Kiun-Kaku in Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, was originally built by shipping magnate, Shinya Uchida, in 1919. It was updated by the industrialist and lover of the arts, Kaichiro Nezu, in the early 1930’s. The compound is just under 10,000 square feet and overlooks a magnificent garden on a gently sloping hillside. A mixture of refined Japanese elegance and Western architecture as evidenced by a Tudor-style guest room, and an art deco themed sun lounge…the epitome of luxury from a bygone era. Later converted to a ryokan (Japanese inn) in 1947, it was a favorite retreat for many of Japan’s most famous writers including Yukio Mishima, Junichiro Tanizaki, Osamu Dazai and Yasunari Kawabata.
