Setouchi Retreat Aonagi, a small luxury hotel with seven all-suite rooms set within a building designed by architect Tadao Ando in Matsuyama, Ehime, will host a fragrance and art installation titled "The Fragrance of Art" on May 24 (Sunday) and May 31 (Sunday), 2026.
Fragrance and Art Installation "The Fragrance of Art"
The installation draws on the hotel's original room fragrance, "ESSENCE OF AONAGI." Ehime-based natural painter Emi found inspiration in this scent and created the work "RAW," which was featured in her solo exhibition "SANCTUARY," held at Setouchi Retreat Aonagi in May 2025.
One year on, a series of brand-new works—each inspired by the individual natural essential oils that make up "ESSENCE OF AONAGI"—will be shown publicly for the first time. In collaboration with Apt15 (Apartment Fifteen), a home fragrance brand from Shikoku-Chuo City, Ehime, the installation creates a space where art and fragrance intersect.
Visitors can experience the natural essential oils alongside Emi's artwork, offering a quiet moment to engage with their own senses. On both event days, Emi and Apt15's Manabe will be present and available to meet.
A Year After the Solo Exhibition "SANCTUARY"
In May 2025, Emi held the solo exhibition "SANCTUARY" at Setouchi Retreat Aonagi, which resonated with many visitors. The new works created in the year since quietly carry within them the memory of the space.
Event Overview
Special Events (open to non-staying guests)
| Dates | May 24 (Sunday) and May 31 (Sunday), 2026 |
| Time / Capacity | 10:00 AM / 11:30 AM / 2:00 PM / 3:30 PM — 60 minutes per session, up to 6 guests |
| Program | ◾ Fragrance and art installation viewing — Quiet time to engage with your own senses in a serene space. ◾ Tea time — Iced coffee from "roro COFFEE stand" near Dogo Park or Gogoshima mandarin juice, accompanied by small sweets from Dogo's French patisserie "Akatsuki Bleu," served in the dining room. ◾ Guided tour — A walkthrough of the public spaces, taking in the art throughout the building. |
| Tickets | ① Fragrance ticket: ¥7,000 (tax included) — Includes one bottle of the original room fragrance "ESSENCE OF AONAGI," hand-painted by Emi. Guests choose their preferred one-of-a-kind bottle on the day. ② Regular ticket: ¥2,500 (tax included) — The original room fragrance is available for separate purchase only while in stock on the day. |
Ticket reservations: https://essence-of-aonagi.peatix.com/
Standing Exhibition
Hotel guests can enjoy the fragrance and art installation at any time during their stay. The changing quality of light throughout the day gives the space a continuously shifting character.
*Some works will be on display only during the two special event days.
Exhibition period: May 24, 2026 (Sunday) to August 31 (Monday)
Original Room Fragrance "ESSENCE OF AONAGI"
To mark its 10th anniversary in December 2025, Setouchi Retreat Aonagi collaborated with Apt15 to create a limited-edition original room fragrance. Blending 10 natural essential oils under the theme "a scent that sharpens intuition," it was conceived to evoke the experience of quietly contemplating art within Tadao Ando's architectural space.
10 Natural Essential Oils:
- Top notes: Yuzu, Iyokan mandarin, lemon
- Middle notes: Coriander, lavender, neroli, cardamom, Ishizuchi kuromoji
- Base notes: Patchouli, blue cypress
The completed fragrance is presented in the blue that symbolizes Setouchi Retreat Aonagi. It opens with the bright, clear notes of yuzu, Iyokan mandarin, and lemon—Ehime's beloved citrus. Over time, the scent evolves into the gentle, grounded notes of Ishizuchi kuromoji, lavender, and coriander before settling into a deep, woody base of patchouli and blue cypress, with a lingering finish that softly evokes the natural landscape of the Seto Inland Sea.
The packaging features the artwork "RAW," and each bottle is individually hand-painted by Emi, making every piece unique. The sleeve uses washi paper from Shikoku-Chuo City, Ehime, giving the product a warm, tactile feel.
Comment from Natural Painter Emi
Fragrance creates spaces and memories without taking form.
I painted each piece by surrendering to the world of each individual scent within ESSENCE OF AONAGI.
Please experience the sensation of simply being present with these scents—as they are, opening up within you.
Comment from Apt15's Kana Manabe
ESSENCE OF AONAGI was composed by selecting and layering ten essential oils one by one, as if gently gathering up something meaningful.
Starting from words and memories, the quality of air and temperature, the texture of light—things I felt myself—I explored the sense of expansiveness and resonance within the space to find the overall balance.
Fragrance reaches you more quietly than words.
I hope this becomes a time to gently encounter scent and art through your own senses in that moment.
