TOTO Hotel Chikusenso Japan Project

November 05, 2024

The aluminum frame in the window suggests a sliding paper shoji screen. The floors and walls are tiled with Towada stone, known for its characteristically soft Japanese feel. The transparent material in the bathtub glows like a classic paper lantern while indirect lighting casts a warm hue on the ceiling. This location is a room at the newly renovated Mt. Zao Chikusenso Onsen Resort & Spa, which reopened in spring 2010. Hashimoto Yukio, the interior designer on the project, recalls being struck by the Japanese view of nature when he first saw the bathtub. Inspired by its shape and texture—neutral yet modern, with an organic softness—he let his imagination run wild from there in designing the rest of the guest room. The curves of the bathtub and the sharp lines of the window. White and red lighting. Even amidst the tension created by such beautiful contrasts, the space suggests a natural Japanese landscape ready to gently embrace one in a moment of relaxation.

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The hotel's predecessor, Chikusenso Hot Spring Resort, located in Zao National Park, has one of the largest grounds in the 400-year history of the Togatta Onsen hot spring area. Hashimoto said that when approaching the renovation, he was committed to creating a space that was Japanese in style. When looking to attract visitors from abroad, he felt it was important to use hot springs to convey Japanese culture, aiming at the international market through the domestic market. For this reason, he emphasized not only the public baths but also the private baths in each guest room. The private baths come in a variety of styles. In addition to the lighted baths seen on the previous page, Hashimoto also designed unique Japanese baths made from lacquer, hinoki cedar, and ceramics. The guest room layout was also designed to show off their baths. In this way, a traditional hot spring inn with a proud heritage has been reborn into a new hospitality-focused resort.

TOTO Hotel Chikusenso Japan Project