Set in the hills away from the bustle of central Atami, this private hot spring retreat is surrounded by bamboo groves and the gentle sound of a nearby stream. The architecture is designed to heighten the experience of the site’s natural qualities—a place to soak in the hot spring, rest the body, and spend time in stillness.
By carefully framing the landscape, the design shapes not only how nature is perceived, but also how the body inhabits the space and how guests spend their time within it.
From the entrance to the open-air bath, a tall vertical opening and a ceiling that slopes upward toward the exterior frame the powerful verticality of the bamboo rising into the sky, creating a sense of openness and connection to nature. In contrast, the living space frames the bamboo grove as a calm horizontal landscape through a wide window and a low, extended eave. Guests can sit on the sunken sofa, lie on the tatami, or step onto the terrace to feel the breeze and listen to the stream. As posture and position shift, so too does the relationship between the body and the landscape.
The interior and exterior are composed in a restrained monochromatic palette. Exposed timber beams, structural plywood, and concrete are treated as finished surfaces, minimizing decoration while allowing the green of the bamboo and the changing light to stand out.
“Low-Cost, High-Luxury.” Rather than defining luxury through expensive materials or elaborate decoration, the retreat finds richness in what is unique to this place: its natural setting and landscape, hot spring, stillness, and the experience of time passing slowly.