Located in the northeast part of Awaji Island, Awaji Yumebutai is a resort complex designed by the world-famous architect, Tadao Ando.

Among other facilities with dynamic angles, the complex includes a hotel, magnificent galleries, and an observation terrace. Walking around it is almost like being inside a maze; it’s sure to stimulate your sense of adventure.

This, The Westin Hotel Awaji Island, is the central facility of Awaji Yumebutai.

From the rooms with balconies on the north side of the hotel, you have a view over the group of buildings that form the Awaji Yumebutai.

 

This time we will introduce the charms and highlights of Tadao Ando’s designs from numbers 1 to 5.

1. The Hundred Step Garden
The moment you step out from the elevator by the entrance, a hundred magnificent flowerbeds extending out into stairs along the slope of the hill spreads out before your eyes!
The best time to see the garden is between spring and autumn (closed in winter). Visitors can enjoy various seasonal flowers. Apparently there are also many people who come to enjoy the flowers while eating their boxed lunches!
The view of Osaka Bay seen from the flowerbeds is also wonderful.

2. Hillside Gallery
A magnificent space surrounded by a concrete wall and frosted glass, the cloister goes around as if surrounding the water fountain. Great for enjoying a relaxing walk around.

In addition, there is also a Seaside Gallery with views over the sea; it’s a beautiful open space filled with water.

It’s fun idea to take a walk and compare the two galleries.
Within Awaji Yumebutai, including the two cloisters, there are many places with flowing water, the bottoms of which are covered in a total of 1 million scallop shells.

Giving birth to this beautiful scenery, these scallop shells were wonderfully recycled in Mr. Ando’s hands instead of a fishery processing plant throwing them away.
3. Circular Forum
With a diameter of 32m and a height of 11m, this circular space is popular even within Awaji Yumebutai; from the bottom you can admire the circular patch of sky and from the observation space you have a view over the pond below.
Take a walk along the slope and enjoy comparing light and shadow.

4. Oval Forum

A 17m high oval space with a 50m diameter, from here you can enter and exit the Hillside and Seaside galleries. The sundial on the western wall is unique!

In addition, from the top of the oval forum there is an observation terrace that offers a perfect view over Osaka Bay. Fantastic sunrises can be seen all year round, so we particularly recommend early morning visits!

This is the Westin Hotel Awaji Island as seen over the oval forum. Both the corridor and the hotel building are dyed orange by the light of the morning sun.

Do come and stay at the hotel and take a walk in the magical early morning “World of Takao Ando”!

5. Marine Chapel Cappella Di Mare

The chapel was established on Shell Beach as a celebration area for the weddings that are held at Westin Hotel Awaji Island. The interior of the chapel is shaped like a cube and a cross-shaped slit cut in the ceiling bathes visitors in soft light.

To what degree will visitors grasp the natural aspects of water, wind, light, the sky, the hill and the sea among other natural aspects they tend to pass by in their everyday lives?

This is the fundamental policy that Tadao Ando bore in mind when designing Awaji Yumebutai. Combined with the adjacent Awaji Kaikyo National Government Park and Kiseki no Hoshi botanical museum, a magnificent 128 ha area that seems like one garden, it is a dream-like stage where people can take a relaxing walk.
Come and wonder around the “The world of Takao Ando”, a maze-like space that will stimulate your sense of adventure!
Awaji Yumebutai

Location: 2 Banchi, Yumebutai, Awaji city, Hyogo prefecture
Admission: Free (To enter the Awaji Kaikyo National Government Park and Kiseki no Hoshi botanical museum a fee is required)
Guide Homepage: http://www.yumebutai.co.jp/a ndo/ (Japanese)
http://www.yumebutai.co.jp/ando/index_en.html (English)

Setouchi Finder Photo-writer: Hironobu Matsuoka