"Opened in 2021, this 70-room oceanfront retreat is located in Beppu, just 90 minutes from Fukuoka on Japan’s southernmost island of Kyushu. Designed by the celebrated Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the structure is cloaked in sho sugi ban, a method of charring cedar so it doesn’t burn. Like many properties in Beppu, guests come for the restorative onsen, which takes many forms here—private balcony ofuro tubs, a landscaped ground-level onsen, and a hanging glassy infinity footbath, all high in hydrogen carbonate to help soften skin. Inspired by onsen towns, Kai Beppu features an in-house street food market and nightly performances of a rhythmic onsen jug band—a true 'only in Japan' experience." - Keith Flanagan, Sanjay Surana, Jennifer Flowers, Adam H. Graham