A few kilometres from Mount Fuji in Japan, Takeshi Hosaka Architects designed a building with a light, rounded shape, which is home to a restaurant that serves hoto, a noodle speciality from the Yamanashi region.

The curved organic shape of the one storey building is formed by a steel road frame, which is reinforced with concrete, creating a freestanding cave-like structure in the Fujikawaguchiko town of Yamanashi prefecture, Japan.

The structure, completely white and slightly larger than 700 square metres, was designed to blend in perfectly with the elements and the nature of the environment. Thus, it is penetrated only by large, sliding bay windows that are curved, the architects having placed them in such a way that the air would circulate perfectly well inside the structure, avoiding the need for air conditioning. The lighting system was also designed to maintain the symbiosis between the building and the exterior. The luminosity is adjustable and adapts throughout the day to the intensity of the light at different times.

"When it rains, people can appreciate the sound of the raindrops from inside. When it’s foggy, the fog enters the building. When it snows, it becomes a landscape buried in the snow, and sometimes birds and animals come in. It’s half-way between nature and art." — Takeshi Hosaka Architects.