Nature, heritage and contemporary luxury combine in Zaborin, a Japanese ryokan based in the foothills of Hokkaido, Japan.
April 8th, 2016
Zaborin represents modern architecture coupled with influences from traditional Japanese design, flavoured with a distinct reverence to nature reflecting the surrounding woods and mountain ranges.
Born from their mutual love of Japan, Japanese tradition, and the “omotenashi” (hospitality) of ryokans, Asia-based philanthropists and first-time hoteliers, James and Michèle Marshall, collaborated with long time friend, local Niseko resident Shouya Grigg to fulfill their shared dream of creating a luxury ryokan. They set out to curate a hotel that embraces the modern comforts but holds itself true to the key spirit of that tradition of the ryokan: ‘omotenashi’, exquisite food, onsen and an absorption of and reverence for the beauty and embrace of nature. Having worked with award winning Makoto Nakayama of NA Nakayama Architects before, it was an inevitable coming together of old friends and partnerships.
Set in the seclusion and protection of a Japanese forest, Zaborin enjoys direct views to mount Yotei, which is based in the Niseko area. With 15 private villas the resort is designed with simplicity and refinement, with a serene, non-ostentatious luxury. Each villa features both private indoor and outdoor onsens, with spring water fed directly from Zaborin’s very own hot spring. With sustainability and preserving the environment in mind, Zaborin’s spring waters, both the hot onsen waters and the cold mountain waters, are utilised to provide a natural source of heating and cooling throughout the property, in order to re-use and recycle its available natural resources.
The property’s design includes outdoor terraces with sweeping views of the mountain ranges, a kaiseki fine-dining restaurant with individual rooms, a Chef’s Table Teppan, tea room, an open plan library, intimate spaces including a lounge, bar and gallery of local art.
Zaborin
zaborin.com/en
INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
In this candid interview, the culinary mastermind behind Singapore’s Nouri and Appetite talks about food as an act of human connection that transcends borders and accolades, the crucial role of technology in preserving its unifying power, and finding a kindred spirit in Gaggenau’s reverence for tradition and relentless pursuit of innovation.
BLANCOCULINA-S II Sensor promotes water efficiency and reduces waste, representing a leap forward in faucet technology.
It’s widely accepted that nature – the original, most accomplished design blueprint – cannot be improved upon. But the exclusive Crypton Leather range proves that it can undoubtedly be enhanced, augmented and extended, signalling a new era of limitless organic materiality.
They might go by the name BIG-GAME, but Elric Petit, Grégoire Jeanmonod, and Augustin Scott de Martinville of BIG-GAME design studio are about as humble as they come.
Port Macquarie’s identity as a centre for culture is secured. Philip Drew reports.
Gregg Buchbinder, owner and CEO of Emeco visited Australia in March. It takes 77 steps to make one of Emeco’s famously indestructible chairs. Watch the video footage here.
Arclinea celebrated the opening of its new Singapore flagship store at Winsland House II on Thursday 22 March with great food by Chef Osvaldo Forlino, live music by Clareesa Monteiro and her band, and pasta-making by Patrizia Forlino and Armida Forlino. In attendance – Dr Silvio Fortuna, CEO of Arclinea, and His Excellency, Italian Ambassador Anacleto Felicani.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Sumptuously set in the remote eastern Himalayas and designed by Studio Lotus, the Taj Guras Kutir Resort & Spa lies nestled among rhododendron forests of Sikkim.
The 2025 Sustainability Awards extends its entry period until midnight on 9 July 2025.