— and despite her instruction to keep eyes closed, I’ve cracked open my right lid. Beyond the deck where 20-odd people are breathing serenely in unison, I spy a rambling green expanse of forest stretching to meet the Seto Inland Sea. I feel suspended above the foliage, weightless in space. This definitely beats meditating in a packed London studio.
The site is a sculpture as much as a place to stay. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban, Zenbo Seinei is a minimalist, indoor-outdoor wooden masterpiece, employing smooth lines and traditional Japanese craft techniques. There are 18 compact rooms with large picture windows and futon beds. Underneath the building, there’s an al fresco studded dramatically with boulders.
At dinner, the vegetarian, temple-inspired cuisine is colourful and delicate — a gourmet work of art. I eat sushi rice topped with rainbow vegetables and edible flowers, mochi with a zing of yuzu wrapped in bamboo leaf, and nutty soba noodles with grated yam.