you soak in the waters here, the unnecessary layers you have carried with you begin to fall away. You feel as if you are returning from being a ‘person’ to simply being a living creature. By emptying yourself, everything you experience begins to feel worthy of gratitude. Perhaps this is what should be called ‘luxury of the heart’.