My favorite Van Gogh painting is called “Bedroom in Arles”. I like this painting because it is full of the electrifying reds, oranges, yellows and blues that characterize his paintings. It is a rustic look into life in the French countryside that always makes me imagine what it would be like to be there in that room sitting on the bed or perhaps in the chair by the window.
To this day I have never made it to Arles or France for that matter, but I have had the pleasure of visiting the European style pension and restaurant called Auberge Soleil located in Ushimado, Japan. I went there by car through the winding hills and narrow roads of the Seto Inland Sea coastline, passing local fields and farmhouses.
I didn’t have a photo so I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for but when I saw a neatly lined row of thin manicured trees like the ones you see on Mediterranean estates I realized I was in the right place. I meandered through the entrance into a proper French-Moroccan parlor decorated with Middle Eastern perfume bottles and mosaics. Turning right I could see the owners of Auberge Soleil sitting at a table in the fully equipped restaurant.
Chikako and Leo greated me and told me a bit about what they had created. The inspiration for the restaurant and pension came from their respective stints abroad in France, Algeria and Egypt. Leo the chef, was born and raised in Ushimado and besides having lived abroad, spent many years working in Tokyo before deciding to settle in his hometown. Chikako originally came to Okayama from Kobe for business and decided to make her home in Ushimado as she was taken by the similarity of the views there to those she experienced in Thailand.
Smiling and upbeat, they told me that creating the restaurant and pension was a therapeutic exercise as Leo had suffered through the pain of a terrible traffic accident some years ago. Chikako used her skills in organic diet to help in Leo’s recovery and set the menu for the restaurant. The menu is mainly vegetarian and all organic with most of the herbs and vegetables coming from their adjacent garden. They are also proud to be able to prepare halal food.
The pension side of the establishment is no less impressive. I was first taken to a room full of perfume filled bottles that enveloped the room like a mandala of healing colors. In place of chemicals, Auberge Soleil uses natural aromas to combat insects and unwanted orders. There are several types of rooms available, all with bath and toilet, including a single, twin, double and a triple room. There is even a room for guests with small dogs that don’t make scratches. All the rooms have interiors that take me back to Van Gogh's "Bedroom in Arles," rustic yet stylishly colorful. The best part is that all the rooms have their own sea view. If you are interested there is a separate Jacuzzi with a sea view that is available for guests. Yet another reason to visit Ushimado!
