Path to the Dream

Considering what a beautiful locale Tamborine Mountain is, it’s no surprise that there’s plenty of places to stay the night when you’re here on vacation. But sometimes you want more than a simple AirBnB— you want a unique adventure in itself, filled with culture. Yumeji Japanese Retreat (located at 16-20 St James Ct) is here to provide. Louise Yonezawa, who owns and operates Yumeji with her husband Hideyo, takes us on a tour through this little slice of Japan on the mountain and what makes it such an authentic experience.

by Kyle Hitchmough

How long has Yumeji Japanese Retreat been operating?

We built the premises about 15 years ago, always with the intention of operating it as a bed and breakfast, but we have only been operating as such for four years.

What was your original inspiration to open a place like this?

My husband is Japanese, as you can probably tell from the names! We had a dream from about 20 years ago that we’d like to have a Japanese-style bed and breakfast. We were living on the coast but we’d been up to Tamborine and thought it was a beautiful area. My husband’s always been in hospitality, so we thought it’d be nice to have Japanese-style accommodation where people can come and experience the food and culture from Japan.

Does the name mean anything significant?

“Yume” means dream and “ji” means a way, or a path. So it means “path to the dream”.

What kinds of facilities do you have here?

We have breakfast for the guests who stay here, that’s included in their stay. In Japan, they have a lot of natural hot springs and bathing is a huge part of the culture, so that’s why we’ve tried to include the concept of an onsen, or outdoor bath, with our spa. The hinoki bath, a timber bath, is another special Japanese thing. A Japanese bath is for soaking in, not washing in. You wash first in the shower then get in the bath to soak and relax. It’s a therapeutic experience.

You offer a choice between traditional Japanese rooms and the more contemporary Western-style ones, correct?

We do have the choice, because not everybody wants to sleep on the floor. We have the traditional suite with futon beds, a Japanese style low timber table and cushions, and then two contemporary spa suites, with a queen-sized bed. There’s also two dining rooms, one formal one with a table and fireplace, and another traditional Japanese one with a sunken table overlooking the courtyard garden.

What kinds of food options do you offer?

We serve a Japanese traditional breakfast to guests, so that’s made up of a lot of different small dishes—vegetables, fish, tofu, rice, miso soup, it’s quite a large breakfast. We also offer an Australian-style one. We accommodate dietary needs as much as we can.

Preference?

It depends on where they’re from, on their age bracket, and if they’ve been to Japan before and are familiar with the traditional style of room. It’s probably about 50/50. A lot of younger people who’ve been to Japan like to stay in the traditional one because it really reminds them of their experiences there. Sometimes people who are a bit older prefer the bed for the comfort.

Are there any notable trends in your clientele?

Probably younger, 20s-30s age bracket is probably our largest group. But we also get older guests—our oldest came to celebrate their 83^rd birthday! It goes right across the board.

Are you a local? What’s your opinion on the Tamborine Mountain area and community?

We’ve been living on the mountain for probably about 18 years. I think it’s a lovely area. I like living in the quiet as opposed to down on the coast, and the greenery. We’re lucky to have a two-acre block, so we have the privacy, peace and quiet. I think that’s what guests like most about coming and staying here, as well as the Japanese experience. It’s just a very tranquil, peaceful setting. Lots of people come down from Brisbane, living in apartments in the city, and here there’s no noise, no traffic. They like that relaxation that they get here.

Do you have any favourite places to go on the mountain?

There’s always the wineries, and Gallery Walk is nice. We go out for dinner sometimes, Leaf Japanese Restaurant in North Tamborine is very nice.

What do you think Yumeji Japanese Retreat really provides to the area?

I think it’s something a little bit different. Most people come here for the Japanese experience, first and foremost. We’ve only been open for four years, and three years of that has been COVID. That proved a little difficult at the beginning, but after the lockdown restrictions ended, a lot of people had cancelled holidays to Japan and so they were searching for something and they found us. And then the more people that find you, they tell their friends… I think 90% of our guests now come from word of mouth.

What do you enjoy most about doing this?

It’s probably just meeting all sorts of people. We meet a lot of different demographics, so that’s really interesting. A lot of our guests have been to Japan, so we talk about their holidays, or people would like to go and we advise them on where to go. There’s been people from all different parts of the world.

What’s been your most memorable moment in your time here?

We get wedding proposals or anniversaries, things like that. That’s always nice. It’s nice to have people choose us to come here and celebrate something special.

Is there anything else you’d like to go on the record?

We do tend to book a bit in advance, a couple of months. It can disappoint people if they call too late. Get in early!

Yumeji Japanese Retreat

16-20 St James Ct, Tamborine Mountain QLD 4272

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