Not A Hotel’s shared-ownership model lets you stay in some of Japan’s most stunning properties

Not a Hotel Fukuoka is an anomaly in the Japanese city. Unlike its nondescript, boxy neighbours, balconies in this idiosyncratic structure protrude at sharp angles and trees embellish its off-form concrete façade to evoke an odd, miniature mountain. 

The juxtaposition of the nature allegory with an urban context is well-publicised in modern Japanese architecture. Still, in this case, my fascination is not just with the building where I spent a night, but also with the brand. 

Founded by Shinji Hamauzu, Not A Hotel’s novel shared ownership format blurs the boundaries of traditional real estate and hotel models. Unused periods translate to earnings as Not A Hotel helps owners rent out rooms. 

“We think of our hotels as not just properties but a platform. They all can be booked with the same application, and owners of one property can trade their nights to stay at the others. Each property has a unique design that complements the natural environment. Still, they all have common elements in terms of layout and features so that homeowners can immediately feel like they’re home,” says Hamauzu via email. 

This means that in all the homes, lights and utilities are tablet-controlled, and plateware and utensils are stored similarly. “Owners develop an instinct for ‘how things work’ that can be taken from place to place,” he explains on shaping a community-centric business. 

Not A Hotel’s version of “how things work” is high-tech and highly tactile. Every object in each room exhibits good design, down to the cooking tools and switches. After all, the properties’ one-of-a-kind architecture is the top attraction for Not A Hotel buyers. 

Adds Hamauzu, “These are people who have taste and want to buy something exceptional.”

Scenic sites

Aside from the architecture, Not A Hotel is known for its breathtaking settings. “We find the most beautiful locations in Japan and then pair them with architects, designers and creative directors who can build something that makes the most of the landscape,” says Hamauzu. 

He adds, “Because all the houses become part of a network, we want a mix of everything Japan has to offer: beaches, ocean cliffs, cities, mountaintops, forests, islands, and ski resorts.”  

The brand has built up such a strong reputation in the Japanese real estate industry that landowners now approach it with fantastic pieces of land. After a short five years, Not A Hotel’s portfolio (built and in progress) spans Kitakaruizawa, Ishigaki, and Tokyo, among other locales. 

As with most success stories, Not A Hotel was birthed from astute observation of human habits, conviction and creative problem solving. Hamauzu, a Miyazaki native, started frequenting Tokyo — “more than 100 days a year,” he shares — after selling his e-commerce business to retail company Zozotown, and realised the bulk of travel costs went to hotels.

“I came to really love hotels, but I always wondered why they cost so much,” says Hamauzu, who figured that low occupancy rate played a big part. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he noted that while vacation homes became popular, those in Tokyo’s outskirts, like Karuizawa, were only used for 20 to 40 days annually. 

“Based on this knowledge, I wanted to create a new model for the hospitality business that (could fix) these economic problems with hotels,” Hamauzu states.

An amateur’s vision

“The most economically beneficial option Hamauzu considered would be to turn a hotel into a place to live. By doing fractional ownership with multiple owners and booking out nights to non-owners when not in use, we can achieve a much higher occupancy rate than a normal hotel,” Hamauzu analysed.   

And so he embarked on building his own project, even as he was told, “There’s no way amateurs can build a hotel!” 

At first, it appeared so. After using initial investment capital to buy a ranch in Nazu, he realised anything he built on it could not be sold without a special permit. “Everyone in the industry knows this, but we didn’t,” says Hamauzu, on one of the many challenges he faced.

When he went to the bank with drawings for the first hotel in Miyazaki, he was not granted a loan. An ingenious method to raise funds other than through banks — a D2C (direct-to-consumer) model selling his property through renderings and plans before starting construction — was the golden ticket.

“In this case, the challenge helped us come up with the business model,” says the dogged entrepreneur. 

Not A Hotel was successful from the start. As of February 1, 2025, it has achieved a cumulative contract value of ¥55.9 billion ($477 million) from 1,000 owners. 

Stage two — to sell to foreign buyers — has begun. From September 10, Not A Hotel held a month-long residency at Mandala Club to share its ownership model with the Singapore market. 

Foreign properties are in the pipeline as the third stage, but this will not happen anytime soon. As Hamauzu points out, “There is so much natural beauty in Japan that we feel we still have much more work to do.” 

Creative collaboration

Some of this work includes onboarding multi-hyphenate Nigo and Pharrell Williams as investors and creative advisors this year. “We’ve been friends with Nigo and Pharrell for many years,” says Hamauzu, adding that more collaborations are in the pipeline. 

Both are creative directors for Japa Valley, a new event space in Tokyo. Nigo also contributed his creative vision to Not A Hotel Tokyo - The Nigo House and the Nigo Lounge in Not A Hotel’s new office in Tokyo.

“The Not A Hotel office very accurately represents our values. Not A Hotel is a fully remote company, and the new office is in a somewhat unusual location for Tokyo. But every day, we have almost full capacity. The team loves to come together because of the space,” states Hamauzu. 

The office melds futurism with heritage and minute details with monumental gestures. There are plenty of Jean Prouvé pieces, a French self-taught architect and designer — both Hamauzu and Nigo are fans — even a 1844 6x6 Demountable House, shipped from France.   

Soon, the brand will take to the skies, literally, with Not A Garage. Mimicking Not A Hotel’s timesharing concept, members have access to a portfolio of transportation assets, such as an ACH130 Aston Martin edition helicopter, a bespoke Sunreef 80 Power catamaran and soon, other vehicles, including a private jet. 

Clearly, Hamauzu is an amateur no more.