IDEAS FOR GOODAn hour and 30 minutes on a train from Tokyo and you will find yourself in Hakone, a popular tourist site, famous for its natural beauty and hot springs. Among the many hotels available in the area, bio terrace ORGANiCA HAKONE is a perfect place to visit to relax.
ORGANiCA HAKONE was founded under the concept “living ethically.”
It embodies the following 8 keywords:
- Fairtrade (fair-minded trade)
- Organic (co-existing with nature)
- Natural Materials (materials made of natural substances)
- Craftsmanship (artisanship that should be passed down to future generations)
- Recycling (reprocessing)
- Waste-less (reducing trash)
- Local Trade (regional contribution)
- Social Benefit (a lifestyle with social contribution)
We approached the hotel general manager Mr Masuoka and Ms Kawaguchi (who operates the hotel with Honjo Soko, the company that owns the hotel) about the significance of the keywords. They also shared some examples of what they are doing that represents these values.
Relaxing is key to ORGANiCA HAKONE
No toothbrushes are provided at ORGANiCA HAKONE. Reducing waste is of course one of the happy outcomes. But the main reason is the hotel wants the guests to feel relaxed. By bringing their own amenities, the guests can feel like the place is an extension of their own home.
Moreover, there are no vending machines that sell drinks in plastic bottles. Instead, there are water coolers for the guests to use as if they are relaxing in their own homes.
There is a unique approach underlying these services. ORGANiCA HAKONE believes that providing too much service could become a burden for their guests. Of course, the staff will provide services to those who need it, but it will not change their amenities every day, nor will it provide excessive manual-based information for those who do not require it. This way, the hotel is able to deliver relaxation both physically and mentally.
Although 80 percent of the guests are women of all ages, a variety of people from Tokyo do visit ORGANiCA HAKONE and its surrounding areas to relax and destress. These visitors age ranges widely from the young to those in their 70s.
Healthy macrobiotic food to recover your natural self
One thing to look forward to while staying at a hotel is the meal. ORGANiCA HAKONE puts a lot of thought into the way they serve their food.
Firstly, it provides macrobiotic food of mainly brown rice, grains and vegetables, without the use of animal foods or dairy products.
However, it avoids purchasing expensive organic food from abroad just because it’s organic, but rather uses locally produced and consumed food. Initially, organic food is something that is simple, and the ethical principle is rooted in the thinking not to unnaturally push oneself beyond their means.
Secondly, the amount of food is adjusted according to each guest, which results in reducing waste.
The hotel changes their menu every month, which has become very popular among their guests. ORGANiCA HAKONE already has regular guests who frequent the place because of the food. This despite it being less than a year since they opened the hotel.
The secret is in the natural furniture and bed linen too
Towels, amenities and furniture used at the hotel are either organic, or ethical items that are specially selected.
Among these items are handmade soaps and herbal goods made by Cambodian women. Ms Kawaguchi says that by purchasing these soaps, she wants to support Cambodian women who have taken control of their lives and chosen to live free.
You can also experience a Cambodian herbal sauna called Chupon at ORGANiCA HAKONE. This is a traditional medical treatment that uses natural healing powers. Medicine used to be scarce in Cambodia. A group of healers, called the Kru Khmer, made traditional medicine out of herbs with the traditional Khmer apothecary approach. If your body is healthy, this treatment is more than enough to avoid sicknesses and maintain health.
Surrounding yourself with these natural items will release excessive energy from your body and soul.
Reducing burden on the staff too
This “Living Ethically” concept is not only for the guests, but also to the staff who work at the hotel. According to the hotel manager Mr. Masuoka, “Mistakes tend to increase if only one person holds the responsibility.”
Therefore ORGANiCA HAKONE reduces situations where only one person would be responsible for cleaning and preparing the restaurants. It is based on the idea that an individual may reach a dead end doing these kinds of jobs by him/herself. But when the number is increased to two, their mental state changes and they are invigorated again.
Hakone, a place where you can feel the Earth’s pulse
Every room at ORGANiCA HAKONE has a panoramic view of the ocean. Whether it’s a Japanese room or a Western-style room, it has a view overlooking the Sagami Bay, which stretches out to the Miura Peninsula. Furthermore, ORGANiCA HAKONE is a hotel that is built on the highest grounds of Hakone. So you can see the sunrise from the sea or the glory of the full moon right outside your window.
Moreover, you can eat your breakfast on the quiet terrace facing the Hakone mountains and sea, making you feel that you are a part of nature wherever you go.
According to Ms Kawaguchi, “The hotel stands on the highest grounds of Hakone, so being very close to the magma, you can almost feel the Earth’s pulse.” It is just as she says: it is the perfect place to relax and feel the rhythm of the Earth.
In addition, the quiet, peaceful atmosphere of ORGANiCA HAKONE is not only created by its location, but also by the guests.
“Ethical” originally meant not to push yourself too hard
Ms Kawaguchi came up with the idea of creating this hotel. Initially, she worked in the medical field where she came across many people destroying their health. They were either to eating or working too much, eventually losing their lives to cancer.
She personally suffered from bowel and uterus cancer too, so her dream was to make an accommodation that would “heal sicknesses after staying for a week.”
“The idea is to do nothing in a place which simply has nothing there. It’s not only about daydreaming though. It’s more about thinking about the Earth while you’re surrounded by nature. What if people who don’t feel so good, but don’t know why they feel that way, could sneak away from their deafeningly demanding everyday life, and just ponder about the Earth, because they have nothing to do? I would be more than happy if something like this could happen naturally.”
Ms Kawaguchi thinks that being ethical means “to live a normal life based on our instincts and regain our natural way of thought.” There is nothing special to reducing waste, appreciating nature and supporting each other by helping fair trade.
ORGANiCA HAKONE does indeed seem to be a place where people can regain their original state of mind again.
This article was originally published on IDEAS FOR GOOD
Translated by Ayako Karino
