Azumi Setoda

Azumi Setoda is a ryokan occupying the former home of the Horiuchi family, whose salt production and shipping business helped shape the town of Setoda for generations. It was built in 1876 on Shiomachi Shotengai, the town’s historic shopping street. The property was restored by the architect Shiro Miura, an expert in sukiya-zukuri style, based on Japan’s traditional teahouse aesthetics. Original gardens, timber structures, stonework and lacquer details are central to the design, which preserves the character of the historic estate.

Intimate and peaceful, Azumi Setoda ryokan has four guest rooms arranged around a courtyard enclosed by traditional marigaki fencing. Built using cedar and cypress, the rooms feature tatami floor spaces, yukimi shoji screens, hinoki cypress baths and Fukumitsu stone floors. Two maisonette rooms have upper-floor rooms with horigotatsu, or sunken tables, and daybeds overlooking the central garden. Guests may also access Yubune, the community bathhouse opposite the ryokan, which includes an indoor bath, sauna, cold bath and a lounge stocked with books on Setouchi culture and history.

Dining focuses on seasonal Japanese cuisine, particularly the seafood, citrus and vegetables of the Setouchi region. Beyond the ryokan, experiences include cycling across six islands along the Shimanami Kaidō path, lemon-harvesting tours, Zen meditation at Kojyo-ji Temple, wagashi confectionary-making workshops, sunset cruises and private yoga sessions.