Nazuna Hakone Miyanoshita is a newly opened ryokan in Hakone by Nazuna, a brand originally established in Kyoto. We were responsible for the design of its refurbishment. While Nazuna has traditionally reinterpreted Kyoto culture through the contemporary re-editing of wooden machiya townhouses, this project required the expression of Kyoto-like qualities within the constraints of a reinforced concrete (RC) structure in Hakone. Drawing inspiration from key elements of the Kyoto machiya—such as alleys, entrances, earthen floors (doma), tsuboniwa courtyard gardens, and living rooms—as well as the ambiguous boundary between "inside" and "outside," we focused on reconfiguring the interior using outdoor-like elements to create a sense of spatial continuity. Upon passing through the noren curtain at the entrance, features typically found outdoors—such as charred cedar exterior walls, cobblestone paving, and latticework—are drawn into the interior. At the end of an alley-like space reminiscent of a Kyoto townscape, guests arrive at an entrance designed to evoke that of a traditional machiya. The doma and tsuboniwa garden extend into the interior, framing a view of Mt. Myojingatake in the background.
In terms of spatial detailing, we referenced traditional techniques passed down in Kyoto and throughout Japan, adapting them for use in a contemporary environment. Natural materials such as earthen plaster, charred cedar, cedar bark, cypress, bamboo, washi paper, and Komatsu stone were carefully selected and composed to bring out their innate organic textures.
We also drew on the traditional approach of Japanese wooden architecture, where structural elements are expressed as part of the design, and applied it in a contemporary way. Existing concrete columns and beams were deliberately left visible and given a kotataki (small-hammered) finish, transforming them into expressive design features. By recreating the spatial relationship between the alley and the machiya within a modern RC structure, and by establishing an ambiguous boundary between “outside” and “inside” that unfolds through the continuity of space, we have reimagined a new kind of ryokan in Hakone—one that contemporarily reinterprets the traditions of the Kyoto machiya.
