book an airbnb stay in kisho kurokawa’s metabolist masterpiece ‘capsule house K'

spend a night in the restored home of kisho kurokawa

Architecture lovers and history buffs alike are invited to book an Airbnb stay in Capsule House K, a recently restored icon and one of the last existing buildings of the Metabolist movement — especially following last year’s demolition of the Nakagin Capsule Tower.

While the Nakagin Capsule Tower was built in Tokyo to accommodate the transitory lifestyle of urban businessmen, Capsule House K is nestled among the Nagano Prefecture‘s wooded landscape and served as Kurokawa’s own home after it was built in 1972. Despite this radical shift in use and location, the two projects were designed using the same logic involving the ‘permanent base’ element onto which individual modules are attached.

images courtesy Airbnb

airbnb lists a metabolist-style retreat in ‘capsule house k’

Since its interiors have been restored to their original condition, Capsule House K has opened through Airbnb to guests eager to experience a retreat in nature through the Metabolist lens. The structure is organized with a central core and four attached Capsule Rooms.

The listing on Airbnb notes that the single-family dwelling is ideal for four-to-five guests, although it can sleep up to seven guests using the two futons in the tearoom. The master bedroom, with a king-size and single sofa-bed, is located in the lower level of the house’s core. This room opens out toward the thick woods through a circular window — a familiar element throughout much of Kisho Kurokawa’s early work. Meanwhile ‘Capsule Room A’ offers a single bed, and the living room in ‘Capsule Room B’ includes a sofa-bed. These two compact rooms are each fit with a small bathroom.

The capsule living room is finished in an all-white scheme and is fit with restored, 1970s-era control panel fixtures.  A stunning tea room occupies the third Capsule Room, incorporating a traditional Japanese interior style and sliding shoji screens to contrast the retro-futuristic elements of the living room. A bright kitchen, the only Capsule Room featuring a non-circular window, looks out into the lush treetops of the forest. Of course, guests are encouraged to treat the home with care, respecting its historic significance and the painstaking restoration by Mirai Kurokawa Design Studio and Toshihiko Suzuki Laboratory.

the kitchen occupies the only Capsule Room with a non-circular window
the master bedroom is found in the lower level of the house’s core

a Capsule tearoom is fit with sliding shoji screens

Capsule House K stands as one of the last remaining Metabolist buildings in Japan

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the house is accessed from the street at the roof-level

the dwelling was originally the private home of Kisho Kurokawa

floor plan

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project info:

project title: Capsule House K

architecture: Kisho Kurokawa

location: Miyota-Machi, Kitasaku-Gun, Nagano Prefecture, Japan

listing: book a stay here

photography: courtesy Airbnb

restoration architect/crowdfunding: Mirai Kurokawa Design Studio, Toshihiko Suzuki Laboratory

year: 1972

building area: 75.82 square meters (816 square feet)

total floor area: 103.32 square meters (1,112 square feet)