Toukouen

Toukouen is a historic hotel located in the Kaike Onsen in Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture, a renowned seaside hot spring resort. The building was designed by Kiyonori Kikutake, who believed that architecture metabolizes just as living creatures do. Kikutake also oversaw the construction of several Japanese symbols, including the Expo Tower for the Japan World Exposition Osaka 1970.

The exterior is built with steel-reinforced concrete to express the traditional wooden Japanese architectural elements of columns, beams and roof and uses a shrine's “torii” gates as a motif. The building is supported by columns built three floors high, while the 5th and 6th floors are suspended from large beams on the 7th floor to create a structure that looks like it is floating in the air. The piloti on the 4th floor called the Garden in the Sky, is sandwiched between the 3rd and 5th floors. Though it was built in 1964, this peculiar structure attracts visitors even today.

Toukouen's hot spring baths contain salt from the ocean, which is said to beautify the skin. Nearby and easily reachable on foot is a beautiful white sand beach and plenty of other seaside activities are available, such as banana boats and sea kayaks. Why not relax and enjoy yourself with a stay at this prestigious inn?