Arima Guesthouse, Japan Spring Hot Resort Building, Project Photos, News, Design, Property Images

Arima Guesthouse Japan

Japanese Guesthouse old spring hot resort – design by Tetsuya Matsui + Tomoko Murata, UZU

20 Apr 2009

Guesthouse in Arima

Location: Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

Date built: 2008

Design: Tetsuya Matsui + Tomoko Murata, UZU

Photographs : Akiyoshi Fukuzawa

This building is located at the corner of the street, where a prostitute is said to live long years ago, in an old spring hot resort “Arima”. Forty five years have passed since this renovated common house was built after the Second World War. It features tiled roofs, mortar outside walls, bases of clay walls, plaster walls with cotton-wool fiber and glass sliding screens with wooden frame. Big and old maple trees in the neighbours are growing at the approach. At night stars shine over the trees.

The client provides it as a personal guest house for his many friends in other countries. Tetsuya Matsui + Tomoko Murata, UZU, would like the guests to relax in the atmosphere with history and nature in this place to keep a structure of the former Japanese residence.

Tetsuya Matsui + Tomoko Murata, UZU, left wooden poles and removed ceiling boards to show the existing structure such as wall bases in the ceiling without drastic change of shape and painted dirty and cracked walls as if they put on light makeup, leaving the feeling of original materials. At last the architects softly installed nets made of linen with light and shadow generating there on the wooden poles and at the back of paper sliding screens.

Tetsuya Matsui + Tomoko Murata, UZU, adjusted the old style to the new style, and appreciate the harmony. The architects wanted to express something like the trace of prostitute who turned into the breeze rustling maple leaves many years later.

Guesthouse in Arima images / information from Tetsuya Matsui + Tomoko Murata, UZU, 200409

Location: Arima, Japan, East Asia

Japanese Architecture

Japanese Architecture Designs – chronological list

Japanese Architecture

Japanese Houses

Hafye House, Odawara City, Kanagawa
Architect: CUBO

photo : Hiroshi Ueda
Hafye House in Odawara City

House Wago, Shizuoka
Design: msd-office, architects

photos : Tadafumi Masuda / msd-office, Yasutaka Shimizu / NINE SENSE
Contemporary House in Shizuoka