FOREST, OCEAN^& TOMORROW

Rich Seasonal Seafood

Throughout the year Ogatsu is a rich fishing town, its bay has a deeply indented ria coastline which provides a suitable habitat for diverse species such as sea urchin, scallops, sea squirts and silver salmon. Abalone, oysters, sea cucumbers and seaweed are also harvested in these waters where it's possible to enjoy delicious fresh seafood throughout the year.

Encountering the Natural world

There are many types creatures living in the natural environment of Ogatsu. In streams running through MORIUMIUS you can find salamanders and around Ogatsu encounter many different birds and insects, together with wild dear who live in the woodlands.

Pride of Japan: Ogatsu stone

Since the Muromachi era of the 16th century the stone from Ogatsu has been used to make premium ink stones, essential for Japanese calligraphy. For more than 600 years this stone has been part of Japan's traditional craft heritage. Nowadays they are also used as roof slates on buildings such as the famous Tokyo Station in Marunouchi.

The school building was reborn through the work of experts and volunteers.

MORIUMIUS has been restored by many hands. Together with co-operative volunteers the number of people involved reached 5,000 over a period of two and a half years. Beginning with sweeping the mud caused by flooding from inside the school building, carpenters and other specialists lifted the building to straighten its twisted structure. Together, we have been working on the rebirth of the school every weekend.

The design was created to take advantage of the original wooden building structure by Japanese architects Kengo Kuma, Takaharu Tezuka and the design workshops of architecture students from Stanford University. This is how Kuwagama elementary school was reborn as MORIUMIUS.

Designing an interior space that provides a connection to the outside

The design of MORIUMIUS is created to be in harmony with nature and has been renovated using the original slate roof and wooden structure as its foundation. This building has been consciously made to connect with nature and retain a sense of openness. The atmosphere of the old Kuwahama primary school remains while still covering the essential aspects of comfort and safety that is expected of modern accommodation facilities.

Bedroom

Boys and girls bedrooms are all separated and made up of bunk beds. You can have a good night's sleep under huge skies filled with beautiful stars as you listen to the humming of insects outside. Shipwrights constructed the original school building, so to compliment this most of the furniture in Moriumius is made of wood.

Bath

Separated open air baths for boys and girls will relieve the tiredness of a hard days work. You're not only enjoying the pleasure of bathing, but also learning how to heat the water using a wood fire. Environmentally friendly bio-degradable body soap and shampoo are provided.

Dining Room & Garden Kitchen

The dining room where the children eat everyday is filled with natural sunlight and complimented with locally grown food such as freshly caught salmon and scallops from the sea together with mushrooms from the mountains behind. You can experience a real connection between your body, the forest and the sea. The large window area of the dining room has a thermal storage floor made from Ogatsu stone. It absorbs energy from sunlight during the day time and releases heat at night, creating a natural air conditioning system. Kitchen staff prepare a different menu each day from local ingredients and children can join them cooking in the garden kitchen. Children can bake pizza in the oven or cook rice in the furnace and also revise how to prepare scallops which they will have previously learnt at sea.

Bio Geo Filters

Most of our daily waste is recycled through our biotope (pond) where two rice fields are located to naturally filter the water. The water in the pond itself is clean, clear and without any odors. We call this system a Bio Geo Filter which naturally supports living creatures and plants.