enBED, a private, all-inclusive villa in the forest of Kutsuki, Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture, is set to open in November 2026. Designed around "a trip for doing nothing," the villa welcomes only one group of up to two guests per day.
To mark its pre-opening, enBED is running a "Pre-Opening Nature Retreat Free Overnight Giveaway" starting Wednesday, August 19, 2026, offering three winning groups of two a free one-night stay.
Set on a 535-tsubo (about 1,767-square-meter) plot in the forest of Kutsuki, along the banks of the Harihata River, the private villa welcomes only one group per day. It features a water-basin sauna facing the river, a Shigaraki-ware pottery bath set among the trees, a bedroom that captures the changing sky, and a dining space built around local ingredients.
The planned room rate starts at ¥148,000 (tax excluded) per night for two guests, including dinner and breakfast, drink pairings matched to the meals, an in-room minibar, sauna drinks, and use of the sauna, semi-open-air bath, cold plunge, and outdoor relaxation space.
A Trip Built Around Doing Nothing, Not Sightseeing or Plans
Travel research continues to show "delicious local food" and "a refreshing break from everyday life" ranking among what people look for most in a trip, reflecting a broader shift toward travel that offers calm and relief from daily stress rather than sightseeing itself.
(Source: JTB Tourism Research & Consulting, "Survey on Lifestyle and Travel 2026")
Building on that shift, enBED proposes a trip that leaves out sightseeing and itineraries altogether -- "a trip for doing nothing."
The aim is a place that feels quietly complete simply by being there. Even a trip meant for rest can end up filled with comparing, choosing, and planning -- where to go, how to spend the time, what to eat, what to experience. enBED steps back from that stream of information and choices, designing the sauna, semi-open-air bath, meals, and bedroom as a single, continuous stay, so that bathing, heat, food, and sleep flow gently together within the property. Spending time doing nothing in nature becomes, in itself, a purpose of the trip.
Immersed in the Nature of Takashima's Kutsuki
Kutsuki, where enBED is located, sits in the mountains of northwestern Shiga Prefecture, close to the border with Fukui Prefecture, surrounded by forest and river.
Driving out of a tunnel from the direction of Lake Biwa and approaching the mountains of Kutsuki, the air noticeably changes. Temperature, humidity, and light shift gradually, and the expressions of the forest and river change hour by hour.
Nearby, Onyu Pass is known for its sea of clouds and autumn foliage, and from autumn into late autumn, a rain known as "Takashima shigure" quietly dampens the forest. Rain, mist, and humidity soften the scenery, and the sound of the Harihata River, the calls of birds and insects, and the presence of animals spread through the hushed stillness.
enBED is designed to let guests experience this beauty of Kutsuki's nature throughout their stay: a sauna that reflects the ripple of the river in its heat, a semi-open-air Shigaraki-ware bath in the color of the forest, a bedroom for resting while sensing the changing sky, and a dining space where indoors and outdoors connect over food rooted in the land.
Rather than viewing nature from a distance, guests take it in with all five senses. enBED calls this kind of stay -- returning to nature and finding rest in it -- a "Nature Retreat."
Five Elements That Shape the Nature Retreat
Architecture, sleep, bathing and heat, food, and self-care: each element is designed to let guests unwind mind and body in nature.
1. A Private Villa Shared Only by the Forest and River
enBED is a private villa for two guests, standing in the forest of Kutsuki, Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture, on the banks of the Harihata River. Set on a 535-tsubo plot, it welcomes only one group per day, so guests can spend their time quietly in nature without other guests nearby.
Takumi Umemoto of Seikosha, part of Matsui Construction Co., Ltd., is involved in the architecture. His past work includes a Good Design Award-winning project, and he has worked on buildings that respond to local materials and scenery. A Kutsuki native himself, he is working alongside the project team to shape the villa's relationship with nature, its use of space, and its choice of materials.
The building is being planned together with local craftspeople and makers familiar with the area, aiming for architecture whose materials change expression over time and gradually blend into the surrounding landscape.
2. A Bedroom That Captures the Changing Sky
The bedroom has windows on all four sides, including a skylight. Guests can look up at the blue sky in the morning or watch water trace down the window on a rainy day, taking in the sky's changing expressions -- shifting with the time of day and the weather -- from inside the room.
The bed uses a KING KOIL mattress, chosen to evoke the feeling of being enveloped by nature, offering a soft, high-quality sleep that supports restful rest.
3. A Water-Basin Sauna That Feels the River, and a Shigaraki-Ware Bath Set in the Forest
The sauna is a wood-stove Finnish sauna. A water basin set into the ceiling echoes the surface of the Harihata River, and the rippling water and light create a quiet expression within the space. In the dedicated outdoor relaxation area, guests can unwind while listening to the murmur of the river.
The semi-open-air bath uses a deep-green Shigaraki-ware pottery tub evoking the forest of Takashima. It was made by Nikō Tōbō, led by Hiiro Kotani, a full member of the Japan Kogei Association. The cold plunge was custom-made in a slightly deeper size, its blue pottery bringing out the clarity of the water.
The slight curves shaped by hand and the subtly different colors that emerge from firing add a quiet character to the relaxed time guests spend in the forest.
4. Dining Connected to the Outdoors, Built Around Local Ingredients
The dining space is designed as a glass-walled annex surrounded by windows and the forest.
Breakfast is also planned as a "river-floor morning," served at a table set in the shallows of the Harihata River.
(This may not be available depending on the season, weather, or river conditions.)
The dining theme is "receiving from the land." Chef Taiga Takada, who runs Ryoriya Taiga, a referral-only restaurant in Nishi-Azabu, and works as a chef and food director, oversees the meals.
Meals are planned to introduce Shiga's ingredients and food culture, including Omi beef shabu-shabu, Omi rice cooked in a clay pot, and fermented foods from Takashima, a "town of fermentation" with a culture going back more than 400 years.
Guests add the final touch themselves -- heating, cooking in a clay pot, and finishing dishes prepared by the chef -- completing the meal together as a couple.
5. Loungewear and Amenities That Lighten the Packing
To free guests from the hassle of packing before their stay, enBED offers a full set of loungewear and amenities.
During the stay, guests can wear original samue loungewear designed for relaxing in the room or after the sauna, along with sleepwear designed with comfortable sleep in mind.
The amenities include shampoo, conditioner, and hair oil, along with a full lineup of 12 original items such as a kucha pack and face oil. Hair irons and curling irons and other beauty devices are also provided, so guests can enjoy a comfortable stay without bringing along their usual care products.
enBED treats self-care -- often rushed through in daily life -- as part of the retreat experience itself.
Some images shown include artist's renderings; the finished facility may differ from what is pictured.
"Pre-Opening Nature Retreat Free Overnight Giveaway" Overview
To mark enBED's pre-opening, three winning groups of two will be chosen by lottery for a free one-night, two-day stay experiencing the Nature Retreat.
Campaign name
Pre-Opening Nature Retreat Free Overnight Giveaway
Entry period
Wednesday, August 19, 2026 to 11:59 PM on Monday, August 31, 2026
Available stay dates
- Thursday, November 5, 2026
- Friday, November 6, 2026
- Saturday, November 7, 2026
One group of two guests will be invited on each date, for three groups of six guests in total. Stay dates may be finalized by the organizer after confirming winners' preferences.
Prize
A free one-night, two-day stay for two guests at enBED, for three groups in total, including dinner, breakfast, an in-room minibar, drink pairings matched to the meals, and sauna drinks. Winners are responsible for their own transportation to the property.
How to enter
Step 1: Follow enBED's official Instagram account (@enbed_official)
Step 2: Comment on the campaign post with your preferred stay date and who you'd like to spend time with at enBED and how
Example: "Hoping for 11/5 or 11/6 -- want to celebrate our wedding anniversary with my husband in nature."
Winner announcement
Winners will be contacted by direct message from enBED's official Instagram account in early September 2026.
Details and entry terms
For entry conditions, disqualification terms, and how personal information is handled, see the campaign site: https://enbed-shiga.com/campaign
This campaign is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or otherwise associated with Instagram.
Facility Overview
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | enBED |
| Address | 521 Aza Sewaguri, Kutsuki Hera, Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Opening | November 2026 (planned) |
| Type | Private villa |
| Capacity | 2 guests (1 king bed) |
| Site area | 1,767 sqm (535 tsubo) |
| Building area | 90 sqm |
| Room rate | From ¥148,000 (tax excluded) per night for 2 guests |
| Included in rate | Dinner and breakfast, drink pairings matched to the meals, in-room minibar, sauna drinks, and use of the sauna, semi-open-air bath, cold plunge, and outdoor relaxation space |
| Main facilities | Semi-open-air bath, wood-stove Finnish sauna, cold plunge, outdoor relaxation space, annex dining, fire pit, Wi-Fi, air conditioning, refrigerator |
| Main amenities | Loungewear, sleepwear, sauna hat, sauna poncho, towels, hair dryer, hair iron, curling iron, Bluetooth speaker, tableware, electric kettle, coffee grinder, coffee beans |
| Original amenities | Shampoo, conditioner, hair oil, body soap, cleansing oil, face wash, toner, serum, face oil, face cream, kucha pack, body cream |
| Other amenities | Toothbrush set, cotton pads, cotton swabs, comb, razor |
| Official website | https://enbed-shiga.com |
| Official Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/enbed_official/ |
| Inquiries | info@enbed-shiga.com |
Some details are subject to change.
About the Name enBED
The name enBED brings together "embed," meaning to blend into nature and the land; "en" (縁), the Japanese word for the bonds between people; and "bed," a place to rest completely.
The scent of the forest, the murmur of the river, the shifting light -- guests take in the gifts of the land, ease body and mind with heat and water, and spend quiet time with someone they care about.
It is a "Nature Retreat" for letting go in nature, unwinding mind and body, and returning to daily life with a renewed sense of ease.
Creators
enBED brings together perspectives in architecture, food, and hospitality to shape nature, culture, and rest into a single stay.
Aimi Sudo -- Project Owner / Experience Designer
With more than nine years in the hospitality industry, including work at five-star hotels and airlines overseas, she has been involved in guest service, stay experience, and service quality. Drawing on that background, she produces the guest experience from the guest's point of view, shaping everything from how time is spent during the stay to the feel of the space, food, and amenities.
Takumi Umemoto -- Architecture
A director at Seikosha, part of Matsui Construction Co., Ltd., and a native of Kutsuki, Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture. His work includes "Echigo-machi no Ie," which received an Excellence Award at the 13th Kyoto Architectural Award, and "Warawara Dental Clinic," which received a GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2024. He designs spaces that blend naturally into their surroundings, considering the local climate, light, and how materials will age over time.
Taiga Takada -- Food Director
Owner of Ryoriya Taiga, a referral-only restaurant in Nishi-Azabu, and active as a chef and food director. Known for rustic dishes that highlight the ingredients themselves, he works on menu development for restaurants, food-experience planning, and menu development and service design for hotels and restaurants.
