Recreating Okinawa’s Traditional Villages: The Top-Tier Resort on Taketomi Island, “The Most Understated Luxury”

Reported by You [Name Redacted] / Taipei

To celebrate the launch of direct flights from Taoyuan Airport to Ishigaki Island, Rolisa Tour has introduced a commemorative travel package that includes a 2–3 night stay at Okinawa’s “HOSHINOYA Okinawa,” along with round-trip direct flight tickets and complimentary breakfast. Travelers who depart by the end of August 2013 can enjoy an island getaway of the most understated luxury in a top-tier resort that fully recreates the form of a traditional Okinawan village while integrating local culture and natural surroundings.


▲ Travelers who depart by the end of August 2013 can enjoy an island getaway in a resort that fully recreates the form of a traditional Okinawan village. (Photo / Reported by You [Name Redacted])

Among the many islands of varying sizes in Okinawa, the Yaeyama Islands are the closest to Taiwan, including Ishigaki Island, Taketomi Island, Kohama Island, and Iriomote Island. Following the completion of Ishigaki Island International Airport, China Airlines launched direct flights from July this year (Wednesdays and Saturdays), and TransAsia Airways started direct flights from May (Thursdays and Sundays). The direct flight takes just 40 minutes, and the boat ride from Ishigaki Island to Taketomi Island is only 10 minutes, making it the Japanese island destination closest to Taiwan.


▲ A standalone villa within the resort. (Photo / Reported by You [Name Redacted])


▲ A central pool in the resort represents the village well. (Photo / Reported by You [Name Redacted])

Following HOSHINOYA Karuizawa and HOSHINOYA Kyoto, the HOSHINOYA on Taketomi Island in Okinawa is the third top-tier resort under the Hoshino Resorts group. “To encourage people to come here and relax, the resort does not provide televisions but offers the most thoughtful services. In addition to having staff personally escort guests to their reserved villas and handle check-in and check-out procedures, the resort also offers 24-hour room service for meals (for a fee), a 24-hour open-air pool (free), and a 24-hour YUNTAKU LOUNGE library bar serving snacks and beverages (free). This allows guests to feel as if they’re at home, doing whatever they please—whether that means staying hidden away in their villa all day, listening to music, watching the wind sway the trees and breathing in the fragrances of flowers and grasses, or flipping their day by napping during the day and going out at night to take walks, swim, stargaze, admire the moon, and then enjoy a drink.”

Additionally, the biggest difference between HOSHINOYA and typical Japanese inns is that the daily rate here is calculated per person and does not include any meals. Therefore, guests have maximum flexibility—they don’t need to follow a rigid schedule. They can sleep in, then decide based on their mood whether to order room service, head to the restaurant for breakfast served until 12:00 or lunch until 14:30, ride a bicycle to explore nearby villages, or join paid buffalo sightseeing tours. They can play until sunset, then return to the resort’s restaurant to enjoy dinner that blends Okinawan ingredients with French culinary elements.

Hoshino Resorts President Hoshino Yoshiharu stated that to preserve the historical appearance of the original villages and buildings, as well as the long-standing local culture and customs, the entire island of Taketomi has been designated as a protected area. Therefore, “every aspect of the design, planning, construction, and decoration of HOSHINOYA Okinawa must strictly comply with the rigorous regulations of the ‘Important Traditional Buildings Group Preservation Districts Law,’ while also involving continuous communication and discussion with local residents. “We went from having conflicting positions with the residents, to sincerely working through differences, to building trust and reaching consensus, even establishing cooperative relationships. The winding 4.4-kilometer stone wall within the resort was built by local elders over two years and two months, using coral stones of various sizes, carefully stacked one by one.”


▲ The winding 4.4-kilometer stone wall within the resort was built by local elders over two years and two months, using coral stones of various sizes, carefully stacked one by one. (Photo / Reported by You [Name Redacted])

Officially completed in June 2012, HOSHINOYA Okinawa covers an area of over 60,000 square meters and is considered another village on Taketomi Island, as it inherits the form and layout of a traditional village. At the center of the resort is a pool representing the village well. Around the pool, 48 red-tiled wooden villas spread out layer by layer like homes for villagers. Each house faces south, features its own private courtyard, coral walls, and stone screens to block wind and negative energy. Outside each residence lies a winding sandy path, fields planted with various aromatic herbs, dense woods, and the vast ocean. Here, guests can not only enjoy a relaxed holiday atmosphere but also experience the historical ambiance that continues from the Ryukyu Kingdom era.

Every ingredient used at HOSHINOYA comes from Taketomi Island, including herbs grown on the resort grounds, farm-contracted produce such as bitter melon, yam, sweet potato, and pumpkin, livestock such as free-range black cattle and raised pigs, and seafood caught from nearby waters. “Through food, people can more deeply savor the most authentic flavors of Okinawa.”

To celebrate the launch of the direct flights to Ishigaki Island, and to offer Taiwanese travelers the chance to experience the most carefree island holiday at HOSHINOYA Okinawa, RolisaTour provides a “commemorative travel package that includes a 2 or 3 night stay at HOSHINOYA Okinawa with direct flight tickets and complimentary breakfast.” Those departing by the end of August will have the opportunity to personally experience the aesthetics of traditional Okinawan life. Finally, President Hoshino Yoshiharu expressed with deep feeling, “We hope that those who stay at the resort don’t come as tourists, but live here as ‘islanders.’ Only in this way can they genuinely feel the deepest culture and charm of this island.”

[HOSHINOYA Okinawa]
Address: Okinawa Prefecture, Yaeyama District, Taketomi Town, Taketomi
WEB: http://cn.hoshinoresort.com/hoshinoya_okinawa/