Words & Photos by Rachel Davies

The concept of ephemerality is nothing new in the Land of the Rising Sun. A favourite pastime of the country’s inhabitants is to watch in awe the changing seasons, the life cycle of the natural world, the brief and brilliant transformations that come and go like clockwork and make everything seem infinitely more exquisite. Indeed, there’s even a concept based upon just that; wabi-sabi, the celebration of impermanence and imperfection, so it makes sense that French hospitality visionary Thierry Teyssier has brought his wandering hotel 700,000 Heures, named for the amount of time the average person in the developed world spends on Earth, to these shores. 

Ine, home to the Japan edition of Thierry’s nomadic retreat, is magical. A tiny fishing village hidden on the Kyotango Peninsula, two hours drive from Kyoto, it’s a place where mountains meet the sea and rust-bitten boats bob on the swell, casting nets for myriad creatures, from squid to tuna to flounder and bream. 

“Luxury is not about the biggest private pool or presidential suite anymore. It’s about unique moments with people you love.” Thierry says, as he describes ‘sept-cent-mille heures’, the name rolling off the tongue so sweetly en francais. The concept of a wandering hotel is a fascinating one and the organisation behind it is enough to make the head whir. “We work on a list of destinations three years in advance. Yes it is a lot of work but giving tourism back to locals, seeing our guests enjoying such special moments and my own rich personal experience makes it so I am one of the happiest men on Earth!” 

Now the turn of Japan and the serenity of Ine and her funaya, a traditional wooden homes teetering atop the water, the first floor open to the wind and waves, fishing boats nestled inside; the idea that this spot will be no more in six months makes time spent here all the more cherished.

The soothing sound of the tide lapping the shore welcomed us to 700,000 Heures, a summer breeze blowing the scent of the sea through the open space. A window seat and sofa at one end overlook the bay with a rather impressive home-bar in the form of a large leather trunk propped open to the side. Thierry and Kiki, our charming hosts, ushered us to their funaya platform perched on the waters edge. More trunks... this time in the form of a dining table and comfy-looking benches, set against a scene almost too perfect to comprehend - tranquil turquoise waters underneath higgledy stilted dwellings.

Here we sat and whiled away an afternoon, cares disappearing as we devoured freshly caught fish, washed down with a glass of wine. It was easy to feel time drift away on the waves, and to appreciate a world where people and water coexist – living, working, fishing – basking in the untouched elegance of a locale that time seemingly forgot.

It’s these moments that Thierry is interested in - curating experiences tailored to each 700,000 Heures setting. Thierry is convinced that the future of travel is this; creating a circular economy with locals, producers and suppliers, and working with them to learn and understand their lands and culture, offering people a deeper way to connect. Each destination also has a special goal when it comes to working with communities. Here in Japan it’s to advance the position of women in the working world; putting in place an almost entirely female team from the village, Thierry is championing them to become independent and equal in an environment in which that is often difficult.

I take with me my Ine memories; jumping from a fishing boat into the azure waters of the Japan Sea flanked by verdant green hills, hopping on a bicycle and embarking upon a treasure hunt around the village, finding clues to reveal a prize of paramount importance - the location of a hidden izakaya where a bow-tied bartender whipped up some simple yet sophisticated after dinner drinks, sipping Champagne in a secret picnic spot and foraging in the mountains for moss to create mini Japanese garden scenes. A true celebration of serendipitous living, we couldn’t have been more thrilled to have entrusted Thierry with 36 of our 700,000 hours. I only wished it could have been more.

Note: Due to COVID-19 on international travel, Ine will be reopening from April 2021 to October 2021. To learn more, visit their website.