THE RYOKAN COLLECTION

By day, the lounge is the venue for check-in, with private high-backed sofas facing panoramic windows so that guests are greeted with a striking view of the surrounding mountains. When night falls, the focus shifts to the stately wood-topped bar. Atop a bank of rough stone, as if carved from the earth itself, the bar exudes a peaceful sense of nature’s abiding beauty. Twin landscapes by photographer Taiji Matsue provide a backdrop. They show the same mountainside 3 years apart, another indicator that time flows differently here. Beyond the reach of life’s hectic obligations, this timeless space invites guests to stop and savor the moment with a peaty whisky, sake flight, or seasonal fruit cocktail, bountiful gifts from the natural world.