SETOUCHI RETREAT by Onko Chishin

The idea of a mountain hotel in Japan carries certain connotations, most of them justified: one pictures a quiet, spring-fed ryokan, nestled unobtrusively among the foliage, library-quiet and dignified. Even more so, we might add, in Ehime, Shikoku’s quiet northwestern prefecture — a land of precipitous heights and ragged coastline, it’s the polar opposite of Tokyo’s hyperspeed urbanity. So the architectural majesty of Setouchi Retreat AONAGI, a petite mountaintop concern with views of the Seto Inland Sea, may come as something of a surprise.

We’ve got Tadao Ando to thank for that. His masterful eye informs every inch of Setouchi — patient, quintessentially Japanese cleanliness and profoundly empty stretches of space induce a reverent consideration of the materials at hand. It’s never overbearing, but it does inspire a welcome silence; gazing at the abstract rock garden or through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, you’ll most definitely feel the frenetic activity of the mind slow to match your surroundings. In Mr. Ando’s hands, concrete becomes paradoxically weightless, and shafts of light through glass seem to acquire dignity. Take the time to drink it in.

They’re right to call it “minimal luxury,” and it extends to the hotel’s seven suites. A white-on-white palette makes concessions to a tripod lamp here, an artful piece of blonde-wood furniture there, but mostly the space itself remains serenely untouched. There are, of course, the benchmarks of contemporary tech — flatscreens, iPad controls, complimentary wi-fi — but they pale in comparison to the sea views from the terrace, some with jetted tubs. And lest you feel confined, the mystery isn’t broken in the public spaces; whether slurping udon (a Shikoku specialty) in the restaurant or skygazing on your back in the pool, you’ll retain that pristine clarity continuously. If all goes well, you’ll even take it with you when you leave.

How to get there: Setouchi Retreat AONAGI is a 40-minute drive from Matsuyama Airport and a 30-minute drive from Matsuyama Station via JR Shikoku.