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On the so-called Island of Well Being in Kagawa prefecture, there is a Japanese resort that knows how to make Westerners feel comfortable while preserving a very Japanese peace of mind.

It has been said that the introduction of three must-haves: the washing machine, refrigerator and TV, revolutionized Japan back in the 60s by giving the middle class newfound leisure time. The Olivean Sports Resort, built during the 80s real estate boom, offers three newer musts - golf, tennis and French cuisine - to occupy the leisure time of the contemporary Japanese. What makes the quirky Olivean Resort of interest to foreign guests is its location on isolated Shodoshima, an island with history, scenery and cultural significance that are wonderfully, uniquely Japanese.

Peaceful Shodoshima

Shodoshima (shima means island), tucked between rural Shikoku island and Japan’s busy main island of Honshu, has played a quiet role in Japanese history. During the 8^th century, when envoys sent to China by the Imperial family brought back the new religion of Buddhism, the monk Kukai-a introduced Shingon Buddhism to Shikoku's fishermen. He taught that enlightenment could be achieved through the recitation of Buddhist scriptures, and inspired construction of the 88 temples that make Shikoku the focus of month-long pilgrimages. The "mini-route" of 88 temples and worship sites recreated on neighboring Shodoshima can be visited in just one week, making the island a popular pilgrimage destination for Japanese families today.

In the 15^th century, Portuguese traders introduced another new religion, Christianity, to Japan but it was banned by the Shogun Tokugawa during the Edo period. Christians took refuge on Shodoshima, establishing its reputation as an island of peace and tolerance. Centuries of isolation followed. After the US and Europe demanded that Japan open its borders to trade, many Western cultural influences arrived, changing the Japanese lifestyle forever.

A Japanese Resort that Keeps Foreigners In Mind

The 111-room Olivean Resort reflects some of these influences in its block architecture and "Western" style rooms. A purely Japanese interpretation of 70s Americana, the resort's immaculate decor features pastel, floral print curtains and brocade upholstery. Two beds (in the Japanese style, larger than a single but smaller than a double), a bureau of drawers and a work desk occupy the entry side of each Western-style guestroom, which can accommodate up to a four-person family. The spacious seating area contains two eight-foot-long couches fit to sleep tall and narrow children, a table, and two armchairs, all artfully arranged to take advantage of the balcony's beautiful views of the tennis courts, grounds and Seto Inland Sea. Amenities include a minibar, electric tea kettle with green tea and gaufrette wafers, wall-to-wall carpeting, large dressing area with vanity and bathroom with sink, tub and shower.

In contrast, the hotel's 15 elegant Japanese rooms are equally spacious but sparsely furnished, with a field of pristine tatami straw matting on the raised floor and very low lacquer furniture. Families use the living space for relaxing, sitting, dining and watching the flat panel TV. Each evening, housekeepers push aside the furniture and make up the beds - comfortably dense futon mattresses with duvets and pillows - side by side along the tatami matting. On the lowest floor, with a direct view of the resort's blossoming plum and maple trees, these rooms offer a serenity in their otherness that the Western rooms cannot. As a pilgrim seeking enlightenment about Japanese culture, I felt better just sleeping here.

Whether you're in a Western or a Japanese room, you'll notice some details that underscore how delightfully Japanese the Olivean truly is. It's not only how every staff person bows when you pass, or that the video arcade has more dads than kids. The toilet in every guestroom, though it may look familiar, is actually a marvel of Japanese ingenuity. It automatically starts an internal waterfall when sat upon, to mask any embarrassing sounds. There are buttons for a seat warmer, bidet spray, buttocks spray and water pressure control. At the sink's faucet, instead of pulling up on the handle to start the water, you have to push down. The bureau contains a comfy, if small, pair of striped cotton pajamas with drawstring waist for use around the hotel. Slippers are meant to be put on at the room's entrance, after you've left your shoes at the door. The fluffy pillows are actually marvelous Japanese makura, or neck supporters that shape quickly to the user because they are filled with buckwheat hulls. And seen from every window is the towering white Dai Kannon statue, a standing Buddha dominating Umagoe Hill near the resort grounds.