A New Form of Resort: Merging Nature and Art

We are collaborating with nikissimo Inc. on the “Art Biotop” botanical garden project as one of symbolic businesses to mark the 50th anniversary of Takara Leben’s founding.

Located in the Yokozawa area at the foot of the Nasu mountains amid abundant nature, the Art Biotop botanical garden project is a new form of resort that proposes a new relationship between humans and nature. In addition to the enormous Water Garden, other facilities include a residence with a pottery studio and glassmaking studio, restaurant μ (Mu), which serves artistic food that stimulates the five senses, a premium villa that blends into the forest, and the café Kantan, whose theme is “25-mile food.” It proposes a model for future resort business that grows by merging nature and art. Besides harmonizing with nature, it seeks to fulfill its role as a platform for cultural and social activities, such as the support for nurturing artists through the Artist in Residence program. As a company that cares about the environment, the Takara Leben Group will continue to promote proposals leading to resorts and business models of the future.

Water Garden Landscape Art Selected for Good Design Award 2019
Best 100

The Water Garden was created in 2018 based on a design by architect Junya Ishigami. It is a new and unique art space created through the carefully calculated arrangement of 318 trees and 160 biotopes (ponds) of varying sizes. In the judging, the Water Garden was evaluated highly for the beauty of the artistic biotopes, which differ from natural biotopes. These artistic biotopes were recognized as embodiments of the living spirit of Japanese gardens. The Water Garden has been introduced by countless media, both Japanese and international, as a special meditation space in which visitors can clear their senses and feel the ties between people and nature. It is already drawing attention from around the world.