LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Adding Color to the Urban Landscape

Hasegawa designed the resort's landscaping in collaboration with Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei. Unlike the sprawling, secluded premises of other HOSHINOYA resorts, HOSHINOYA Tokyo is a singular building that shares a public urban landscape with other high-rises. Hasegawa sought to ensure that the area immediately around the building clearly announced itself as an extension of the premises, while also contributing something new to the local landscape. HOSHINOYA resorts have always served as conduits to the unique features that can be found in their locations; in this case, Hasegawa latched onto the city's ability to conjure the feeling of a great amount of space on even the tiniest of plots.

To that end, Hasegawa built an inviting garden-like space that contrasts greatly with the buildings that tower all around. Four bands of patterns weave through the space, flowing around a collection of tiny objects. There are small, intricately sculpted trees, benches shaped like boats, and planters designed to look like decorative vases. Each item is a work of art painstakingly created by artisans such as Kyoto's Ueyakato Landscape Co. and wood and ceramic furniture makers Apex. These objets d'art reflect the artisanal essence of traditional ryokan and offer a preview of the purely Japanese experience that awaits inside.