[Hakone Retreat före & villa 1/f] Capturing the time spent in the forest. Drawing makes the stay a deeper memory.
Hakone Retreat före & villa 1/f, a resort hotel in Hakone, is launching the third installment of its 'Creator Ambassador Program' featuring illustrator comic_keema. Guests can observe the artist creating drawings on-site, capturing the atmosphere, light, and sounds of the forest, turning their stay into a more memorable experience. This initiative focuses on visualizing the passage of time rather than rushing to a finished product.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 27, 2026 at 17:00
- 🔍 Collected: June 1, 2026 at 00:41 (103h 41m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 1, 2026 at 23:55 (23h 13m after Collected)
Located in the lush nature of Sengokuhara, Hakone, the forest resort hotel 'Hakone Retreat före & villa 1/f' (Address: Sengokuhara, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture) offers a getaway from daily life through stays immersed in the forest. Surrounded by clear air, deep forest silence, and nature that changes with the seasons, the hotel fosters moments that spark new insights and ideas, tailored to each guest's senses and way of spending time.
The hotel runs a 'Creator Ambassador Program' to expand the possibilities of the stay experience through collaboration with creators. The third installment is 'Forest Stay Drawing.' In this project, a creator stays at the hotel and produces drawings in an open format in the lounge or common areas. The goal is not to exhibit or appreciate a finished work, but to capture the 'one-time-only atmosphere'—the weather, the time of day, the sounds and light of the forest, and the presence of people—right on the spot.
Production is carried out quietly so as not to disrupt the flow of the stay. Guests can freely observe the process or pause for a moment, sensing that 'something is quietly happening' within the hotel. This non-intrusive distance, which does not force appreciation, is an important element of this project.
Rather than 'expressing,' it is about 'existing in the moment.'
What the hotel values is not just providing an experience, but the time spent with nature. By spending time in the forest, senses gradually open up, creating space where one feels like 'doing something.' 'Forest Stay Drawing' was born in response to this way of being. The drawings grow as the stay progresses, becoming an expression that 'grows' like a forest. It is an attempt to visualize the accumulation of time without rushing to a final form. The fragments created are expected to be compiled later as reading material or records, allowing guests to take home memories of their journey.
[Program Overview]
Production Period: To be announced on the website
Exhibition Period: Approximately 2 weeks after production ends (in-hotel exhibition)
Details: A creator stays at the hotel, observes the atmosphere of the facility and forest, the light changing by time of day, and the presence of people, and creates drawings in an open format in the lounge or common areas.
Guests can freely watch the production process and converse with the creator if the timing is right. It is an open project where guests can enjoy the time itself as lines are born before their eyes, rather than just viewing the finished work. The fact that the drawings increase as the stay progresses is one of the highlights of this program. After production, the works will be exhibited in the hotel for a certain period, then compiled into files for guests to browse freely. Additionally, each work will be digitized and posted on the hotel's official Instagram.
Creator Ambassador
comic_keema (Kumiko Maki)
Instagram: @keema_comic
Website: https://comickeema.online/
An author and illustrator based in Kobe. She expresses the emotions, physical sensations, and outlines of human behavior that arise in daily life by capturing them with lines and words. She is interested in leaving behind the atmosphere flowing in a space and the sensations just before they become words, moving between drawing, illustration, essays, and ZINE production. In recent years, she has also been creating works based on physical memories born through pregnancy and childbirth, and small observations in daily life. Graduated from Musashino Art University, Department of Visual Communication Design. After working in editing, planning, and design at Felissimo Corporation, she became independent. Currently, she is active under the name comic_keema, focusing on the quiet time between daily life and expression.
[About the Creator Ambassador Program]
We aim to create new value through stays and experiences together with creators from diverse genres such as music, art, crafts, workshops, video, and photography. In the first phase of 2026, 23 collaboration creators were selected, and initiatives are underway to express the time and atmosphere unique to the hotel through their respective perspectives and worldviews. This program values creating a space where experiences and exchanges open to guests can be born while respecting the free ideas of creators, and we will continue to engage in activities that connect the charm of Hakone with the possibilities of creation.
[About Hakone Retreat före & villa 1/f]
Surrounded by the rich nature of the Hakone mountains and Sengokuhara, 'Hakone Retreat före & villa 1/f' provides a special relaxation space healed by the nature of the four seasons. It consists of 37 rooms in the modern hotel 'före' and 18 independent cottages 'villa 1/f', with 7 new villas completed in August 2024. Facilities include 'WOODSIDE dining' for firewood cuisine, the Japanese restaurant 'Tawaraishi', 'cafe & lounge', 'ONSEN f', and 'könoha spa'. In addition, at 'free bird & terrace', where you can relax with the swaying of seasonal plants and trees, the color of the sky, and the scent of the wind, you can enjoy drinks and seasonal welcome services on an inclusive basis. We deliver a blissful moment with a design reminiscent of a Nordic resort.
Website: https://www.hakone-retreat.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hakone.retreat/
[About Oriental Hotels & Resorts]
Oriental Hotels & Resorts is a hotel chain brand operated by Hotel Management Japan Co., Ltd. Aiming to 'provide unique stay experiences' and for the hotel itself to become a 'destination that involves the area,' it operates 18 hotels in Japan (total 4,837 rooms) such as 'Oriental Hotel' and 'Hotel Oriental Express.' With the unique membership 'CLUB ORIENTAL,' which has no admission or annual fees, you can use attractive benefits and member-only plans.
Website: https://www.oriental-hotels.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070068335069
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oriental_hotelsandresorts
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@orientalhotelsandresorts
X: https://twitter.com/Oriental_HR
CLUB ORIENTAL: https://www.oriental-hotels.com/club-oriental/
[About Hotel Management Japan Co., Ltd.]
Hotel Management Japan Co., Ltd. is a hotel operating company that operates 27 hotels in Japan (total 9,051 rooms). The total number of employees in the group hotels is 4,036. In addition to our own brands 'Oriental Hotel' and 'Hotel Oriental Express,' we manage and operate various hotels such as 'Hilton,' 'Sheraton,' and 'Hotel Nikko.' (As of May 2026)
https://www.oriental-hotels.com/hotellist/
The hotel runs a 'Creator Ambassador Program' to expand the possibilities of the stay experience through collaboration with creators. The third installment is 'Forest Stay Drawing.' In this project, a creator stays at the hotel and produces drawings in an open format in the lounge or common areas. The goal is not to exhibit or appreciate a finished work, but to capture the 'one-time-only atmosphere'—the weather, the time of day, the sounds and light of the forest, and the presence of people—right on the spot.
Production is carried out quietly so as not to disrupt the flow of the stay. Guests can freely observe the process or pause for a moment, sensing that 'something is quietly happening' within the hotel. This non-intrusive distance, which does not force appreciation, is an important element of this project.
Rather than 'expressing,' it is about 'existing in the moment.'
What the hotel values is not just providing an experience, but the time spent with nature. By spending time in the forest, senses gradually open up, creating space where one feels like 'doing something.' 'Forest Stay Drawing' was born in response to this way of being. The drawings grow as the stay progresses, becoming an expression that 'grows' like a forest. It is an attempt to visualize the accumulation of time without rushing to a final form. The fragments created are expected to be compiled later as reading material or records, allowing guests to take home memories of their journey.
[Program Overview]
Production Period: To be announced on the website
Exhibition Period: Approximately 2 weeks after production ends (in-hotel exhibition)
Details: A creator stays at the hotel, observes the atmosphere of the facility and forest, the light changing by time of day, and the presence of people, and creates drawings in an open format in the lounge or common areas.
Guests can freely watch the production process and converse with the creator if the timing is right. It is an open project where guests can enjoy the time itself as lines are born before their eyes, rather than just viewing the finished work. The fact that the drawings increase as the stay progresses is one of the highlights of this program. After production, the works will be exhibited in the hotel for a certain period, then compiled into files for guests to browse freely. Additionally, each work will be digitized and posted on the hotel's official Instagram.
Creator Ambassador
comic_keema (Kumiko Maki)
Instagram: @keema_comic
Website: https://comickeema.online/
An author and illustrator based in Kobe. She expresses the emotions, physical sensations, and outlines of human behavior that arise in daily life by capturing them with lines and words. She is interested in leaving behind the atmosphere flowing in a space and the sensations just before they become words, moving between drawing, illustration, essays, and ZINE production. In recent years, she has also been creating works based on physical memories born through pregnancy and childbirth, and small observations in daily life. Graduated from Musashino Art University, Department of Visual Communication Design. After working in editing, planning, and design at Felissimo Corporation, she became independent. Currently, she is active under the name comic_keema, focusing on the quiet time between daily life and expression.
[About the Creator Ambassador Program]
We aim to create new value through stays and experiences together with creators from diverse genres such as music, art, crafts, workshops, video, and photography. In the first phase of 2026, 23 collaboration creators were selected, and initiatives are underway to express the time and atmosphere unique to the hotel through their respective perspectives and worldviews. This program values creating a space where experiences and exchanges open to guests can be born while respecting the free ideas of creators, and we will continue to engage in activities that connect the charm of Hakone with the possibilities of creation.
[About Hakone Retreat före & villa 1/f]
Surrounded by the rich nature of the Hakone mountains and Sengokuhara, 'Hakone Retreat före & villa 1/f' provides a special relaxation space healed by the nature of the four seasons. It consists of 37 rooms in the modern hotel 'före' and 18 independent cottages 'villa 1/f', with 7 new villas completed in August 2024. Facilities include 'WOODSIDE dining' for firewood cuisine, the Japanese restaurant 'Tawaraishi', 'cafe & lounge', 'ONSEN f', and 'könoha spa'. In addition, at 'free bird & terrace', where you can relax with the swaying of seasonal plants and trees, the color of the sky, and the scent of the wind, you can enjoy drinks and seasonal welcome services on an inclusive basis. We deliver a blissful moment with a design reminiscent of a Nordic resort.
Website: https://www.hakone-retreat.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hakone.retreat/
[About Oriental Hotels & Resorts]
Oriental Hotels & Resorts is a hotel chain brand operated by Hotel Management Japan Co., Ltd. Aiming to 'provide unique stay experiences' and for the hotel itself to become a 'destination that involves the area,' it operates 18 hotels in Japan (total 4,837 rooms) such as 'Oriental Hotel' and 'Hotel Oriental Express.' With the unique membership 'CLUB ORIENTAL,' which has no admission or annual fees, you can use attractive benefits and member-only plans.
Website: https://www.oriental-hotels.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070068335069
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oriental_hotelsandresorts
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@orientalhotelsandresorts
X: https://twitter.com/Oriental_HR
CLUB ORIENTAL: https://www.oriental-hotels.com/club-oriental/
[About Hotel Management Japan Co., Ltd.]
Hotel Management Japan Co., Ltd. is a hotel operating company that operates 27 hotels in Japan (total 9,051 rooms). The total number of employees in the group hotels is 4,036. In addition to our own brands 'Oriental Hotel' and 'Hotel Oriental Express,' we manage and operate various hotels such as 'Hilton,' 'Sheraton,' and 'Hotel Nikko.' (As of May 2026)
https://www.oriental-hotels.com/hotellist/
FAQ
Are there hotels in Hakone that offer art experiences?
Yes, Hakone Retreat före & villa 1/f offers art programs in collaboration with creators.