photos by Daici Ano courtesy Keiji Ashizawa Architects

This house in Saiko is a holiday home that overlooks Mount Fuji on the shore of Lake Saiko, one of the five Fuji Lakes. Designed by architect Keiji Ashizawa, and completed in 2017, the house integrates landscape and living room through stepping stones that lead from the outside into the inside where a large camphor-wood tabletop evokes the majestic cliffs and beautiful forests that surround the home.

The home is quite simple and so were the requirements from the client: one bedroom, one large bathroom and a living room where everyone could relax. Ultimately, the home was inspired by rock faces and Japanese red pine trees growing on the cliffs that stand near the site. 

A single piece of camphor wood, owned by the client, was installed in the center of the living room. Bathrooms and a terrace, located on the south side of the property, are both liberating spaces. On the opposite side is a tatami loft, a perfectly flexible space for relaxing or allowing kids to play.