Hoto Fudo open for business at Mount Fuji

Mt Fuji’s iconic Hoto Fudo restaurant officially opened in January 2010 and is fast becoming a popular tourist attraction in its own right.

Located at the foot of Japan’s highest mountain, the building’s four domed hemispheres symbolise the soft clouds that surround the mountain’s summit. Hoto Fudo’s futuristic design was created by Takeshi Hosaka Architects and achieved with support from Arup’s Tokyo office providing structural, environmental and fire engineering, and site supervision.

A new structural approach was adopted to meet the building’s challenging design requirements. The solution - a Sandwiched Reinforced Concrete (RC) Shell – ensures the structure can withstand heavy snow and seismic conditions, allows for natural lighting and heating solutions and helps it to achieve a distinctive structural and architectural form.

A clever environmental design concept was also developed to minimise Hoto Fudo’s carbon footprint and to ensure thermal comfort for restaurant users throughout the year.

The new restaurant at Mt Fuji is Hoto Fudo’s fourth branch opening in Japan.