NOT A HOTEL YAKUSHIMA | Ateliers Jean Nouvel

The most sophisticated things belong to nature—its landscapes, its paths, its reliefs, the views that will be revealed. Everything else is absence. This project is not about creating for those who wish to live here, but about falling in love—with a tree, a blade of grass, or a stone. Like a collector of modern art, one finds in stones, gardens, or bare ground the ideal way to experience the island. It’s nature, it’s a place, it’s a work of art, it’s rain, it’s the sound of water. At its base lies the stone—a permanent presence, shaped by time, rain, and wind, carrying the patina of years. Around it, rocks and blocks of stone are arranged with the ambition of creating something that feels as if it has always been here. The island is like a treasure, a place where everything can change—something can be added or removed— yet always offering the calm pleasure of contemplation. Here, time is constant, and calmness must be absolute, meditative. The simplest materials, like glass, are chosen to heighten the awareness of rain, to reveal the transparency of water, the sky behind it, and the elementary, natural emotions that arise.