Komorebi（木漏れ日）names the particular quality of light that filters through a forest canopy—gentle, shifting, never quite the same twice. This private retreat in Kitakaruizawa takes its cue from that phenomenon. Two curving volumes trace the contours of the forested slope, wrapping around existing boulders rather than displacing them, as if the building had always been part of the terrain.
The plan separates quiet from sociability: private quarters nestle into the lower slope for stillness and privacy, while the living and dining spaces rise to open panoramic views of the forest. A fully retractable façade blurs the line between inside and out for dining; an open-air bath and sauna immerse occupants in moss, steam, and pine. Every element—the fire terrace, the softened timber geometry, the slate roof—seeks harmony with the topography rather than contrast with it.
