Director Steve Atkins talks about his latest film—a patient and thoughtful study of the house where he stayed while travelling in Japan. Here, the director speaks about that house, named Epinard by its owners, which represents a lifestyle based on cultivating slowness and tranquility:

"I have always found Japan to be a bizarrely transformative place. Whenever I travel I always aim to stay with Airbnb hosts. I find it gives me a perspective shift that you cant get sticking to the usual routes and hotels. Whilst traveling around Japan in January, i had the fortune of staying with Masami and Ikuko Nakazato in Ōiso, a tranquil town one hour south of Tokyo. Their house, Epinard, is a very humble, creative place, full of handcrafted touches and, from the moment I walked in, I knew that I'd come to somewhere special.

"Over the four days I spent with them, Masami and Ikuko shared their story with me and their passion for a slower lifestyle that is all too often overlooked nowadays, especially by the throngs of travellers trying to see as much as possible on trips abroad. We went hiking, meditated in a local Onsen, watched the sunrise over Mount Fuji from the beach, enjoyed Ikuko's Okinawan guitar playing and Japanese home cooking while Masami took me to a traditional New Year's fire festival. 

"There was something so plainly magical about Epinard and Oiso—having a relaxed depth that settles your nerves. It was the change of pace I had been searching for and needed. As I neared the end of my stay with Masami, Ikuko and their family, I realized just how much of an effect the experience had on me, and decided that I needed to come back and try to capture what I had felt.”