A sparsely populated mountain forest
Lies between the nature and human habitats is called Satoyama
Japanese Hotel | Satoyama Jujo
I’m the owner and creative director of Satoyama Jujo
My name is Toru Iwasa
I’m also the publisher of the magazine Jiyujin
I bought the 150-year-old villager’s home in 2012
We spent 2 years renovating the dilapidated building
Satoyama Jujo officially opened in 2014
And won the Good Design award
The main building consists of the reception, lounge and dining room
Although it seems nothing changes at first look
Thermal insulation is added everywhere
Underfloor area, ceiling, walls and floors have all been renovated
Above the first floor there’s a mezzanine
Go up there and you can see the tenon-and-mortise structure of the old house
The wooden construction of the huge building
Is right before your eyes
The whole project costs around 4,000 million
I borrow the money from bank
And I’m still paying my debt now
The vegetables we use for cooking
Are freshly picked in the mountain every day
The menu is different each day based on the food we have
Which is one of our features
But in winter, vegetables are rarely seen
So we hunt
To offer dishes made from deer, boar, duck and so on
Those are local cuisine which can only be savored here
We hope that our guests can fully enjoy them
Rice yielded in Niigata is the best rice in Japan
Tableware is also made from material in the mountain
Like we cut down the cedar stumps to make plates
And decorate with leaves
The presentation is designed mainly to bring a breath of nature
The building of guest rooms beside has 3 storeys all together
But only 13 rooms
Each room has a different design and furniture
Two of them are two-storey suites
You can see the mountain both in the bedroom
And in the living room
Such a two-storey structure
The room 204 is designed by my friend who is a young architect
There’s an opinion in Japan that space size is not everything
A big space is not definitely a good space
A space where one can feel more light and wind is more interesting
I spend a lot of money collecting furniture with good word of mouth around the globe
You can appreciate works of master here leisurely
All the furniture you experience here are all genuine
Stepping forward you’ll see the bathing place
The onsen here is ranked the top in Japan
Because of its beautiful views
And it also receives the name of ‘body-care spring’ because skin becomes smoother after bathed here
You can have a great view of the mountain in our outdoor onsen
I often think what ‘rich’ means for Japan
I feel ‘rich’ is not materially
But spiritually
Or that you can manage your time freely
The so-called ‘jujo’ refers to
Clothing, food, living, traveling
Agriculture
Health
Environment
Relax
Gathering
And art
I hope that guests can have a whole new feeling in those themes
And think something totally different from daily routine
It’s a place where you can rearrange yourself