Discover the seasonal rhythm of life in Snow Country. Settled for over 8000 years, this rich land endures not despite the heavy winters snows but because of them. During the long winter, the accumulated snow grows tall enough to dwarf a man, but never freezes to a hard iciness in temperatures hovering around zero. In spring, the downy drifts protect the shoots of wild vegetables until foragers pluck them up, tender and sweet. In summer, snow preserved under thatch provides a cooling respite from summer heat. While in autumn, soil that was allowed to rest in earnest for half the year bursts into life with a bounteous harvest.
Ryugon is a ryokan with Snow Country in its DNA. It's 29 rooms are situated in an early 19th-century farmhouse that has been lovingly renovated to preserve the most beautiful elements of the traditional architecture, including a sitting room registered as an Important Cultural Property, while adding amenities that meet the highest standards of modern luxury. A hyper-local ethos transforms timeless regional recipes into innovative fine dining and stocks the cellars with a treasure trove of Niigata-made libations, which the passionate local staff can tell you all about. Even the modern furniture nods subtly to the life-giving snow, with chairs resembling the local igloos known as kamakura and headboards slanting off to one side like a wind-blown drift.
Nestled between the steep slopes of Sakado Mountain and the picturesque farmlands around Untouan Temple, the property is well situated both for enjoying modern outdoor sports and exploring the time-honored practices that have sustained and nourished this community.
Enjoy a taste of a highly unique regional culture, steeped in long tradition and rich terroir.
Rooms
VILLAVilla Suite Terrace
Villa Suite Terrace was added in September 2022. This suite has a water basin in front of the p…
VILLAVilla Suite Premium
Part of a 2019 extension into the sprawling Japanese-style pond and garden, the spacious villa …
VILLAVilla Suite Standard
The standard villa suite still has the same exclusive location, serene comfort, and eco-conscio…
ROOMCLASSIC Premium
Classic rooms in the main building offer a more traditional ryokan experience. The deluxe class…
ROOMCLASSIC Standard A
Classic rooms in the main building offer a more traditional ryokan experience. The standard roo…
ROOMCLASSIC Standard B
Classic rooms in the main building offer a more traditional ryokan experience. The standard roo…
ROOMCLASSIC Standard C
Classic rooms in the main building offer a more traditional ryokan experience. The standard roo…
VILLAVilla Suite Terrace
Villa Suite Terrace was added in September 2022. This suite has a water basin in front of the private open-air bath that vividly reflects the nature of Mt. Sakado. In addition, the hot spring water supplied to its open-air bath is made to flow directly from the source. Experience the slow flow of time in a space where the entire room feels like a terrace. Also, this suite has a private kitchen. If you wish, ryugon can arrange private dining with a chef visiting your room. Please enjoy this new style of Villa Suite. REQUEST THIS ROOM
VILLAVilla Suite Premium
Part of a 2019 extension into the sprawling Japanese-style pond and garden, the spacious villa suites (75-92m²) are connected to the original building via an open-air passage. While the chic gray-toned interior has a modern flavor, the suites maintain the all-important requirement in traditional Japanese architecture of connection to nature through a private deck with open-air bath facing the garden. Classic elements like earthen walls and wooden transoms join modern luxuries like heated flooring for an atmosphere of serene comfort. Overstuffed sofas and lounge chairs with plump ottomans hand-crafted by environmentally conscious Youbi Furniture provide ample space for relaxing and socializing, while a kitchenette with thoughtful touches like fair trade coffee beans and a hand mill ensure you needn't even venture out for a fresh cup of coffee. REQUEST THIS ROOM
VILLAVilla Suite Standard
The standard villa suite still has the same exclusive location, serene comfort, and eco-conscious design of the premium class villas, as well as their distinctive blend of traditional and modern architecture, at a slightly smaller size (55-78m²). Views from the private veranda and open-air bath are not as expansive but still open onto the Japanese-style pond and garden, providing the opportunity to slip directly from the warmth of the room into heated thermal spring waters. As with the premium class, the villa suite is outfitted with custom hand-made furniture from Youbi and luxurious touches like fair-trade coffee beans and fresh milk for superb private relaxation. REQUEST THIS ROOM
ROOMCLASSIC Premium
Classic rooms in the main building offer a more traditional ryokan experience. The deluxe class offers two Japanese-style rooms for separate sleeping and relaxing areas and views on the garden. Low beds are used rather than the traditional futon mats for guest comfort. Charming touches from bygone days like a glossy old rotary telephone or antique calligraphy scrolls written by a priest from nearby Untouan Temple add a particularly nostalgic atmosphere. Room 106 has a deck overlooking the garden. REQUEST THIS ROOM
ROOMCLASSIC Standard A
Classic rooms in the main building offer a more traditional ryokan experience. The standard rooms are characterized by classic elements like sliding shoji doors, sections of tatami flooring, and recessed tokanoma alcoves for displaying artworks. The layout of each is unique, with floor plans ranging from 43 to 60m². Many of the rooms in this class have a Japanese-style enclosed veranda called an engawa, equipped with a heated table known as a kotatsu. Enjoying a cup of tea with your legs tucked under the kotatsu's toasty skirt is a uniquely Japanese pleasure. Other rooms have a small open-air deck where guests can enjoy a natural breeze in warmer months. REQUEST THIS ROOM
ROOMCLASSIC Standard B
Classic rooms in the main building offer a more traditional ryokan experience. The standard rooms are characterized by classic elements like sliding shoji doors, sections of tatami flooring, and recessed tokanoma alcoves for displaying artworks. The layout of each is unique, with floor plans ranging from 43 to 60m². Many of the rooms in this class have a Japanese-style enclosed veranda called an engawa, equipped with a heated table known as a kotatsu. Enjoying a cup of tea with your legs tucked under the kotatsu's toasty skirt is a uniquely Japanese pleasure. Other rooms have a small open-air deck where guests can enjoy a natural breeze in warmer months. REQUEST THIS ROOM
ROOMCLASSIC Standard C
Classic rooms in the main building offer a more traditional ryokan experience. The standard rooms are characterized by classic elements like sliding shoji doors, sections of tatami flooring, and recessed tokanoma alcoves for displaying artworks. The layout of each is unique, with floor plans ranging from 43 to 60m². Many of the rooms in this class have a Japanese-style enclosed veranda called an engawa, equipped with a heated table known as a kotatsu. Enjoying a cup of tea with your legs tucked under the kotatsu's toasty skirt is a uniquely Japanese pleasure. Other rooms have a small open-air deck where guests can enjoy a natural breeze in warmer months. REQUEST THIS ROOM
FACILITIES & SERVICES
Dining Room
The main dining room is a pleasing blend of clean modern lines and old-fashioned touches full o…
Cuisine
This is an undiscovered gem of destination dining. For those ready to venture beyond the rigid …
Wood-fire Cooking Experience
ryugon has preserved the detached kitchen from the original farmhouse as a space for guests to …
Irori Lounge and Garden Terrace
This beautiful common space is open for guests to use at any time, including before check-in an…
Bar
Between the Irori Lounge and the Garden Terrace is a chic blond wood bar, where guests can perc…
Spa
Housed in the storerooms of the old farmstead and located at the far corner of the property, th…
ryugon cafe
The café is next to the earthen floored space on your left as you come through the entrance gat…
Dining Room
The main dining room is a pleasing blend of clean modern lines and old-fashioned touches full of figurative and literal warmth. An iron stove burns aromatic zelkova and other local wood, beating back any hint of a chill from the garden-view window occupying the opposite wall. A massive hearth sits in the center of the floor, ideal for cooking meat and fish on skewers in traditional tateyaki style. Simple black wood tables and low grey upholstered chairs keep focus on the vibrant beauty of the food while providing a subtle contrast to the snowscape of the winter garden. Private rooms are also available for a more intimate experience.
Cuisine
This is an undiscovered gem of destination dining. For those ready to venture beyond the rigid formalism of kaiseki and the well-known populist delights of sushi and ramen, ryugon offers the novel experience of a distinctly Japanese cuisine deeply rooted in the local culture. Defined by the blessings of nature and techniques of preservation handed down through the generations, meals in Snow Country are full of wild greens and mushrooms with no English name, the unexpected sweetness of root vegetables preserved under snow, seafood pulled that morning from the cold waters of the Sea of Japan, and the ever-satisfying finish of hot Koshihikari rice.
Wood-fire Cooking Experience
ryugon has preserved the detached kitchen from the original farmhouse as a space for guests to experience local gastronomy workshops, offering them a unique chance not only to learn simple recipes to prepare the healthy natural bounty of Snow Country, but also to chat with born-and-bred locals about food culture in Niigata and share a freshly cooked meal together. The spacious kitchen still uses an old-fashioned wood-fired stove and is festooned with food being preserved in time-honored ways, from vegetables pickling in massive jars to fish and game being strung from the rafters to cure in the dry winter air.
Irori Lounge and Garden Terrace
This beautiful common space is open for guests to use at any time, including before check-in and after check-out. On one side, complimentary drinks and snacks are spread out around a toasty irori, a traditional sunken hearth where charcoal smolders invitingly. Fresh-baked bread awaits in the morning, cookies with tea and coffee in the afternoon. And in the evening, a homemade plum wine makes the perfect aperitif. On the opposite side, plush high-backed sofas face the sprawling Japanese-style pond and garden, providing both superb views and a private space for a romantic tête-à-tête. On Saturday evenings, guests can enjoy a live shamisen performance.
Bar
Between the Irori Lounge and the Garden Terrace is a chic blond wood bar, where guests can perch on a comfortable stool and chat with a friendly bartender who is warmly passionate about the rich local beverage offerings. In Snow Country, delicious sake is a given, since pure snowmelt water and some of the finest rice in the country provide ideal raw materials, but there are also excellent Niigata craft beers and wines. And for those who would like to wade into the world of Japan's other national drink, there's regional shochu, either on its own or used to create original ryugon infusions with produce like yuzu citrus, green tea, and quince.
Spa
Housed in the storerooms of the old farmstead and located at the far corner of the property, this intimate spa contains just one treatment room for a blissfully quiet and totally private wellness experience. Tucked behind the original heavy sliding door, the thick-walled space once would have protected stores of tea and other foodstuffs. The spa nods to that by offering facial and body treatments using products from Themae Paris, luxury French cosmetics derived from tea leaves and full of skin-preserving antioxidants and polyphenol micronutrients. Couple's treatments are also available.
ryugon cafe
The café is next to the earthen floored space on your left as you come through the entrance gate to ryugon. The cafe offers onsen- coffee made by hot spring water and patissier’s handmade pastries during the day. Enjoy the luxurious cafe time.
Experience
Artistic Discovery at Echigo-Tsumari Art FieldMore
Meet the Inspired Metalworking Artisans of NiigataMore
“Humans are part of nature”. The original concept has become the overarching concept for all the programs offered in the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field. Echigo-Tsumari Art Field is not only to display artworks, but to remind you how precious our mother of nature truly is and show our great respect to nature. As our civilization and urbanization have far more advanced today, abundant nature in the “Satoyama” (undeveloped woodland) existence in Echigo-Tsumari is just spectacular.
The Echigo-Tsumari region has been cultivating its land for rice production under the harsh condition imposed by heavy snowfall since the Jomon era. Local people here have been exploring how to engage with the inseparable relationship between human beings and nature while managing the tight-knitted communities. This is the origin of the concept “human beings are part of nature”, which has become the overarching concept for every program. Regional development in the Echigo-Tsumari region is advanced with the aim to present a model for how people can relate to nature.
The abandoned house and closed school projects represent what the ETAT is about. Approximately 100 projects have been executed to revitalize the huge number of abandoned houses and pass on memories and wisdoms of the community for future generations. The closed schools which once functioned as places for bringing people in the community together now present many artworks and stand as key places in the community again. These projects have become an integrated part of the community and utilized beyond the conventional framework of artworks.
Anything that human beings have created are “art” and “art of living (art de vivre)” constitutes the origins of this concept. “Food” is its important element and the ETAT has been focusing its attention on “food” in the belief that it is the most primitive representation of art. “Food” plays a significant role of bringing local people into the spotlight.
“Hachi & Seizo Tashima Museum of Picture Book Art” by Seizo Tashima (Photo by S. Akimoto)
“For Lots of Lost Windows” by Akiko Utsumi (Photo by T.Kuratani)
“Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art, KINARE” by Hiroshi Hara + Atelier Φ (Photo by Keizo Kioku)
“The Last Class” by Christian Boltanski＋Jean Kalman (Photo by T.Kuratani)
“Tunnel of Light” by Ma Yansong / MAD Architects (Photo by Osamu Nakamura)
Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Shokudo for Dining
“NOHBUTAI Snow-Land Agrarian Culture Center, Matsudai” by MVRDV
Echigo-Tsumari Art Field is located 50 minutes away from ryugon by car. We delightedly present you a private-escorted tour to the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field.
Please contact us for more information or a private-escorted tour arrangement.
Meet the Inspired Metalworking Artisans of Niigata
Meet the Inspired Metalworking Artisans of Niigata
Tsubame-Sanjo is an area in Niigata known for extravagant cutlery used restaurants around the globe and prestigious events like the Nobel Prize ceremony. Beginning in the Edo Period (1603-1868), the city was manufacturing center for traditional Japanese metalwork, including nails, knives and tableware. During the rapid globalization and modernization of the 19th century, they started producing Western cutlery as well, which now enjoys a sterling international reputation. During your stay at ryugon, spend a day with the skilled artisans keeping this metalworking tradition alive.
Private Copperware Factory Tour at Gyokusen-do
“Gyokusen-do” is a copperware factory located about an hour and a half away from Echigo-Yuzawa by car. On this 90-minute tour, you will learn how the artisans hammer life into cold metal. Following a master design, the pieces are similar, yet each retains the beautiful uniqueness of the handmade, reflecting the skill and personality of individual artisans. The workers here believe objects can be repositories of meaning across the years. They work the metal every day, employing the skills and artistry of their teachers and passing down their own interpretations to future generations.
Private Visit to Tadafusa, a Knives Maker in the Town of Blacksmiths
Tadafusa begins in the 17th century, when the area was populated largely by peasant farmers. Frequent flooding from the nearby river destroyed crops and put them out of work. In 1625, a man came to aid, enlisting blacksmiths to teach them how to hand-forge nails as a more stable side business. The area subsequently became know as the Town of Blacksmiths, many of whom diversified from nails to specialize in sickles, saws and other cutting implements. Tadafusa was founded in 1948 to make quality hand-forged kitchen knives, a mission the company continues to this day. Their fine knives have won Good Design Awards and are prized by professional and private chefs around the world.
Private Visit to Suwada Factory, the Cutting Edge for Clippers
From hand-forged nails to nail clippers, Suwada Factory has been making great cutting tools since 1926, and now its manicure and pedicure tools, bonsai shears and kitchen utensils are known as high-quality professional gear. All the products are handmade by craftspeople whose perfectionism results in unparalleled sharpness.
Previously, Suwada Factory was not open to the public at all. The proprietary methods of turning raw materials into beautiful, razor-sharp cutting tools were jealously guarded, but now the factory and attached gallery have opened to the public to foster an appreciation of the craft involved.
Craft-Making Experience at Tsubame City Industrial Materials Museum
Tsubame City Industrial Materials Museum was the first museum in Japan dedicated to the history and development of local industries. Visitors can see how metalworking has changed over time in Tsubame since the Edo Period, from the hand-hammered copper vessels and Chokin engraving of the 18th century to today’s modern production technologies. You can also join a traditional craft-making workshop. And craft your own tumbler, sake cup or shot glass to take home.
Craft Making Experience at Sanjo Kaji-Dojo
While Japanese metalcraft is sure to call to mind historic images of samurai swords, not much in use today, but the art remains alive and well today in metal fixtures, woodworking tools, agricultural implements, fishing hooks and cutlery. It remains an integral part of Japanese daily life, often overlooked in its familiarity but essential all the same.
At Sanjo Kaji-dojo, visitors can experience the skill and effort that goes into these quotation items by making their own kitchen knife, letter opener or nails. Local blacksmiths will induct you into Sanjo’s metalworking tradition, teaching you to turn red-hot metal into a beautiful and useful tool through quenching, forging, grinding and coating. It is a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to better understand this timeless craft.
3 regular courses are available every day at Sanjo Kaji-Dojo: “Letter Opener Making Experience from a Nail”, “Nail Making Experience” and “Knife Sharpening Experience”.
Please visit their official website for more information. Sanjo Kaji-Dojo:kajidojo.com
Recommended Local Restaurants for Lunch
1. Japanese Restaurant “Meijiya”
Meijiya has been serving traditional Japanese Kaiseki using local ingredients and seafood over 100 years. You can explore this iconic culinary tradition surrounded by the simple beauty of Japanese country architecture.
2. “Tsubame-Sanjo Italian Bit”
“Tsubame-Sanjo Italian Bit” is a brand-new Italian restaurant opened in March 2019. The restaurant uses fresh ingredients produced locally in Tsubame-Sanjo. At lunchtime, a fresh salad made with vegetables picked just that morning comes with each entrée.
Experience
Fall in Love with Treasures of Niigata
Fall in Love with Treasures of Niigata
Day 1
Experience Japanese Sake Breweries
Introduction of Niigata
Niigata is located in the northern part of Honshu (the main island of Japan) along the Sea of Japan coast. At just 70 minutes from Tokyo by shinkansen bullet train, it is a popular destination for those wishing to experience Japan’s beautiful snow country. Niigata boasts an array of natural attractions from ski resorts nestled in majestic mountains to lush terraced rice paddies near the sea, a combination of geography that results in a rich bounty of produce including seafood, rice and sake. Niigata is obviously a prime destination for outdoor activities, but it is still a relatively undiscovered culinary gem. Stay at our member ryokan, “ryugon” and dive into this rich food culture with enlightening visits to sake breweries and a cooking lesson using a traditional wood-fired stove.
Private visit to Hakkaisan Sake Brewery
The Hakkaisan brand is famous across the country and beyond. Even in a region sometimes called the sake capital of Japan, their delicious brews stand out. The nearly century-old company’s blend of tradition and innovation has been made possible by passionate people who have devoted their lives to crafting great sake from great rice. As people say, “What makes sake good has everything to do with rice”.
Tours of the Hakkaisan brewery can be arranged through ryugon, during which visitors will learn how rice progresses through the steps of sake-making in a pristine modern facility. It finishes up at nearby Uonuma no Sato, tourism-focused facility dedicated to all things fermented, including local shochu, beer, pickles and miso.
Uonuma no Sato also houses Hakkaisan’s massive yukimuro (snow cavern), a natural cool storage technique for rice, seafood, vegetables and sake that has been used in Niigata for centuries. Snow is nearly synonymous with this region, which receives upwards of 30 feet each year. In winter, Hakkaisan brings nearly 1,000 tons of it into a soaring insulated structure, which then naturally remains a few degrees above freezing year-round without the need for electricity. With this local knowhow passed down from generation to generation, the brewer is able to store their wares in an incredibly eco-friendly way.
Wood-fire Cooking Experience at “ryugon”
After the yukimuro tour at Hakkaisan, you will head back to ryugon just in time for lunch and join the gastronomy workshop, a lesson in cooking over a wood-fire stove.
Niigata’s gastronomy generally consists of a variety of dishes made from locally grown or foraged ingredients, along with the prefecture’s famous rice. Thanks to a rich environment nourished by clear snowmelt water and allowed to lie fallow during the long winters, this area produces an astounding bounty and locals have become experts at pickling, drying, and otherwise preserving it to last throughout the year. As a matter of fact, Niigata is becoming a member of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network as a City of Gastronomy.
During the lesson, which is held in the original detached kitchen from the 19th century farmhouse, a lovely local grandmother will instruct you in the preparation of a few simple recipes, including soup prepared over an ancient wood-fired stove. Afterwards, you can enjoy the fruits of your labor and some extra dishes while chatting with the teacher.
People in Niigata know exactly how to turn the abundant natural ingredients around them into uniquely tasty dishes. Regardless of the chilly temperatures and snow outside, these simple lunches filled with nourishment and laughter warm the body and soul.
The wood-fire cooking lesson takes place every Sunday throughout the year and is included in several stay plans. It is available to the public as well as staying guests.
Private Visit to Aoki Sake Brewery
Aoki Sake Brewery is another notable sake producer in Niigata. While the region is famous for producing tanrei-karakuchi, a light, dry style, Aoki has been making tanrei-umakuchi sakes, a sweeter style that retains the pure umami of rice, since their establishment in 1717.
The brewers of Aoki believe the best sake is produced through the concept of wago or harmonizing between producers, sellers and those who enjoy sake. This interrelation is based in communication, which includes encouragement, patience and the expression of pleasure. This communal spirit of perseverance and cooperation is central to the culture and people of Niigata and Aoki invites you to join in.
Brewery tours are available upon advance request via ryugon, but it may not be possible to arrange last minute. However, feel free to drop by the souvenir shop at the front from 10:00 to 16:00 every day except Wednesdays. A tasting set of your choice of any three sakes is JPY525 (including tax) and includes a souvenir sake cup.
Check-in at “ryugon”
Entering ryugon, you may feel a strange combination of the sacred and the mundane, as this ryokan was the site of a temple called Ryugon-ji, originally built in 1496, before it became a sprawling farmstead.
Both Hakkaisan and Aoki sakes are served at dinner and at the in-house bar if you wish to continue your exploration of their brews and pick a favorite. For a change of pace, there are also locally made beers, shochu, and wines, as well as original liquor infusions created in-house. Enjoy your stay at ryugon to the fullest.
Day 2
Experience Traditional Woven Fabric & Tsukemono (Japanese Pickles)
Private visit to Sakai Fabrics (Orimoto Sakai)
Sakai Fabrics was founded in 1933 and has been continuously producing fabrics for over 80 years in Niigata. During World War II, most of the Japanese fabric industry was forced to shut down or produce fabrics for the military. However, Orimoto Sakai was given special dispensation to continue operations in order to preserve traditional weaving skills. The company then contributed to the reconstructing of the industry after the war. Even in this current age of modernization, when mass production is the norm, Orimoto Sakai continues to make fabrics completely by hand. From the very first step of turning raw silk into thread through to the finishing touches, Sakai’s craftspeople use their own two hands to weave their passion into each piece of fabric.
During this tour, you will be able to see the traditional skills of weaving and dyeing turn raw silk into elegant textiles like kimonos.
Private visit to Imanari Tsukemono (Japanese Pickles)
After the fascinating textile lesson, our next stop is Imanari Tsukemono. Tsukemono is a Japanese word for foods that are pickled, traditionally in salt, brine or rice bran. This essential Japanese food is eaten in endless varieties in almost every household in the country.
Imanari Tsukemono is famous for a special kind of mild pickles called Yamaga-zuke, which are made using sake lees from Hakkaisan (See Day 1). The name, which means “mountain pickles,” comes from the poet Aizu Yaichi, who christened them in a collection of poems about 100 years ago. Imanari Tsukemono considers the publication date of that collection to be the date of their official foundation. Since then, they have never changed the recipe and continue to preserve the traditional flavor.
In regions of Japan with heavy snowfall, pickling is key to preserving food for the winter and represents an important part of the traditional local culture. There are countless types of Tsukemono across the country, but Yamaga-zuke is a well-known Niigata delicacy with unforgettable flavor.
During your tour, you will not only have a chance to taste Yamaga-zuke but also see how they make this traditional dish and learn how sake lees are used to preserve fresh vegetables.
Complimentary transfer from/to HATAGO ISEN in front of Echigoyuzawa Station (30min) / Reservation Required. Depart HATAGO-Isen at 15:15 and 17:15 / Reservation Required
Key Gate Way Int'l Airport and Train (Shinkansen) Station
