Case in point: Treeful Treehouse Sustainable Resort in Okinawa has added a new floating treehouse to its patch of subtropical Yanbaru forest, and the thing looks kinda extraterrestrial.
Suspended among the trees in Nago, northern Okinawa, the strange curved structure takes its design cues from the anatomy of vertebrates. Which doesn’t sound particularly sexy until you see it. The result is a long, cocoon-like treehouse that appears to hover above the forest floor, with a tunnel-shaped interior Treeful reckons resembles a time machine. Fair call.
There’s a terrace looking straight into the canopy and enough windows to leave you surrounded by forest pretty much everywhere you turn. Better yet, nobody expects you to sacrifice basic human comforts for the privilege of staying here.
The floating treehouse in Okinawa comes with a double bed, hot shower, flushing toilet, air-con, fridge, microwave, Wi-Fi and cooking gear.
So you can live out your jungle hermit fantasy without having to shit in a hole or eat beans straight from the tin.
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It’s part of Treeful’s wider treehouse resort, where the whole operation is built around coexisting with the surrounding environment. The floating treehouse joins some equally crazy siblings, including the bamboo, spiral, golden trophy and halcyon treehouses.
And when cabin fever eventually kicks in, there’s river trekking, mountain biking, kayaking and even a sauna beside a waterfall to drag you back down to earth.
Although, looking at this thing, we’d happily stay up there a while longer.
Why It Exists
Because normal hotel rooms have spent quite enough time obeying gravity.
The Vibe
It’s pretty much a jungle spaceship that’ll have you thinking“how the hell did they build that?”
Your Bed Tonight
A double bed floating among Okinawa’s subtropical greenery, with air-con, Wi-Fi and a hot shower. Tarzan never had it this good.
The Thing You’ll Brag About Later
Sleeping inside a vertebrae-inspired treehouse that looks like it crash-landed in the Yanbaru forest.
Eat / Drink This
Make use of the kitchenette, or head out and get stuck into Okinawan staples like goya champuru and Okinawa soba.
Steal This Local Move
Get off the tourist conveyor belt and spend some time in northern Okinawa. Yanbaru is all thick subtropical forest, rivers and wildlife, considerably less hectic than the island’s resort-heavy south.
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