Gora Kadan FUJI Blending heritage and tradition, a new ryokan opens as a deeply restorative retreat surrounded by nature. Words: Nicola Chilton • Photography: © Kazuyoshi Miyoshi
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ew hotels have the extraordinary setting of Gora Kadan Fuji. Sitting at the foot of Japan’s most famous volcano, it is only natural that practically every viewpoint is
oriented towards the sacred peak. “You could visit for 10 years and never see the same view of Mount Fuji twice,” says Ikuo Ogitsu, the architect responsible for the new hotel. Gora Kadan Fuji is the younger sister of the original Gora Kadan, an Imperial family summer residence-turned-ryokan that has been welcoming guests to the hot spring resort town of Hakone since 1948. The new venture’s unrivalled setting positions it as one of the closest to Mount Fuji. Located directly to the east of the mountain, it sits at an altitude of just over 800 metres with soul-soothing views of the forested slopes that lead up to the peak, covered with a white cap of snow in winter. But for Ogitsu, the setting goes beyond being picturesque. With Mount Fuji as the vertical axis and the foothills as the horizontal, it takes on a spiritual, sacred significance. “This alignment creates a natural spatial composition reminiscent of a great hall, with Mount Fuji serving as its altar,” he says. On arrival, a low-roofed gate and earthen exterior walls are the prominent forms, offering no hint of what can be found within. “You can’t see anything yet, just the tiled roof of the lobby, but this is where you step from the everyday world into another, extraordinary world,” reveals Ogitsu.
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