High and Low #2

From up in Hokkaido to down in Okinawa we’re calling out some of Japan’s delightful and highly detailed small hotels. This is part two, heading to the north.

Looking for Part 1? Look here.

It’s always such a pleasure to talk about Japanese hotels, especially this time of year, as spring begins and sakura, the country’s famous cherry blossoms, begin to appear. They first bloom in the south in the Okinawan islands, sometimes starting as early as January. Then, by mid-May, the flowers finally come alive all the way up north in the island of Hokkaido. It’s a span that stretches the same approximate distance as the Florida Keys to the northern border of Maine.

That’s the path we’re following for this two-part series taking a look at Japan’s plethora of small inns, hotels, and, for sure, ryokans. In part 1, we covered the south and south-central regions. Part 2 covers the northern and north-central prefectures. In both lists you’ll see Japan’s famous-to-the-point-of-cliché enthusiasm for detail, subtlety, and craftsmanship — skills that can be put on more proud display when executed on a smaller scale, as they are at these intimate properties.

See our entire selection of hotels in Japan.

Kimamaya by Odin

Kutchan, Japan

With just nine rooms, this wood-framed mountain retreat is ideal for those wanting somewhere cozy and snug. After a day’s skiing, the roaring fire in the lounge will be a welcome sight; in summer, if you’ve been hiking or horse riding, your aching bones will be grateful for the onsen. The bedrooms themselves at Kimamaya have a calming softness to induce a great night’s sleep, while the bistro is housed in an adjacent barn inspired by Hokkaido farm buildings.

Nasu Mukunone Auberge

Nasu, Japan

Nasu Forest may be justly famous for the shrines and onsen and sake brewers, but don’t miss the trees for the forest. Nasu Mukunone Auberge lives this philosophy to its fullest. Beeches and cedars soar in the mountain breeze, weathered joists nod to local architectural heritage, and there’s even an expansive water garden on site for the world’s most transcendent stroll. This is a place of stillness and tranquil reveries.

Shiguchi

Kutchan, Japan

The Japanese artist and hotelier Shouya Grigg is a collector — not only of art, but of architecture. For his latest project, Shiguchi, he relocated a series of kominka, or traditional wooden farmhouses, to a quiet valley outside the ski resort of Niseko. Their A-frame structures have remained more or less the same, but inside, they’re modern and minimalist, with private onsen baths, curated libraries, and terraces overlooking the surrounding landscape.

Zaborin

Hokkaido, Japan

Zaborin is every inch a classic ryokan, from its unspoiled natural setting to the elaborate artistry of its kaiseki dinners. But it’s a thoroughly modern ryokan as well, and a modernist one at that — the architecture, by Makoto Nakayama, perfectly evokes the contemplative mood suggested by the name, which means something like “to sit and forget in the woods.” The woods in question are the forests of Hokkaido.

Satoyama Jujo

Niigata, Japan

As Miyazaki-esque locales go, you can’t do much better than Niigata Prefecture, home to a sizable portion of the so-called Japanese Alps. Satoyama Jujo, sequestered deep within that enchanting mountainscape, blends eco-conscious boutique sensibilities with the region’s centuries-old kominka tradition: rural, wooden-frame homesteads designed to withstand harsh winters while remaining bright, clean, and tranquil.

Snow Peak Field Suite Spa Headquarters

Morimachi, Japan

As a name, Snow Peak Field Suite Spa Headquarters is a mouthful; Snow Peak is the upscale Japanese outdoor outfitter whose headquarters this is, and Field Suite Spa is the spectacular hotel on the site, designed by the master architect Kengo Kuma. The spa in question is an onsen-style spring-fed bath complex, which takes in panoramic views of its surroundings through full-length walls of glass.

Shoraiso

Yamanouchi, Japan

Shoraiso’s name, meaning “wind through the trees in the mountains”, perfectly conjures the luxe onsen tranquility on offer here in the Nagano valley. A series of baths — indoor, outdoor, communal, private — comprise the main attraction here. There’s also a lounge bar with an attached garden for between-bathing breaks. Japanese-style rooms boast tatami, translucent screens, low-slung furnishings, and elegant details like arabesque archways.

Wakkanupuri Resorts

Teshikaga, Japan

Getting away from it all to connect with nature is the whole point of traveling to the remote Akan-Mashu National Park in Eastern Hokkaido, and there’s hardly a better place to do it than one of Wakkanupuri Resorts’ luxurious waterfront villas. Both are positioned on the edge of Lake Kussharo, the largest crater lake in Japan. Though they differ in style, both have minimalist living rooms warmed by wood-burning fireplaces and indoor baths fed by hot spring water.

House of Finn Juhl

Hakuba, Japan

A ski resort near Nagano may sound like an unlikely spot for a hotel dedicated to a Danish modernist architect. The furniture company Onecollection produces Danish-firm Finn Juhl’s designs in Japanese workshops, and its cofounders seized a chance opportunity to snap up an old ski lodge and reimagine it in his name. The result is a sleek six-room boutique hotel, House of Finn Juhl, with a striking blend of Japanese and Scandinavian elements.

Wanoi Kakunodate

Semboku, Japan

It’s not hard to find Japanese hotels that aim to preserve tradition, but Wanoi Kakunodate takes it further than most — the Wanoi name, after all, is an archaic word for “Japanese way of life.” This collection of three old houses in the Akita prefecture aims for a time-travel experience, each one a meticulous preservation of its former use: a pickle storehouse, a fabric shop, and most improbably, a samurai’s residence.

Raku Suisan

Kutchancho, Japan

The spectacular landscape of Niseko, in the shadow of Mount Yotei, is the backdrop for Raku Suisan, a modern interpretation of the timeless concept of the Japanese ryokan. The hotel’s rooms come in both tatami and Western varieties, and each one has its own private spring-fed onsen bath, on a terrace with a view of the landscape. Hokkaido is perhaps best known overseas as a winter-sports destination, but it’s a draw in all four seasons.

Andaru Collection Niseko

Niseko, Japan

A glance at the distinctive silhouettes of Andaru Niseko’s villas and it’s clear you’re in for something unusual here. Architect Koichi Ishiguro was inspired by the traditional dwellings of the indigenous Ainu people, and if the end result has something in common with Alpine A-frames, it’s no accident — Niseko, on the island of Hokkaido, is a popular winter destination, and these two-story villas stand tall above even the deepest snowfall.

Yamagata The Takinami

Nanyo, Japan

Tucked behind a decorative thatched-roof gate, Yamagata The Takinami occupies a centuries-old house built to withstand the region’s heavy snow. But instead of traditional tatami mats and tea rooms, its minimalist interiors feature sleek Nordic-style décor and modern Japanese design — a row of Arne Jacobsen’s Swan chairs line up beside big picture windows in the living room, while guest rooms feature pieces by Tendo Mokko.

Trunk (House)

Tokyo, Japan

TRUNK HOUSE is Tokyo’s most exclusive one-room stay, a painstakingly restored 70-year-old geisha house in the storied streets of Kagurazaka. Inside, tatami-lined tea rooms and an irori hearth sit alongside Stephen Kenn leather sofas, terrazzo floors, and a cypress-wood bath set beneath shunga art. The real showstopper is a hidden, soundproofed disco with neon lights, a stocked bar, and a dance floor made for impromptu revelry.