Suginoi Hotel (Location: Beppu City, Oita Prefecture, General Manager: Tatsuya Kurama, hereinafter "Suginoi Hotel") will begin operating a wrapped bus designed by the picture book artist unit "The Cabin Company," based in Yufu City, from Saturday, July 4, 2026.

Design (Image)

Since May 2021, Suginoi Hotel has been promoting a "Regional Co-creation Project" to create new attractions together with local residents. As part of this initiative, with the desire to share the artistic appeal of Oita and Beppu with more people, we have produced and operated four wrapped buses in collaboration with artists connected to Oita.

This time, we have produced our fifth bus, the "Ryugu Bus," in collaboration with the Oita Prefectural Art Museum and The Cabin Company. This artwork depicts the hotel as "Ryugu Castle" (Dragon Palace Castle) and the shuttle bus as a "sea turtle," with the original theme of "fleeting dreams." The entire vehicle is enveloped in bold ink wash paintings, expressing the past and present of Kankaiji by paying homage to Kawase Hasui's "Kankaiji" and depicting the modern Suginoi Hotel. We aim to provide guests with an extraordinary world from the beginning of their stay through a narrative travel experience, as if being guided to Ryugu Castle by a sea turtle. Suginoi Hotel will continue to promote the charm of Oita and Beppu and revitalize the region through co-creation with the community.

Overview

Period: Saturday, July 4, 2026 – End date undecided

Location: Suginoi Hotel premises and shuttle service between the hotel and JR Beppu Station

Content: Launch of the wrapped bus "Ryugu Bus" in collaboration with the Oita Prefectural Art Museum and The Cabin Company

The Cabin Company

Profile

A duo of picture book artists and visual artists, Kenta Koshino (1989-) and Saki Yoshioka (1988-). Both were born in Oita Prefecture. They use a closed school in Yufu City, Oita Prefecture, as their atelier, creating various works such as picture books, three-dimensional sculptures, and animations, which they exhibit both domestically and internationally.

Comment from Saki Yoshioka

It will soon be a hundred years since Kawase Hasui created his print "Kankaiji." The mountain resort depicted in the print has, over a long period, transformed into the massive resort "Suginoi Hotel." Visiting the grounds of Suginoi, one is filled with a utopian atmosphere that has continuously healed and entertained people, making one feel as if dreaming. My father (Yoshioka-san), who is sixty-five years old, visited Suginoi as a child. He later became a parent and a grandparent, and now visits Suginoi with his grandchild. His figure, leisurely moving through time, reminds me of "Urashima Taro" from the Otogi-banashi (folk tales). Delicious meals and diverse entertainment. The open-air bath overlooking Beppu Bay, where one can soak, feels like entrusting oneself to the vast ocean. I realized that Suginoi Hotel is a "Ryugu Castle," a fleeting paradise for us living in this world. People come to Suginoi by bus to experience a fleeting dream. If Suginoi is "Ryugu Castle," then the bus is a "sea turtle." Until the dream ends and we return to reality, I hope you will be cradled on the back of the sea turtle and fully enjoy the Dragon Palace paradise with its rising steam. This work, "Ryugu Bus," expresses a "fleeting dream" by likening Suginoi Hotel to "Ryugu Castle" and the shuttle bus to a "sea turtle." By paying homage to Kawase Hasui's prints, we have packed about 100 years of Suginoi's history into this work like a treasure box.

Design Image

Front (Image) Rear (Image)

Left Side (Image)

Right Side (Image)

Oita Prefectural Art Museum

The Oita Prefectural Art Museum is a museum that opened in 2015 with the concept of "A Museum of Encounters and the Five Senses." Designed by world-renowned architect Shigeru Ban, it features an open, glass-enclosed structure. It utilizes Oita prefecture's local timber and incorporates bamboo craft motifs in its exterior and interior design, expressing the charm of regional culture. It serves as a hub for cultural exchange where people of all ages can enjoy art through exhibitions of art related to Oita and various experiential programs.

Official Website: https://www.opam.jp/

Official Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/opamjp/

About Beppu Onsen Suginoi Hotel:

Beppu Onsen Suginoi Hotel, a group hotel of ORIX HOTELS & RESORTS, is located in Kankaiji Onsen, one of the Beppu Hatto hot springs. It is a hot spring resort of overwhelming scale, with views of Mount Tsurumi in the background and, on clear days, as far as Cape Sada in Shikoku. In addition to its signature large panoramic open-air bath "Tanayu" and the sky-high open-air bath "Sorayu," it offers three buffet restaurants where guests can enjoy carefully selected menus from chefs throughout the seasons. Furthermore, the premises are equipped with entertainment facilities such as the all-weather pool "Aqua Beat" (summer only), the outdoor hot spring "Aqua Garden," and "SUGINOI BOWL & PARK." There are three guest room buildings with different concepts: "Sora-kan," "Hoshi-kan," and "Niji-kan," each offering its own unique charm.

Official Website: https://suginoi.orixhotelsandresorts.com/

Official Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/beppu_suginoihotel_official/

Official LINE Account: https://page.line.me/?accountId=968pmsgb

About ORIX HOTELS & RESORTS:

ORIX HOTELS & RESORTS is the operating brand for inns and hotels of ORIX Hotel Management Corporation. It encompasses a wide range of categories, from luxury to casual, with both inns and hotels, aiming to provide "Places you'll want to visit again" by delivering experiences tailored to the various life stages of our guests. In July 2026, we will open "Cross Swifts Tokyo Asakusa," expanding our portfolio to 15 inns and hotels across 6 brands, from Hokkaido in the north to Fukuoka and Oita in the south.

ORIX HOTELS & RESORTS Official Website: https://www.orixhotelsandresorts.com/

ORIX HOTELS & RESORTS Official Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/orix_hotels_and_resorts/

FACT BOX

  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: Event
  • Organizations: ORIX HOTELS & RESORTS