On a peninsula in the Seto Inland Sea, 400 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, the Danish agency Bjarke Ingels Group delivers its first Japanese architectures: three villas for the NOT A HOTEL concept, where local know-how and Scandinavian minimalism meet.
Inaugurated in April 2026 on Sagishima Island, NOT A HOTEL Setouchi marks Bjarke Ingels Group's (BIG) first built project in Japan. The complex comprises three resort villas and a restaurant, spread across 30,000 square meters along a coastline sculpted by the Seto Inland Sea. The project is part of the NOT A HOTEL program, which blends private residences and hotels across several Japanese destinations.
Before construction began, the team undertook to restore the site to its original state. Grasses were harvested, and olive, lemon, and native species were replanted to revive the character of the place. The villas, named 180, 270, and 360 according to the views they offer, follow the topographical variations of the land and integrate into the existing network of paths.
The architecture draws simultaneously on Japanese building traditions and Scandinavian material culture. The glass facades extend the principle of partitions. shojiletting the landscape in; the slate floor Genshoseki The building features a tatami-inspired design; the load-bearing walls are made of rammed earth using the compaction technique, with soil extracted from the site, and their colored layers evoke geological strata. The roofs, covered with low-reflectivity photovoltaic panels, offer a contemporary interpretation of Japanese timber framing.
Each villa unfolds according to its position on the land. At the highest point, the 360 offers a panoramic view of the layered landscape and the sea, organized around a private patio. The 270 frames a 270-degree panorama of the archipelago, with a sauna and outdoor spaces arranged like small islands around a swimming pool and fireplace. At the tip of the peninsula, closest to the water, the 180 follows the curve of the shoreline; a gently sloping inner garden unfolds with moss-covered paths and trees whose foliage changes with the seasons.
Inside, the spaces flow seamlessly into a single, continuous area, with bathrooms and storage areas housed in independent modules. Traditional Japanese baths, soothing color palettes, fireplaces, and heated infinity pools are featured in each villa. The facades and eaves can be opened in spring and summer for natural ventilation, while rainwater is collected on-site and reused to irrigate the landscape.
This first Japanese intervention is also, for Bjarke Ingels, a declaration of attachment. "Japan is a culture that has profoundly influenced my understanding of architecture, a place where fearless futurism and traditional roots come together in a contrasting harmony.", writes the agency's founder. And he continues: "The three villas take shape according to the landscape and seem to emerge from it. Tradition and present, integration and assertive presence, Scandinavian and Japanese styles merge into a whole that unites apparent opposites in a welcoming totality."
The project enriches a hotel portfolio that BIG is building with discernment, following the treehouse Biosphere in Swedish Lapland and the Audemars Piguet Watchmakers' Hotel in Le Brassus, Switzerland. The photographs are by Kenta Hasegawa.
Instagram: @notahotel_official
