“MIROKU Nara by THE SHARE HOTELS” is a Japanese boutique hotel converted from a 32-year-old former office building. The hotel is conveniently located in historic Nara, on the banks of Araike pond at the southern end of Nara Park, overlooking UNESCO World Heritage sites such as the five-story pagoda of Kofukuji Temple and the pristine forests of Kasuga Mountain.
Studio Name: Fumihiko Sano Studio / KEIJI ASHIZAWA DESIGN
Interior Design: Fumihiko Sano Studio / KEIJI ASHIZAWA DESIGN
Food and Beverage Supervision: Kuruminoki
Logo sign design: TAKAIYAMA
Art curation: artness
Design lighting: NEW LIGHT POTTERY
Audio equipment: listude
Area:Nara City, Japan
Year:2021(The original building was build in 1990.)
Location: 1116-6, Takabatake-cho, Nara City, Nara
Consultants: ReBITA inc.
Photography Credits: Takumi Ota
For the interior design,KEIJI ASHIZAWA DESIGN, whose designs represent “honest design,” and Fumihiko Sano Studio, led by Fumihiko Sano, a native of Nara Prefecture and an active artist who draws on his experience as a sukiya carpenter, were invited to create a space with two different atmospheres.
Keiji Ashizawa Architects created a universally beautiful Japanese space, incorporating furniture from the furniture brand Karimoku Case Study he is involved with and Ishinomaki Lab., while Fumihiko Sano Studio boldly used Nara’s materials to create a space with a primitive charm appropriate for Nara, “the place of beginnings”.
The facility also features lighting fixtures from Nara-based New Light Pottery, speakers from Listude, and other items and materials such as Yoshino cedar, Asuka stone, and Uda washi paper. Visitors can experience Nara’s nature and craftsmanship through the space.
A total of 44 rooms of 7 types are available to meet a variety of needs, ranging from queen-bed rooms to rooms with a maximum capacity of 4 persons for family or group use. On the ground floor, the rooms have been designed by KEIJI ASHIZAWA DESIGN to create a universal and refined Japanese interior, with windows overlooking the five-story pagoda of Kofukuji Temple, the Mt.Kasuga Primeval Forest, Mt. Wakakusa, and Araike Lake. On the basement floor, Fumihiko Sano Studio boldly used Yoshino cedar logs to create “The Roots of Nara,” a guest room with a dry area that recreates the landscape of Yoshino’s mountainside.
