Inn a Natural State―Mui Shizen

For people living in the Tokyo metropolitan area, Atami is a familiar hot spring getaway. The townscape, which retains the charm of the Showa era, evokes a sense of nostalgia with every visit. The concept that came to mind while visiting this area was “contrast = chic.” It is a worldview that embodies chic through restraint—the raw, natural state—balanced with contrasting elements. By adding some elements and subtracting others to maintain a delicate equilibrium, the result is a comfortably refined space. Our idea was to arrange these contrasting elements starting with the guest rooms and working outward. The rooms are simple, crafted primarily from domestically sourced natural wood and washi paper, creating a gentle visual contrast that feels neither excessive nor lacking. In the shared spaces, contrasts were created with a subtractive approach, such as the juxtaposition of mortar flooring and unvarnished wood at the entrance to the guest rooms, and the skeleton ceilings paired with vertical latticework in the corridors. The empty spaces were then adorned with objects crafted from natural materials like washi paper, which could be described as just shy of being art. The natural materials used throughout the inn were chosen with an awareness of the implicit boundaries of space. This approach seeks to evoke a sense of conscious awareness within the design of the space. For those of us accustomed to removing our shoes indoors for example, even this simple act highlights an invisible boundary. These unseen aspects of space, what might be called an “implicit understanding,” create a sense a space that feels just right. This process is ultimately about contemplating the essence of mui shizen— the concept of doing nothing and taking things as they come.