A new luxury campground filled with circles sits in a Japanese forest, is inspired by the coziness of hygge, and looks like a real-life FernGully. Take a look inside.

Melissa WileyJul 18, 2020, 00:12 IST

Courtesy Third Nature

A luxury outdoor camping resort inspired by the Nordic concept of "hygge" is set to open next spring in a Japanese forest.
Called "Nordisk Hygge Circles," the park is intended to be a healing space for travelers.
While hygge has no exact English translation, it is defined as the feeling of living contently in the moment.
Guests can reconnect with nature by walking on a circular bridge over a creek, or reconnect with each other in one of the park's cabins while staring up at the sky through conical "roof chimneys."
Take a look inside Nordisk Hygge Circles Ugakei, which is located an hour and 20 minutes east of Kyoto.

A Japanese-Danish design team has set out to redefine luxury travel with a proposal for a sustainable glamping park in a Japanese forest based on the Nordic concept of 'hygge.'

Called 'Nordisk Hygge Circles,' the park will sit at the base of a mountain near waterfalls in the Ugakei natural area outside of Inabe to east of Kyoto. It is currently scheduled to open in the spring.

A diagram of the park's location on the island of Honshu in Japan. Annotation: Business Insider; Diagram (cropped): © Third Nature | Structured Environment | Henrik Innovation

The proposal won a regenerative tourism competition launched by Danish outdoor gear company Nordisk in partnership with the city of Inabe, Japan. The design team consists of Danish architects Third Nature, Japanese engineering company Structured Environment, and sustainability experts from Danish consultancy firm Henrik Innovation.

Source: Third Nature

Called 'Nordisk Hygge Circles,' the park will sit at the base of a mountain near waterfalls in the Ugakei natural area outside of Inabe to east of Kyoto. It is currently scheduled to open in the spring.

Source: Third Nature

The project's partners define 'hygge' as a feeling of contentment resulting from togetherness and living in the moment.

Aerial view rendering of glamping tents. © Third Nature | Structured Environment | Henrik Innovation

"The world 'hygge' is derived from ancient Nordic language, and at its core, we find two aspects that are of particular interest to the design team. It is about togetherness (hugga), and it is about reflection (hyggja)," Third Nature wrote in a release.

Alex, a woman of Danish descent who writes the travel and lifestyle blog Hygge House, dives into the nuances of the word on her website. Hygge "requires consciousness, a certain slowness, and the ability to not just be present – but recognize and enjoy the present," she wrote.

Erik J. Møller, CEO of project team member Nordisk, told Business Insider that, between relaxation sites like a meditation platform and nature areas, the park is designed to encourage guests "just to be and to live in the now."

Source: Third Nature

The world 'hygge' is derived from ancient Nordic language, and at its core, we find two aspects that are of particular interest to the design team. It is about togetherness (hugga), and it is about reflection (hyggja), Third Nature wrote in a release.

Alex, a woman of Danish descent who writes the travel and lifestyle blog Hygge House, dives into the nuances of the word on her website. Hygge requires consciousness, a certain slowness, and the ability to not just be present – but recognize and enjoy the present, she wrote.

Source: Third Nature

From landscape bridges to event spaces, circles dominate the park's design and encourage guests to interact with nature as well as each other.

Rendering of the circular River Bridge. © Third Nature | Structured Environment | Henrik Innovation

"When you are in nature, all your bodily stress indicators are lowered, your mood is better," Third Nature wrote in a release.

Source: Third Nature

When you are in nature, all your bodily stress indicators are lowered, your mood is better, Third Nature wrote in a release.

Source: Third Nature

The park will consist of three distinct areas. The first: an overnight zone with reservable cabins and Nordisk-brand glamping tents. Adjacent to the overnight field will be a 'learning field,' and pitch-your-own-tent campsites will run north along a creek.

Drawing of the park's layout. Annotation: Business Insider; Drawing (cropped): © Third Nature | Structured Environment | Henrik Innovation

In the Learning Field, guests will be able to take workshops inspired by nature and sustainability, such as learning how to build a fire and carving their own chopsticks out of wood, Møller told Business Insider.

Source: Third Nature

The park will consist of three distinct areas. The first: an overnight zone with reservable cabins and Nordisk-brand glamping tents. Adjacent to the overnight field will be a 'learning field,' and pitch-your-own-tent campsites will run north along a creek.

A 'center house' will serve as the reception area for guests arriving to the park.

Source: Third Nature

Each cabin will have a deck that runs around its perimeter plus a conical 'roof moonlight chimney' that refracts light throughout the space. The park's buildings will operate using only non-toxic and renewable resources.

Source: Third Nature

Each cabin will have a deck that runs around its perimeter plus a conical 'roof moonlight chimney' that refracts light throughout the space. The park's buildings will operate using only non-toxic and renewable resources.

We believe that "nature is luxury," Møller told Business Insider. The park's guiding principles have "been re-enforced, or turbo-charged if you will, by the present worldwide pandemic," he added. "Nature is not sick and is really a refuge for many people right now."

View of Nordisk tents. Courtesy Nordisk Japan Co., Ltd

Source: Third Nature

We believe that "nature is luxury," Møller told Business Insider. The park's guiding principles have "been re-enforced, or turbo-charged if you will, by the present worldwide pandemic," he added. "Nature is not sick and is really a refuge for many people right now."

Third Nature cofounder Flemming Rafn Thomsen hopes that project "will become the base camp for a new type of regional nature-based development that promotes sustainable awareness and brings the gift of nature to many urban dwellers," he said in a statement.

Courtesy Nordisk Japan Co., Ltd

Source: Third Nature

Third Nature cofounder Flemming Rafn Thomsen hopes that project "will become the base camp for a new type of regional nature-based development that promotes sustainable awareness and brings the gift of nature to many urban dwellers," he said in a statement.

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A new luxury campground filled with circles sits in a Japanese forest, is inspired by the coziness of hygge, and looks like a real-life FernGully. Take a look inside.

A Japanese-Danish design team has set out to redefine luxury travel with a proposal for a sustainable glamping park in a Japanese forest based on the Nordic concept of 'hygge.'

Called 'Nordisk Hygge Circles,' the park will sit at the base of a mountain near waterfalls in the Ugakei natural area outside of Inabe to east of Kyoto. It is currently scheduled to open in the spring.

The project's partners define 'hygge' as a feeling of contentment resulting from togetherness and living in the moment.

From landscape bridges to event spaces, circles dominate the park's design and encourage guests to interact with nature as well as each other.

The park will consist of three distinct areas. The first: an overnight zone with reservable cabins and Nordisk-brand glamping tents. Adjacent to the overnight field will be a 'learning field,' and pitch-your-own-tent campsites will run north along a creek.

A 'center house' will serve as the reception area for guests arriving to the park.

Each cabin will have a deck that runs around its perimeter plus a conical 'roof moonlight chimney' that refracts light throughout the space. The park's buildings will operate using only non-toxic and renewable resources.

We believe that "nature is luxury," Møller told Business Insider. The park's guiding principles have "been re-enforced, or turbo-charged if you will, by the present worldwide pandemic," he added. "Nature is not sick and is really a refuge for many people right now."

Third Nature cofounder Flemming Rafn Thomsen hopes that project "will become the base camp for a new type of regional nature-based development that promotes sustainable awareness and brings the gift of nature to many urban dwellers," he said in a statement.