Photo/Illutration Izumo Hotel the Cliff (Provided by Balnibarbi Co.)

IZUMO, Shimane Prefecture--A resort complex with guest rooms built into a cliff facing the Sea of Japan opened here on May 1.

Izumo Hotel the Cliff in the Tachiko district features eight guest rooms that all offer magnificent ocean views. Guests can feel like they are in a cave if they dim the lights.

They can also relax in a jacuzzi placed on each room’s balcony and watch the sun set over the sea.

A cafe-style restaurant located on the cliff has 185 seats, including ones on a balcony. It serves diverse dishes using locally bred beef or ingredients from Shimane Prefecture’s luxury food brands.

The parking lot, which accommodates 200 vehicles, has a shop that sells hamburgers, ice cream, coffee and souvenirs.

In addition, a swing named “swing of wind” was installed on the nearby beach, and the area will be marketed as a spot that blends with nature.

The resort complex and the swing are part of the first phase of a local regeneration project called “Windy Farm Atmosphere.” The goal is to attract not only customers but also potential new residents from inside and outside the prefecture.

Companies taking part in the project include Balnibarbi Co., which operates restaurants in Osaka Prefecture and Tokyo, major online-based financial service provider SBI Holdings Inc., and Shimane Bank Ltd.

They spent around 1 billion yen ($7.3 million) for the project, including funds to buy the 5-hectare site.

Under the project, housing will be built in the area for an expected migration from inside and outside the prefecture. Autonomous energy systems, such as those for solar energy, are also planned.

Balnibarbi Chairman Hirohisa Sato has said he hopes the project will “offer a new way to reside and live in regional areas.”

Yoshitaka Kitao, chairman and president of SBI Holdings, is also enthusiastic about regenerating localities.

“This is the first (local regeneration) project,” he said. “We want to do (similar projects) in at least five areas (across Japan).”

Shimane Bank President Yoshio Suzuki has said, “I hope that the project will contribute to the development of commerce and the tourism industry in Shimane Prefecture.”