During my most recent trip to Japan this past Spring, I had the opportunity to visit another side of the country that you don’t get with the fast city life Tokyo has to offer. All thanks to the Japanese business man I met last year in Osaka. As I mentioned in my Instagram post I met a man on the streets of Osaka that had really cool style and long story short he offered to show me the countryside the next time I was in Japan. I messaged my friend Sookie who was also with me last year to get in touch with the Japanese business man, Mr. Matsumura to translate/facilitate the meet-up.
After a two hour train ride and another 45min. car ride we finally reached our destination the Zenagi expedition hotel in the Nagano Prefecture and Nagisomachi located in the Kiso region it has been a hidden gem in Japan since ancient times.
The hotel was renovated from the KOMINKA (A Japanese traditional farmhouse) of a wealthy farming household built a few hundred years ago.
Sitting on top of a hill looking over beautiful terraced rice fields. Surrounded by stone walls and constructed using wooden columns and beams assembled without nails.
The luxury hotel which has been converted from a historical farmhouse and enjoy Kiso slow-food, prepared by Michelin-starred chefs and served on 200 year old lacquerware that were dug out of the traditional warehouse on the premises during the reconstruction.
The furniture is made from local trees, luxury bath tubs made of Kiso’s sacred Hinoki trees, which are often dedicated to the Ise Shrine of Japan, all of which are made by local artists and craftsmen of today.
They’ve done their best to preserve the historical architecture as much as possible, while providing accommodation for a comfortable stay.
This large Kominka has only three rooms for up to 12 people. Each duplex room has a bathroom on the first floor, while a bedroom is on the second floor with living room space. Each room also features a cinematic style window that give off a very calming aura to the room.
The hotel is currently open for reservation as of 4/11/2019. If you’re tourists visiting from Europe, America, Australia etc. and looking to experience the countryside Japan has to offer I encourage you to pay a visit to the Zenagi and enjoy the many accommodations they have to offer. I’d like to thank Mr. Matsumura for organizing the trip and Mizuki Suzuki the hotel manager for taking the time to show us around and educate us on the history of the facility.
