Miyahama Hot Springs, Hiroshima / Sekitei
An inn that pulls out all the stops to ensure rest and contentment
Text: Tadashi Wakami | Photo: Ryoihi Saito
I had heard the story, be it by fate or some happy coincidence, while I was at an inn where I had stayed a couple of times before. The story goes, that landlords and landladies from some ten of establishments gather regularly. Once per every six months of the year, the owners visit in turn the inns of the others, and each one then speaks unreservedly about what it is that makes a "good inn," whilst offering frank words of encouragement and reprimand in a mix of good faith and friendly rivalry.
The inn at which I am staying is exceptionally charming. So much so that I simply conclude that "from now on, it would probably be best to try and stay at inns party to these candid assemblies."
Sekitei is the inn of an actual former participant of these gatherings. It was built in a nook of the Miyahama Hot Springs on the opposite shore from one of the renowned "Three Scenic Sights" of Japan known as Miyajima. From here, you can enjoy a view of Miyajima and the forefront of the Seto Inland Sea. What make the Sekitei so special, however, are its courtyard with its great ornamental garden-stones, the various separate rooms that connect around the courtyard from the main chamber like two outstretched hands, and the lay of Mt. Kyogoya in the background with its bare-faced, clenched rock walls. The first thing I do whenever I come here is go to the courtyard to reaffirm the view.
I am then always struck, along the lines of "My, hasn't that summer pavilion been renovated?" or "Is that an additional separate room?", at just how the inn has changed. In truth, the room renovations and changed light settings are evidence of the fruits of that ever-constant friendly rivalry of the innkeepers' meetings. For those landlords and landladies, the calling to "always be one half-step ahead" is something they consider no less significant than destiny itself.
The oft-heard "hospitality" and other such concepts are no longer of concern to these veterans. They walk the path of true professionals, a far and distant cry from the likes of our own threshold of thoughts, that is for certain. On second thought, what they have managed to accomplish is something we all strive to achieve - to be whole-heartedly engaged in our own work or calling, and "excel in what we choose to do in our hearts." For these people, "hospitality" is the most fundamental of all fundamentals; it mobilizes intricate innovations and diverse concepts as if it was "able to picture the very smiling faces of satisfied customers ahead of time."
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JR Miyajimaguchi. In front of the train station, where the terminal for ferries crossing the waters to Miyajima is located, is Ueno, a restaurant known for its anagomeshi, or conger-eel-and-rice dishes. Now well established as the beginnings of an idea that produced the all-Japan station lunchbox fairs held at several department stores, this old and renowned anagomeshi eatery also just happens to be Sekitei's flagship establishment. It is precisely because of its existence that its Sekitei branch is now able to show off its penchant for the conger eels caught in the Miyajima area. And of course, other local fish, shellfish and vegetables, as well.
The number of guestrooms are surprisingly limited when considering the total area of the estate: only three guestrooms in the main quarter and seven in two pavilions. Each guest room is different in its make and there are plenty of spaces, including salons and tearooms, for guest to enjoy.
From the guest's standpoint, it certainly is a most extravagant way to put one's feet up, to the extent where one might even feel the beginnings of doubt as to whether it really is acceptable to be on the receiving the end of such impeccable service. On some occasions, at night, a ferry driven by the landlord himself heads towards the shrine entrance gates for Miyajima as a rare treat.
The landlord spoke of his being moved at having had the chance to meet at the innkeepers' gatherings and talk with his rivals so candidly.
"It served as encouragement, that determination not to lose out to others. Psychologically, it was as a sort of spur that encourages me to keep on improving." Indeed such all-out efforts from these artisans are exactly what subsequently become the luxurious trappings so enjoyed by their customers.
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