Shigeru Ban Completes Pasona Natureverse Retreat Wellness Hotel on Awaji Island

Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban has completed the Pasona Natureverse Retreat, a wellness hotel on Awaji Island, Japan, near Kobe. The five-storey hotel, designed for long-term stays of 30 days or more, is based on the Japanese concept of Mibyo, meaning 'pre-illness', focusing on preventive wellness. The D-shaped building is situated between the coast and a forest, with distinct facades: the seaward side features transparent, horizontal slabs and balconies, while the landward side is adorned with timber-clad columns. The 57 rooms are arranged around a skylit central atrium, with half overlooking the sea and half the forest. Each room includes a private onsen, and some have sensor-operated beds that monitor body movement to optimize sleep. Wellness offerings include thalassotherapy, hammam meditation, yoga, sound therapy, and aromatherapy, along with a clinic, treatment rooms, an aerial yoga room, a gym, and an indoor saltwater pool fed by the Seto Inland Sea. The hotel also houses five restaurants, several run by Michelin-starred chefs, and an event hall on the third floor featuring 500 window panes covered in artworks. This is Ban's third project for Pasona Group on the island, following a thatch-topped restaurant and a wooden meditation retreat. Ban, who won the Pritzker Prize in 2014 and the 2026 AIA Gold Medal, is known for innovative use of materials like cardboard and natural materials. Photography by Hiroyuki Hirai.