Bourou Noguchi, Noboribetsu is a stylish boutique hotel in the little town of Noboribetsu, in the southwestern part of Hokkaido that is famous for its hot spring baths.
A collaboration between sculptor Igarashi Takenobu, architect Makoto Nakayama, and under the management of Noguchi Hideo, Bourou Noguchi is an exquisite retreat that offers private onsens in every suite and a delectable kaseiki menu that features the best local seasonal ingredients.
While the exterior is dignified yet simple, the hotel's interior is strikingly modern and beautiful that marries the visual with the sublime. The emphasis is not about the materials used, but the textural and spatial experience that have been created from them. The spaces are masterfully crafted with every detail delicately sculpted and every movement choreographed to offer an unforgettable architectural experience that completely engages the body and the senses. The ambience exudes a semi-meditative state of calm with dim, indirect lighting that cast deep shadows, and low strips of windows that reveal the beauty of art and nature beyond that invite the guest to soften and lower the gaze, and to reflect the external world onto the world within.
[photos: © angelus novus]