Model Itineraries

  • Nature and Outdoor
  • Food
  • Farming and Everyday life
  • Families
  • Couples

Long stay at a crossroad village [Yamaura Stay- Shibumichi] 3 nights 4 days

If you are planning a longer vacation, the farmhouse of Shibumichi is the perfect getaway. Located in a crossroad village with good access to many sightseeing spots, you can make it your base to explore not only the rural area but the entire region.

Duration 3 nights 4 days
Price From JPY150,000/person
Period All year
Overall level 2 (light exercise)

Highlights

  • Stay in a traditional farmhouse

    Nostalgic lodging that retains all the beauty of tradition while offering all the modern comforts.

  • Eat typical local dishes

    Taste the authentic recipes of the Japanese countryside.

  • Visit a local producer

    Learn all the secrets of typical Japanese food such as soba or tofu

  • Hike in the northern Yatsugatake Mountains

    Explore the beautiful conifer forest of the Kita Yatsugatake

  • Enjoy the seasons

    Admire cherry blossoms, autumn foliage, or summer flowers depending on the season

  • Stay in a traditional farmhouse

    Nostalgic lodging that retains all the beauty of tradition while offering all the modern comforts.

  • Eat typical local dishes

    Taste the authentic recipes of the Japanese countryside.

  • Visit a local producer

    Learn all the secrets of typical Japanese food such as soba or tofu

  • Hike in the northern Yatsugatake Mountains

    Explore the beautiful conifer forest of the Kita Yatsugatake

  • Enjoy the seasons

    Admire cherry blossoms, autumn foliage, or summer flowers depending on the season

Day 1
Check-in at Yamaura Stay Counter
Go to Yamaura Stay Counter at JR Chino Station by the appointed time

Our staff will check you in and then take you to the farmhouse.
If you are traveling by train, our staff will give you a lift on our Toyota Voxy.
Some amenities such as toothbrush, hairbrush, skincare, etc. are not provided at the accommodation. However, we have a selection of high-quality eco-friendly products at the counter you can buy before you leave if you wish.

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about 20 min by car

Arrival at farmhouse -Shibumichi-
Make yourself at home

Impressive and sturdy, Shibumichi was clearly intended to be home for a big family. As all the farmhouses produced by Alex Kerr, it retains all the beauty of traditional architecture while offering all modern comforts. The highlights of this building are the nostalgic irori hearth, the 2nd-floor master bedroom with its thick beams and antique chimney, and of course, the waterway that circles the house.
*For those who wish, our staff can conduct a brief tour of the house to share some interesting facts about its architecture and history.

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Cook dinner using fresh local ingredients
Order a cook-at-home meal kit

If you feel like cooking, order one of our meal kits. We will prepare a selection of fresh ingredients gathered from farmers and producers in the area, and deliver it to the farmhouse. Every farmhouse has a fully equipped kitchen with utensils and an essential selection of seasonings so that you can cook to your heart's content. The kit includes the necessary ingredients to make a hot pot in winter and to make a set meal in summer. We also include some sample recipes to give you a few ideas.
*Vegetarian/Vegan options available

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Dinner time
Time to enjoy your meal

Gather with your friends and family in the spacious dining room and dig in your dinner.
Bon apetit!

Day 2
Breakfast
Let's cook some more

Use the leftovers from dinner to make a yummy Japanese breakfast. You can start the day with a steamy bowl of rice, flavorful miso soup, and salad made with fresh local veggies. Again, we will provide you a few recipes you can follow, so you can cook with ease even if it's your first time with Japanese food.

30~40 min by bus (Moss Forest/ Kita-Yatsugatake Ropeway)
10 min by car -transfer available- (Rural Village Experience)

Our adventures
Moss Forest Tour (Currently Suspended)
(July-October)

If you are staying in the summer months, the Moss Forest is a must-see spot. This conifer forest, where a velvety carpet of moss covers everything in sight, looks like it just came out of Hayao Miyazaki’s anime world. You can explore it on your own, but we suggest you join a tour to enjoy its distinctive appeal better. The guide will show you many small and hidden wonders, which you would certainly pass by without noticing if you were on our own. You will also receive a loupe, which is a small magnifying glass, to observe the moss up close.

more info

OR

Our adventures
Kita-Yatsugatake Snow Hike
(December~March)

If your trip falls in winter, instead, get on Kita-Yatsugatake Ropeway and hike through the snow-covered northern Yatsugatake Mountains. Again you can do the hike solo (the ropeway offers a snowshoe rental service,) but it is so much better with a guide.
If you join the tour, which includes the ropeway tickets and snowshoe rental, you will hike to the peak of Mt. Shimagare and back. It’s a 4.5h satisfying hike that will allow you to see frozen trees, riming, sastrugi, and if blessed with good weather, a spectacular view on the Alps.

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OR

Our adventures
Rural Village Experience (Half day)
(All year)

Another excellent option, which is good all year round, is spending half a day with a farmer.
You can visit a local farmer's house, eat delicious home cooking, and enjoy plenty of fun activities in a truly authentic context. In the Yamaura, life follows the natural rhythm of seasons, which means you will embark on different adventures depending on the time of your visit. Perhaps you will plant some seedlings in late spring or pluck with your own hands the freshest vegetables to go into your meal in the summer. If you plan to come in autumn, chances are you will help with the harvest, reaping the rice and hanging it to dry under the sun. And well, in winter, you may experience weaving straw to make lucky charms or even miso making. The activity will conclude with a delicious meal to cook and eat together with the farmer and his/her family.

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Tea at Shihoku-an
Try some local sweets at an old farmhouse

Just one minute on foot from your farmhouse is a small cafe named Shihoku-an. The century-old building has a nostalgic beauty, and the traditional local dishes are mouth-watering. They also serve lunch. The owners are a couple of retired local teachers, and the menu offers traditional dishes made with locally grown ingredients. If you go during tea time, make sure to try the local specialty "tenyose," colorful agar cakes.

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Dinner Delivery
Have a delicious meal delivered to your farmhouse

Local restaurants will deliver your dinner box directly at the farmhouse. Every meal is made using locally grown and seasonal ingredients. Vegetarian and vegan options are available.

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Day 3
Breakfast Delivery
Start the day with a nice breakfast

Choose between Japanese-style and western-style breakfast. The meals are carefully prepared by a local restaurant to be both tasty and healthy. Menus change seasonally and include many regional specialties. Vegetarian and vegan options are available.

more info

10 min by car- transfer available (tofu experience)
15 min by car - transfer available (soba experience)

Our adventures
Tofu Experience
Visit to a tofu producer

Visit Sennen Tofu, a family-run tofu shop, where you can watch the master at work and even try tofu making with our own hands. In winter, together with the usual tofu, the master produces frozen tofu. For those of you who may be wondering what’s frozen tofu, as the name suggests, it’s a preserved food made by laying slices of tofu outside to freeze. This unique product is a local specialty with a century-old tradition. Of course, if you come in the coldest months, you may have a chance to make frozen tofu.
The visit ends with a tasting of tofu-based dishes such as frozen tofu stew, okara salad, and soymilk agar cake.

more info

OR

Our adventures
Rural Village Walking Tour
Explore a traditional village together with a local guide

Sasahara village looks as if time stilled a century ago. More than two thirds of the 90 houses which form the village are traditional farmhouses built between 100 and 200 years ago, each with their own traditional “Kura” storehouse (beautifully decorated with plaster relief paintings), pond, and Japanese garden. Sasahara, though, is not a tourist attraction but a real village brimming with life.
Have a walk around the village with a local guide who will share with you the most intimate secrets of traditional life in the mountain, take you inside some farmhouses, and introduce you to other villagers.

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Taxi + Dinner Plan
Enjoy a night out

After spending two evenings inside the farmhouse, you might like the idea of eating out on your last night. There are plenty of restaurants and Japanese inns catering to all tastes and budgets in the area. For those guests who do not have a car, we have various all-inclusive plans providing special menus, taxi pick-up, and drop-off, and sometimes access to hot spring baths. We will take care of all the arrangements, so all you have to do is get in your taxi, enjoy a fabulous dinner at the restaurant or inn of your choice, and maybe soak in a hot spring bath (if included in the plan.)

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Day 4
Breakfast Delivery
Enjoy a meal which is pleasant both to the palate and the eye

For the second day, you can change breakfast, switch to western-style if you had Japanese-style, and vice versa. If you choose the same type, though, you will still have a totally different selection of dishes. The cook will make sure not to serve the same food two days in a row.

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Check-out
Get ready for your next adventure

Our staff will pick you up from the farmhouse and accompany you to Chino Station or, if it's nearby, your next destination.

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15 min by bus (Lake Tateshina/ Yokoya Gorge)
25 min by bus (Kurumayama)

Lake Tateshina and Shoko-ji Temple (End of April~Beginning of May)
Do hanami (cherry blossom viewing)

Shoko-ji is a Buddhist temple erected by Toyota, the big automobile manufacturer, to pray for traffic safety to all drivers.
Located in front of Lake Tateshina, up in the highland area at 1200m, this small temple houses 300 Somei Yoshino cherry trees that reach full bloom as late as early May. Being one of the last spots where you can view cherry blossoms in the main island oh Honshu, Shoko-ji always gets many visitors during this time of year. If you are staying in spring, that is a must-see spot.

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OR

Yokoya Gorge Hike (October)
Walk among a whirlwind of colors

Lush gorge where a 6km trail follows a river interwoven with waterfalls, the Yokoya Gorge is a must-see in the autumn foliage season. Walking through Yokoya Gorge in October is like entering an impressionist painting. The entire forest is colored with brushstrokes of vibrant reds, yellows, and greens.
If you happen to be staying in this season, we recommend hiking through the gorge. There is one bus stop at the beginning and one at the end of the trail so that if you're tired, you don't have to walk all the way back.

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OR

Kurumayama Mountain Lift (all year)
Relish the beauty of summer flowers

A grassland plateau situated at 1925m, Kurumayama offers great hiking routes, a 360°panorama view, and a mountain lift to reach the top with ease.
Kurumayama is the place to go if your holiday falls in the summer. From June to the end of August, the mountain is livened up by many brightly colored alpine flowers such as Japanese Azaleas in June, Daylilies in July, and Pincushion Flowers in August.
After you get to the top with the mountain lift, you can stroll around leisurely, or if you feel energetic, you can take one of the many routes winding through the plateau. If you have enough time and energy, you could even hike to Yashima Wetland, a beautiful marsh.
*If you come in winter, you can ski on the panoramic slopes or join a snowshoe tour.

more info

Other attractions recommended by our team!

  • Choen-ji Temple

    Small Buddhist temple in the rural area where, in autumn, red maple and yellow ginkgo leaves form a corridor that ushers the visitors to the temple to the main hall.

  • Lake Shirakaba

    Highland lake surrounded by birch trees, where you can enjoy aquatic sports such as canoeing and paddleboarding.
    *The Ultimate Soba Experience takes place in Lake Shirakaba, so if you have the chance, you can explore the surroundings before heading back to the farmhouse.

  • Yashima Wetland

    Scenic peatland encased by the grassland hills of Kirigamine Plateau.
    A wooden trail circles the wetland that in summer is decorated by countless alpine flowers.

  • Choen-ji Temple

    Small Buddhist temple in the rural area where, in autumn, red maple and yellow ginkgo leaves form a corridor that ushers the visitors to the temple to the main hall.

  • Lake Shirakaba

    Highland lake surrounded by birch trees, where you can enjoy aquatic sports such as canoeing and paddleboarding.
    *The Ultimate Soba Experience takes place in Lake Shirakaba, so if you have the chance, you can explore the surroundings before heading back to the farmhouse.

  • Yashima Wetland

    Scenic peatland encased by the grassland hills of Kirigamine Plateau.
    A wooden trail circles the wetland that in summer is decorated by countless alpine flowers.

To create a tailor-made travel
plan based on this itinerary.

*This service comes with no obligations.
Your reservation will not be finalized until you give us confirmation.

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