Yunosato, in the town of Rankoshi — where the foothills of Mt. Yotei unravel into deep forest. Set a quiet distance beyond the busy heart of Niseko, OKU is a high-grade villa that threads itself between snow and tree. Conceived, designed, built and operated end-to-end by Atelier-D as a short-stay rental property.
Beyond the crowds, another Niseko.
OKU sits roughly thirty minutes by car from the centre of Niseko and Kutchan — a measured distance from the night life of Hirafu, deep inside the birch and Yezo spruce forest of Yunosato in Rankoshi. Not the postcard face of Niseko, but the quieter one behind it. The name OKU — meaning the inner part, the side beyond — was taken from that idea.
The building stands in the forest as a composition of vertical timber and dark metal. The ground floor is given over to a piloti-style built-in garage that lets the snow pass beneath, lifting the heart of the stay up to the second level. Through wide glass openings, the snow-covered trees flow visually into the rooms.
The interior is composed from three materials in dialogue: the rough skin of concrete, the planes of walnut, and the soft lines of indirect light. Against the long nights and unbroken white of Niseko, the rooms answer in quiet, low-saturated tones. Two bedrooms — one twin, one four-bed — accommodate up to six guests. OKU was conceived, designed and built by Atelier-D as a short-stay rental, and is operated in-house together with our hospitality partners. Beyond the blueprint — our responsibility continues for as long as the building is in use.
