Japanese Mountain Retreat

The Japanese Mountain Retreat features two spacious double guest rooms each complete with traditional bathroom overlooking its own private Japanese garden. Each room enjoys a large moon viewing dais overlooking a lake.

Tatami Room

Your guestroom at the Japanese Mountain Retreat Melbourne has every modern convenience (television, CD player, DVD player, books, games, reverse cycle air-conditioning, yukata robes etc) as well as a fully equipped kitchen complete with generous western style breakfast provisions.

Ofuro

Step into your Ofuro (deep tub) overlooking your very own private Japanese garden at Japanese Mountain Retreat Melbourne. Soaking and submerged to the chin, it is the perfect time for relaxation, contemplation and sensual pleasures. Feelings of well-being and harmony arise.

Engawa

Savour a special platter of Japanese cuisine in your private guest room and enjoy generous breakfast provisions in the fully equipped kitchen.

Shiatsu

Rejuvenate your mind with an in-room shiatsu, relaxation or remedial massage when you stay at the Japanese Mountain Retreat Melbourne.

The Japanese Mountain Retreat  is situated on five secluded acres of natural forest, just 45 minutes from Melbourne in the foothills of the Dandenong ranges and 15 minutes from the heart of the Yarra Valley.

Through the Genkan

Walk through the formal entrance way of the traditional Japanese home, at the Japanese Mountain Retreat Melbourne and see elements integral to the Japanese way of life: tatami, shoji, ofuro and the garden to name a few.

Tatami

What is Tatami? It is the traditional straw matting that is used on the floor in Japanese homes. Tatami evolved over a long period first beginning as a thin easily folded straw mat on which people sat or slept. Later more layers of rice straw were put to the core to increase comfort. Tatami came to be associated with privilege as exalted members of society sat upon them while others sat on the wooden floor. As shoes are a symbol of the life led outside the home it is customary the remove them in the entrance way, at Japanese Mountain Retreat enter a different world- the private personal world of the home.

Shoji

Japanese homes have traditionally been built without permanent walls separating each room. Instead, Shoji or moveable screens are used to partition various areas of the home and for marking the boundary between interior and exterior. Shoji which means translucence came into existence in response to a need for a partition that admits light but not drafts.

The Japanese Bath (Ofuro)

Taking a bath has always been an integral part of Japanese life.
In the past Japanese people enjoyed the daily ritual of the bath with their friends and neighbors in a public bath (the sensor) or in a hot spring bath (the onsen). It was not until the middle of this century that the provision of a water supply made it possible for most people to have a private four while the onsen and the sensor remain popular for many Japanese people.

The Japanese Garden

The Japanese garden reproduces and symbolizes the landscapes seen in nature. The garden at the Japanese Mountain Retreat is not filled with plants and borders of flowers as in a Western style garden but left with much empty space signifying what can be. The elements of water, fire and earth are each represented in the garden and their relationship to one another. For the Japanese, the garden is a spiritual interplay of the components within it, and a reflection of the wider universe beyond.

Dining

At the Japanese Mountain Retreat a delicious Japanese dinner is served in your suite on one night of every two-night stay. Single night stays include a five-course Japanese dinner for two.

Tea Ceremony

The Japanese Mountain Retreat Melbourne is proud to offer their guests the opportunity to partake in a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony. Performance by Ms. Miho Kumagae, a certified performer, and teacher of this unique art take place in your retreat on Saturday afternoons.