This hospitality project is located in the northern part of Kyoto Prefecture, overlooking Amanohashidate—one of Japan’s three most celebrated scenic views. The site sits along a pine-lined coastal strip, with the landscape opening toward Miyazu Bay beyond.

The project consists of four guest villas and a management building that includes a gym. Each villa is designed for private use and accommodates up to four guests, featuring a private pool, open-air bath, and sauna. While the program remains consistent, the spatial configurations differ across the four villas.

Villa A emphasizes its connection to the landscape with a wide frontage facing Amanohashidate. Villa B is arranged around a central courtyard that organizes the flow of movement. Villa C offers a linear sequence of spaces, connecting the entrance hall, wet area, and a framed view of the bay. Villa D enables direct access from a second-floor bedroom to the pool below. By varying the relationships among shared elements, the design offers a distinct experience in each villa.

The ensemble comprises two single-story and two two-story villas. Roof shapes, eave depths, heights, and building positions are calibrated to maintain visual coherence while introducing variation, allowing continuity and contrast to coexist across the site. To preserve the character of the area, roofing materials are regulated under local landscape protection guidelines. The ensemble adopts a gently sloped tiled roof, designed to form a gently articulated skyline that harmonizes quietly with the surrounding landscape.

A defining feature of the composition is a series of wall elements running orthogonal to the Amanohashidate shoreline. These walls simultaneously segment and connect the villas, introducing rhythm and order across the site. Each wall continues uninterrupted from interior to exterior, clad in the same porcelain tiles used for the outdoor flooring. The detailing throughout—walls, floors, pools, and baths—strictly adheres to the tile grid, with precise alignment. In doing so, the design avoids treating features such as pools or open-air baths as mere amenities, instead integrating them as core architectural components.

A pedestrian promenade runs alongside the waterfront, presenting a need to balance openness with privacy. To address this, the floor level of each unit is raised approximately 200mm higher than in typical timber construction, creating a subtle elevation difference. On the waterfront side, the terrace is enclosed by a parapet wall set at 1100mm high—deliberately calibrated to block sightlines from passing pedestrians. While it prevents visual intrusion from the outside, this configuration enables uninterrupted views of the pine forest and the bay beyond from within. The sectional strategy allows framed openness to coexist with enclosure, forming a calm interior atmosphere while maintaining a connection to the landscape.

By using rooflines and wall elements as unifying devices while varying the spatial sequences in each unit, the architecture supports a diversity of experiences—offering not only richness in each stay but also an invitation to return.