One of the loveliest of the ryokans I saw in Japan last week was Beniya Mukayu in the spa town of Yamashiro, Ishikawa Prefecture. A Relais & Chateau property that has been in the Nakamichi family for four generations, Mukayu carries on a tradition of wellness through waters and balancing therapies that stretches back a thousand years. Onsen are thermal waters, and Yamashiro onsen are simple, alkaline hot spring waters that are soothing and curative. Along with communal and private baths, an extensive menu of spa therapies, and personally prepared herbal recipes, are yoga, meditation and delicious, spectacularly presented food gathered from the sea and the mountains. With only 17 rooms, eight of which are Japanese, Mukayu is also treasure trove of art objects both contemporary and traditional.
The famous Chinese philosopher, Zhuangzi, who lived 2,300 years ago, said “An empty room will be filled with light because of its emptiness,” words meaning that a mind entirely free of everything exists in a place of nothing, a place belonging to nowhere. The word, Mukayu, also means non-existence, non-purpose, the natural state as it is.
Richness in emptiness….
These are the concepts that guided Beniya Mukayu’s design. The resulting ryokan is a blissful creation.
Cape Town is one of the world's great cities. The setting alone is worthy of top billing. And then you have a vibrant culinary scene, a fascinating flora and fauna representative of its microclimate, a diverse population and the logistical advantage that makes it a gateway for visits to the wine lands, to the garden route and north into the bush. In spite of the aforementioned, what makes me vibrate with anticipation in Cape Town is its flourishing art and design scene, its world class museums and galleries, its artisans, many of them passionately committed to ensuring that hand and design skills endure. The person who knows as much about this sector of the Capetonian landscape is Marion Ellis whose company, Cape Insights, designs whole or partial itineraries that feature - among other subject matter - the flourishing arts of the city. Marion's knowledge has both the breadth and depth to take you on a meandering journey across the media - from paintings and ceramics to photography and art installations - and behind the scenes to meet with collectors and artists, teachers and innovators."
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