Nowhere but Sajima in Yokosuka, Japan by Yasutaka Yoshimura Architects

This group of holiday house in Yokosuka, Japan, dubbed Nowhere but Sajima, was completed by Tokyo-based Yasutaka Yoshimura Architects in 2008. Representing an innovative approach to holiday rentals, the system allows visitors to stay on a weekly basis; short compared to month-long leases, and longer compared to an average hotel stay.

The week-long system also accommodates diverse uses of a ‘home’, with the architects conceiving the space to be used for exhibitions, as classrooms, or for wedding parties. Each interior is easily adaptable to the needs and vision of the tenant, and in transforming re-defines stereotypes associated with domestic activities. Many life events and moments are encouraged to take place within the homes, going beyond the basic definition of inhabitance.

“In acquiring a new program for use, the ‘home’ regains the richness of activity that can take place all around of life,” explain the architects.

Set on coastal reclaimed land in a small fishing village, the triangular block is comprised of tube-like volumes that look out to the ocean. The site meets the seawall and directly faces the sea, while also facing other buildings across the water. In order to provide adequate privacy without necessitating the use of curtains, the architects bundled the narrow tube-shaped spaces together, angled such that they provide openings toward the sea.

The orientation of the tubes naturally blocks lines of sight from the adjacent apartments, while from the interior only the ocean is visible, reminiscent of looking out to sea from the deck of a ship.

The design of Nowhere but Sajima maintains critical aspects of the holiday rental experience, with full service and amenities available, providing an escape from the urban influx that characterizes typical ‘resorts’.