Kanazawa is an old castle town on the Sea of Japan, famous for its tea-house districts and traditional crafts. Within this unique context, we proposed a hotel that serves to introduce foreign and domestic guests to the local community and its history.

The hotel is named after its concept: KUMU. This is a Japanese verb with many nuances: depending on the context, the word can mean “to join” (組む), “to draw out” (汲む), or “to pour” (酌む). In a larger sense, “kumu” relates to the links between people and places (joining), empathy (drawing out and reading another’s feelings), and the spirit of hospitality (pouring someone a drink).