Shishi-Iwa House
Dwell-being concept
Karuizawa national park
Working with the principle that your environment shapes your quality of life, Japanese hideaway Shishi-Iwa House recruited Pritzker Prize-winning starchitects Shigeru Ban and Ryue Nishizawa to ensure those shapes are as pleasing to the eye and mind as can be. Three uniquely designed houses promote wellbeing through communion with nature at all turns; peaceful practices (lo-fi rooms, tea ceremonies and gentle forest walks); region-reflecting cuisine, and arts and crafts to inspire. They’ve made the finest of forms to leave you in much a similar state.
Facilities
客室
30, including four suites, set in three houses, each designed by a big-hitter architect.
Checkout
11am, but you can stay till 2pm for 30 per cent of the room rate or 5pm for 50 per cent, subject to availability. Check-in is 3pm to 8pm; notify staff if you’ll be arriving later.
詳細
Some rates include breakfast.
Also
Unfortunately, this hotel is unsuitable for guests with mobility issues.
インターネット接続（無料）
ホテル内にレストランあり
At the Hotel
Tea room, lounges, bathhouse, library, free-to-borrow bikes and plug-adaptors, and free WiFi throughout. All guests can use the facilities in houses SSH No 01 and SSH No 02; however, those in SSH No 03 can only be used by guests staying there. To keep rooms as haven-like as possible, there are no electronics.
Our Favourite Rooms
Nagano Prefecture’s landscape is painterly, but turn contemplation within here – to the three houses’ interiors, that is. Each is unique and custom-designed down to door-handles and power outlets. Shigeru Ban’s SSH 01 is more fluid in form with latticed woods; SSH No 02 is more sociable, with its restaurant and bar, and vast windows; and Ryue Nishizawa’s SSH No 03 is a darker beauty with a charred-wood exterior, sukiya-zukuri layout – similar to a samurai house – and bathhouse and tea lounge (with limited guest access). In the latter you’ll share space with design icons: Arne Jacobsen's ‘Swan Chair’, Pierre Jeanneret's ‘Easy Chair’, Michael Thonet's ‘Bentwood Stool’ and more.
Spa
In SSH No 03’s Bath House you can soak in cypress tubs whose scent will transport you into forest-bound reveries (45 minutes a session; guests from SSH No 01 and SSH No 02 will need to pay an entrance fee) or indulge in a shiatsu massage. Private morning yoga sessions can be arranged in the garden or wellness room, but for more of a workout, the hotel has partnered with Kazakoshi Park gym (around JPY600 a session), a 10-minute drive away.
Packing Tips
Have a sketchpad and mechanical pencils at the ready for drafting your own dream-house ideas. And, use any picked-up structural know-how to re-pack your suitcase after you’ve binged on buying handicrafts.
Also
School yourself on the poetic rigours of Japanese architecture and art in the library, which has many dedicated books. And, an online boutique sells artisanal souvenirs (Norikazu Oe ceramics, bottles from whisky and Madeira collabs, Ploh linens) too.
子供
The harmonious environment here extends to little ones. There are spacious family rooms (SSH No.3 rooms are adults only), babysitting on request, a dedicated kids menu and nature- and craft-based activities for all ages.
ギャラリー
Food & Drink
Top Table
As nose-to-the-glass as you can get for vitamin D dosing and visions of life-giving greens. Or, even better, dine on one of the terraces.
ドレスコード
Follow the houses’ precise clean lines, fine workmanship and organic flow.
Hotel Restaurant
Japanese-French restaurant Shola sits on the top floor of SSH No 02 house, where natural light floods in through huge glass panes and the high ceiling is trussed to stop any pesky columns from obscuring the view. Chef Masashi Okamoto has built up strong connections with local farms, growers and makers to ensure a hyper-seasonal menu. Expect ethically reared meats and freshly picked herbs and vegetables in ramen or Shinshu Wagyu burgers, or more complex creations, say, confit yam with seaweed, fermented cabbage and blue cheese in a burdock sauce.
Hotel Bar
The Wine & Whisky Bar sits beside Shola restaurant, serving namesake tipples (including rare malts, Bordeauxs and Burgundies), local sakes and cocktails (ume mojitos, sakura-based sips). It’s flush with the library for musing over artist Jim Shaw's comic-strip-esque works. There’s a Cigar Room if that’s how you round off an evening; or take a healthier tack on the Forest Terrace with a matcha cappuccino or house-blend maple-leaf tea. There are lounges for drinks in all houses too – with a selection of free Japanese sweets and teas for guests in SSH No 03.
Last Orders
Breakfast is from 7.30am to 11am (order by 10am); lunch is from noon to 2pm (order by 1.30pm); and dinner is from 6pm to 10pm (order by 9pm) for à la carte; the set menu has sittings at 6pm and 8pm.
Planes
The Nagano region has an airport (Matsumoto), but getting there involves a somewhat convoluted journey for international travellers and it’s about a 90-minute drive from the hotel. Tokyo’s Narita and Haneda airports are both around a two-and-a-half-hour drive away. Transfers can be arranged on request (prices vary depending on the type of car).
Trains
Karuizawa Station is the closest, a 10-minute drive away. It’s a stop on the Hokuriku Shinkansen’s (AKA bullet train) line, which connects you with Tokyo in just over an hour. Transfers to the hotel start from JPY4,000 one-way in a taxi (JPY10,000 in a larger hotel car – the best option for groups or families).
Automobiles
While Karuizawa has walkable stretches, the hotel is about a 40-minute walk away in greener pastures (well, copses), so a car will come in handy, especially if you want to roll out and explore Nagano’s ski-famed mountains. There’s free parking on-site.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
You won’t get the benefit of amicably co-existing with nature unless you invest in the relationship. You may find a lot of common ground in scenic trails with forest-bathing pit stops; admiring the garden’s cherry blossoms or autumnal momiji-leaf reds; treks through Hakushu forest’s wilds; fishing in Kuma River or bird-spotting at the Karuizawa Sanctuary. Meditate by Sengataki and Shiraito waterfalls, explore the high and marsh lands of Joshinetsu Kogen National Park and rocky vistas of Onioshidashi volcanic park (on request); or take things to the next level, skiing (in season), horse-riding and climbing Mount Asama. Or hop on an e-bike (available on request) and ride out to picturesque Harnile Terrace, sometimes hung with an Insta-worthy canopy of colourful umbrellas.
Community and culture are key here too: the hotels’ architects, local artists and makers (Daimon Sake Brewery, Beard Coffee Roasters and more) give fireside talks, you can take a modern tea ceremony (or watch tea-roasting), learn the art of kintsugi, visit sake breweries and micro-farms (including Ogihara Bee Farm) with the chef, and taste whiskys, wines, sakes and gins. From December to April, you can learn how to make onigiri, and more edification can be found on a tour of Karuizawa’s workshops and museums – say, Kalko Craft for ceramics, fellow architectural beauty Hiroshi Shenju Museum of Art or Sezon Museum of Modern Art.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
