Tokyo’s mountain village workcation facility, Village Hinohara, a base for kankei-jinko

Anadromous is a non-profit organization promoting exchange between urban areas and mountain regions. In November 2022, they opened Village Hinohara, a telework facility for members that utilizes a satellite office in Hinohara Village in Tokyo. Its objective is to form a community that connects cities and the mountains through people working together in one space. By getting to know the nature and culture of Hinohara Village through sharing various activities, the facility functions as a single village.

An exchange center based on the theme of “work”

Located at the source of the Tamagawa River system, Hinohara is a unique, small village in Tokyo and has a population of around 2,000 residents. Despite being located just 50km from the center of Tokyo, the village still features old-fashioned lifestyles and culture, as well as beautiful green mountains and clear streams. As new work styles and lifestyles continue to become more popular in Japan, the village is gaining attention as a place for telework, remote “workations” and an increasingly popular destination for those seeking a slower and more rural lifestyle. Workation facilities like this are expected to promote Japan’s kankei-jinko concept (seeking to strengthen relationships between urban and rural communities).

Village Hinohara, with Hinohara as its setting, was created as a place where village residents, migrants, teleworkers and digital nomads from outside the village can all work together, and that creates new value while people interact with the local region. This project is publicly built and privately operated. Hinohara Village constructed the buildings, and Anadromous rents and operates the facility.

Outstanding and unique architectural design

The facility design was handled by mountain house architects inc. Hinohara Village has little flat land in its mountains, and it’s usually necessary to cut down the mountainside to flatten the land for sites. However, in order to minimize environmental impact, Village Hinohara was designed with three rectangles separated by a function that overlaps in accordance with the mountain topography.

Spaces where you can feel nature in the room

The workplace in the top layer of the facility faces the river and has a large terrace sticking out. From the openings in three directions, the greenery of the surrounding mountains is incorporated in the internal space, meaning that you can fully enjoy the rich nature of the area while working in the facility.

Wide range of equipment and excellent location

The location of Village Hinohara can be reached from Tokyo by train and bus in just under two hours, and by car in one and a half hours. It is located right next to the clear streams of the Aki River. You can observe the Aki River below you from the terrace. The building is surrounded by green mountains, and the natural environment is splendid, particularly in fall with the autumn leaves. During the day, you can concentrate on your work among the greenery. At night, you can fall asleep while listening to the murmuring sounds of the Aki River.

The Aki River is just a 10-second walk, and with its loosely flowing streams that are below knee-high depth, you can enjoy barbeques and playing in the river in the summer. You can also do your work on your PC while dipping your feet in the cool water. Hinohara Village has numerous outdoor activities, with hiking courses and mountain climbing paths, as well as many mountain stream fishing facilities.

Operated with a membership system

Members can enjoy coworking throughout the day and accommodations at night. They can also experience doing the necessary work for village life, such as wood chopping, making fires using a fireplace and cutting grass in the gardens. It is also possible to use the entrance hall for events, and to reserve the facility (weekdays only). Village Hinohara becomes a space where connections between members are formed in nature, through doing a bit of collaborative work together, such as gathering around dinner tables, drinking sake and chatting around the fireplace at night.

In addition, the facility is also planning an outdoor sauna exclusively for membership use, agricultural experiences and rental bicycles at partnership farms, as well as forest workshops and eco-tours within the village. The staff, who reside in the village and are Hinohara certified eco-tour guides, teach visitors about tourism in the village, the eco-tours and life in the village.

Originally published on Livhub.
Translated by Chris Lee.