PokoPoko, an Oasis of Calm in a Volcanic Region

Designed by Klein Dytham Architecture, this infrastructure made up of three conical buildings is found within the Hoshino Resorts Risonare hotel complex. Intended to act as a junction between the two buildings where the bedrooms are found, it is designed to accommodate guests’ activities. 

PokoPoko, which is Japanese for ‘stick out’ or ‘stick up’, is situated on the Nasu Plateau, an agricultural region in Tochigi Prefecture that lies one hour and 15 minutes from Tokyo by Shinkansen. The hotel was built to blend in with the surrounding nature. Its structure is made from pine from the local area, and the base of each of the cones has large windows all around to offer a 360-degree view onto the outside. The very tops of the buildings have windows too, creating a natural light well. Inside, the architectural firm wanted wood to feature prominently, and it is omnipresent from the walls to the floor. 

A building for each activity

Each of the cones that makes up PokoPoko is dedicated to a specific activity: one contains a ball pool and large nets suspended from the ceiling where children can play while their parents watch; another is devoted to cookery lessons, with recipes using ingredients grown by market gardeners who live in the area around the Risonare; and the last houses a room with multiple seating areas arranged around a chimney. 

PokoPoko’s conical architecture is reminiscent of that of Jikka, a tepee-style house designed to welcome elderly people in Shizuoka Prefecture.

More information about PokoPoko can be found on the hotel website.