“Kitsune no Ashi Ato” is a gateway facility that encourages tourists to wander around Yuda Hot Springs in Yamaguchi City. The project was designed based on a masterplan and guidelines created with city, created from the “community development” point of view for the area.

We aimed to create a model town with a sense of unity, a place where you can feel the spa town atmosphere. We proposed a style called “Yuda Modern” which cherishes the memory of the early Showa era (from 1926 to around 1941) when the Spa culture in the area flourished, and integrate it with the new urban bustle of the city in present day; realizing this concept by using both old and new materials and a fusion of traditional craftsmanship with modern techniques.

To create a dynamic appearance for the exterior suitable as a symbol of the new town, the characteristics of the walls and roof drew inspiration from the surrounding mountain range and the dramatic valley landscape in the city.

The interior, which uses natural materials throughout such as earth walls and wood from Yamguchi, has become a unique space where you can feel the natural warmth of this place.

On the outside, we created a new landscape by using plants that produce seasonal colors and the placement of a dynamic shaped shelter to have the building’s design echo the natural strength of the rockwork which it sits on.

In the facility, you can try 3 different footbaths; “Shiki no Yu (four seasons bath)”is an outdoor bath surrounded by nature, “Madobe no Yu (window side bath)”is adjacent to the café where you can see the garden and “Kotone no Yu (sound of voices bath)”which is located in the annex where you can enjoy hearing music based on the poetry of Chuya Nakahara. We also established a café where Jizake (local sake) can be tried, and a multi-purpose space which is used for various events such as introductions to the local history, culture, tourist attractions and food.