Zenbo Seinei

Zenbo Seinei was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban on Awaji Island, at the 135th meridian east — the reference longitude of Japanese Standard Time. The building is 85% timber, oriented around a 100-metre wooden deck that offers a 360-degree panorama of the island and the Seto Inland Sea. Eighteen rooms, 27 guests maximum.

The ZEN retreat programme is built around zazen meditation, yoga, and Zenbo Cuisine, a vegan menu prepared without oil, animal products, white sugar, or wheat, using seasonal ingredients from Awaji Island and naturally-brewed condiments aged for one to three years. The Digital Detox Programme is available by reservation and provides a structured, device-free immersion. Days follow the rhythm of the bell: morning cleaning duties, zazen, yoga, meals in silence or in measured conversation. It is a deliberately spare experience, and that is entirely the point.