Hotorinite Concept Film "Yado no Hibiki" / 「宿響」

Hotorinite is a secluded inn situated deep within the forests by Otome Lake in Yamanashi, existing quietly at the boundary between human presence and the natural world.
More than a destination, it is a space where staying itself becomes an experience, not as a function of convenience or luxury, but as an encounter with atmosphere, time, and stillness.

The philosophy behind Hotorinite challenges conventional tourism.
A stay is not treated as a sequence of fragmented actions such as sleeping, bathing, or eating, but as a continuous flow shaped by air, sound, temperature, light, and seasonal change.
The inn emphasizes the importance of air and presence, where meaning emerges through stillness and quiet transitions rather than spectacle.

Building on this philosophy, we developed 宿響 (Yado no Hibiki) as a visual and conceptual project that explores the idea of the inn as an artistic experience.
Rather than producing a promotional film, the project was approached as an art piece that allows viewers to experience Hotorinite through mood, rhythm, and sensory perception.

Our approach intentionally removed people from the frame, while still expressing human presence through metaphor, sound, and environmental response.
Instead of showing how people experience the inn, the project asks what it means for the inn to receive people, and how space, nature, and architecture subtly change as a result.
Through restrained compositions, fixed perspectives, macro details, and environmental sound, the inn itself was treated as a living entity rather than a backdrop.

The project was developed collaboratively with Shuto Suzuki and Kai Watanabe, with all three of us involved in shaping the narrative structure, visual language, and sonic approach.
Every decision was guided by the belief that hospitality in Japan carries an inherent artistic quality, one that emerges through flow, atmosphere, and attention to the invisible rather than explicit storytelling.