The unusual, hexagonal building that looks as if it’s built into the very soil is The Hive, a sauna hotel that is attracting the attention of saunas across Japan.
The Hive doesn’t just look like a beehive. It was born through a desire for a place for people to gather and create, like how bees gather to make honey. Here we want friends to come together and give birth to new ideas as they reset their minds through the scents of aroma oils and in the sauna.
In Scandinavia and Germany, saunas are a type of medical treatment. In Japan, too, many people have felt their restorative effects. That is why the sauna was considered to be an essential component of Healthian-wood.
Splashing aroma water over the hot stones fills the sauna with a pleasant, reassuring scent. Once you feel your body fully warmed up, you can take a dip in the cold-water bath, which is filled with the clear groundwaters of Tateyama. Once you emerge from the cold bath, have a seat in the deck chairs and gaze out at the plants with a hexagonal imprint, at the earth, the sky, and the Tateyama mountains. You can also climb to the roof, where, at night, you can get a full view of the stars. Refining your five senses here in nature might bring forth ideas you never would have expected.
The sauna isn’t the only attraction at The Hive. If you’re going to stay the night, we’d love for you to try the Indian curry after you visit the sauna. Why Indian curry? Because the manager of The Hive is from India. Kaushik Acharya, or Acha, has been living in Japan for 30 years, having been especially charmed by the natural beauty of Toyama, with its mountains by the sea.
“The special thing about Acha Curry is that it’s authentic Indian curry. You can’t really find real Indian curry in Japan,” he said. India has many different states, and each one has its own kind of curry; there are even multiple variations within each state. Some are simple curries that don’t take much time, and some are long, slow-simmered restaurant curries, and they’re completely different. Acha makes all these different kinds by blending the spices himself.
“Indians eat curry 365 days a year. A lot of people don’t believe me when I say that. But if you eat my curry, you’ll realize you can eat it 365 days a year.” As he said this, Acha gave a great big laugh.
ON THE TRIP Editorial Staff
Planning: Shiga Akihito
Writer: Satoru Onuma
Translation: Dale Angles, Sara Shreck, Kevin Charles
Photography: Hiroshi Honma
Narration: Chelsea Krause
*This guide was created based on documents and interviews and includes some interpretation done by us at ON THE TRIP. Theories differ between experts, so try to find out what really happened on your travels!