Yasuhiro Yamashita (President of Atelier Tekuto Co., Ltd. and Amami Innovation Co., Ltd.) has won the “Best Luxury Resort Architecture in Japan 2022” at the Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2022 for his “Denpaku” accommodation facility and restaurant & bar on Amami Oshima. Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2022, for “Best Luxury Resort Architecture in Japan 2022”. This is the first time Amami Oshima has received this award.
The award was given to “Denpaku The Beachfront MIJORA” and its restaurant and bar “2 waters”.
Denpaku” started in 2016 with “Denpaku Old Folk Houses” based on the concept of “handing down the island’s traditional and legendary architecture and village culture to the next generation,” followed by “Marun Plaza + Denpaku Amami Hotel” as a center for interaction between villagers and tourists, “Denpaku The Beachfront MIJORA”, a newly built luxury villa resort hotel, and a wide variety of other facilities. This year’s award recognized the company’s “contribution to building a cooperative relationship with the local community by designing buildings and landscapes that harmonize with the local community, while taking into account the social structure of the area.
We will continue to work toward the realization of “a society where no one is left behind” through community development that preserves village culture and nature through people-to-people exchanges.
What are Luxury Lifestyle Awards?
The Luxury Lifestyle Awards, which have been running for 14 years since 2008, are global awards that evaluate more than 5,000 products in more than 400 categories from 120 regions around the world to select the best products and services. The awards are judged on a total of nine criteria, including reputation, reliability, creativity, brand recognition, and excellence. It is said to be the [world’s most prestigious award] that selects the best brands in various fields, from five-star hotels such as Ritz-Carlton and Fairmont to small stores. *We will also ask Mr. Yamashita to double-check with the other two Japanese winners.
Yasuhiro Yamashita, Representative, Award Comment
I believe that the village culture inherited in my hometown Amami Islands and the people who have carried it on are precious treasures that we should be proud of to the world, and I have been working on community development through the operation of “Denpaku” and “Magun Hiroba. Today, we are the largest private enterprise in the northern part of Amami Oshima, and many local residents and businesses are involved in our activities. We believe that this recognition will encourage our employees and local community members to take pride in our culture, and to strive to maintain it with even greater ambition and initiative. We will continue to deepen our cooperation with the local community to realize sustainable tourism and to pass on the beauty of Amami.
Evaluation comments by the judges (excerpts)
Atelier Tekuto Inc. believes in designing buildings and landscapes that harmonize with the local community while taking into account the social structure of the region and building cooperative relationships. The luxury project being developed on Amami Oshima Island embodies this commitment and contributes to the creation of a healthy community.
On Amami Oshima Island, blessed with nature and culture and designated as a World Natural Heritage site in July 2021, many villages are in a state of crisis, with abandoned old houses and the destruction of local communities due to excessive tourism. Amami Innovation Corporation, headed by Yasuhiro Yamashita, has been working to renovate and revitalize the region and now operates restaurants, facilities for the elderly, products and galleries, and ample lodging facilities.
The award-winning facilities are making a significant contribution to the maintenance of the Amami Archipelago’s diverse village culture that has persisted for hundreds of years.
Award-winning facilities
・Denpaku The Beachfront MIJORA” and “2 waters
(Project details：https://yamashita-yasuhiro.net/）
Denpaku The Beachfront MIJORA, which had its grand opening in July 2019, is a luxury villa resort facility located on Amami Oshima, a World Natural Heritage site blessed with rich forests and beautiful ocean. Under the concept of “Dialogue with Nature on the Island,” the villa offers a lodging experience that allows guests to forget the hustle and bustle of daily life and adjust the depths of their minds through the great nature spreading out through the glass windows. This was followed by the opening of the “2 waters” complex in April 2021, which includes a restaurant & bar, pentagonal infinity pool, and accommodation reception.
