Satoyama Jujo

Asian elm beams finished in Japanese lacquer arch over the lobby of this twelve-room mountain retreat in Niigata Prefecture, where the Japanese Alps supply the view and several meters of seasonal snow supply the atmosphere. The design pulls from old rural kominka farmhouse tradition and a streak of Scandinavian minimalism, with Noguchi and Finn Juhl furnishings alongside tatami floors and paper lanterns. Hot springs, foraged dinners, and complimentary sake round out the case for not leaving.