The Path to Silence　-静かな森への旅 - 

Beyond the main road that leads from Kutchan Town toward the ski resorts,
deep within the forest lies GHO — a members-only thermal retreat quietly planned in a land embraced by silence and greenery.
Here, one can gaze upon the iconic Mount Yotei, breathe the pure air,
and surrender to the natural rhythm of the landscape.
It is a place of ma — a pause in time — where the noise of the city dissolves,
and sound and light soften into stillness.

The architecture rests low against the terrain,
its single-story form designed to preserve the surrounding scenery.
It stretches horizontally, borrowing the forest as its backdrop.
A long approach leads visitors inward,
marking a gradual transition from the everyday to the realm of nature.
The floor and walls are made of concrete,
their surfaces imprinted with the grain of southern Hokkaido cedar.
As one walks, the shadows of trees and the vertical texture of the concrete rhythmically echo each other,
revealing the subtle pulse of the forest.

The roof employs a layered open-beam system,
allowing a broad span while evoking the overlapping branches of the woods.
Light weaves through the gaps between beams,
casting a gentle illumination across the interior.
It is a light reminiscent of Ko-mo-re-bi —
sunlight filtering through leaves —
revealing the architecture itself as part of the living structure of the forest.

Here, architecture and nature do not stand apart;
they reflect and complete one another.
The stillness of concrete, the warmth of timber, the shimmering of water and light —
all resonate together like a single breath,
inviting one to encounter the essence of nature itself.