The Ryokan Collection Welcomes a New Member – ANABUKI TEI When generations have lived in a home, it is woven into the weft of the neighborhood through threads of human connection. Pieces of local history gather under its roof like slow growing moss, lush with the beauty of perseverance. It becomes a landmark, an axis around which locals can orient stories from their daily lives. The story of ANABUKI TEI begins with Eitaro’s great-grandfather Kisaku, a carpenter who taught his son Natsuji the craft. Natsuji went on to found Anabuki Construction, a company that helped rebuild Takamatsu after the destruction of World War II, becoming one of Japan’s leading firms in the process. Natsuji built a family home in 1970 on a large plot of land that is now part of central Takamatsu. There, he raised his children and eventually his grandchildren, Eitaro and his older brothers and sister. After that youngest generation left the nest, the property, once full of life, sat empty. Following 2009’s global financial crisis, the family business went bankrupt and there was huge pressure to sell the home, which sat on valuable land and had become costly to maintain. Eitaro, however, just returned from studying hospitality abroad, couldn’t bear to see the family home disappear. He convinced the family to renovate the building and turn it into a unique inn: not quite a ryokan or hotel, more like a stay with a cosmopolitan family friend. Now Anabuki-san welcomes guests to his former home, as part butler, part guide, helping to foster another generation of happy memories within its walls. ANABUKI TEI has five bedrooms in total, a master king, three twin rooms, and a single. Each is comfortably but minimally appointed in soothing neutral colors and the diffuse light of Isamu Noguchi lamps. The minimalist approach allows Anabuki-san’s carefully selected artworks to take pride of place, subtly immersing guests in the cultural world of Kagawa. Amid the bedrooms of the second floor is a common area designated the library. As the name suggests, it is stocked with a collection of books focused on local art and culture, as well as low-slung chairs for casual perusing. The books share the shelves with artistic objets drawn from the same world: Kagawa’s traditional uchiwa fans, antique molds used to shape wagashi sweets, bookends carved from Aji granite. Beautiful as they are to look at, the real pleasure is hearing Anabuki-san share the stories behind each and how they connect to his family. There are two main baths at ANABUKI TEI. The indoor bath, found on the first floor, features an elegant ceramic soaking tub in the Goemonburo style. It is surrounded by a field of rough Aji stone, also called granite diamond, which sparkles attractively in the soft light, evoking a moonlit mountaintop escape. The outdoor bath, clad in weathered Japanese cedar and stone, is concealed from the neighborhood through the use of a chic canopy while allowing bathers to relax in the open air. Next to the spacious outdoor bath is a custom-designed, Finnish-style sauna, housed in a renovated storehouse once used for Natsuji’s hobby of koi breeding. The wood-fired stove is crowned with a jumble of Kagawa’s famous Aji stone, which radiate a comfortable heat and therapeutic steam when ladled with water. ANABUKI TEI provides a highly customizable experience of Shikoku cuisine. A stable of local chefs is available to prepare meals in house, drawing on seafood from the warm waters of the Seto Inland Sea, citrus and olives grown on its sun-drenched isles, and diverse produce from the mineral-rich soil. These include kaiseki chef Katsumi Nishioka, a native of nearby Megijima Island, and washoku breakfast specialist Junji Yoshioka, creative chef of long-running local restaurant Mikuriya Club. Other chefs from 5-star hotel backgrounds serve up French and Italian fare. Each guest’s interests and needs are discussed in advance with Anabuki-san. Some nights, guests may prefer to explore Takamatsu’s restaurant scene with Anabuki-san snagging reservations anywhere from fine dining hotspots to tiny dining bars known only to locals. Another option is grilling in the garden, where a wood-fired teppan is perfect for searing steaks of Kagawa wagyu. ANABUKI TEI is just such a home and a stay there is a privileged experience of residential life in the historic town of Takamatsu, Kagawa. Eitaro Anabuki, the third-generation owner, invites just one group a day to stay in the home where he grew up, lovingly renovated but still rich in history. ANABUKI TEI Address: 1-7-15, Jyotocho, Takamatsu city, Kagawa, Japan 922-0114 More For more information on The Ryokan Collection, click here Copyright © 2009 THE RYOKAN COLLECTION ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.