At the Lodge ...
Inaka Lodge is built as a year-round base set in a quiet valley in northern Nagano, between Shiga Kogen and Mt. Myoko, close to Obuse, Nozawa Onsen, and the snow monkey hot springs. The lodge is a quiet renovated farmhouse that blends traditional Japanese elements with modern comfort. Many of the original ceramics, furniture, books, and decorations have been restored and reused to preserve the house’s authentic character.
All five bedrooms are tatami rooms furnished with queen-size mattresses, shoji windows, and fusuma doors, blending Japanese design with real comfort. Common spaces include tatami living rooms with comfortable couches and garden views, fiber-optic Wi-Fi, and a fully equipped kitchen (coffee machine, microwave, stove, fish grill, rice cooker, fridge with freezer and ice maker…).
The bathroom area follows a traditional Japanese layout: a washing area with a sink near the two heated Japanese toilets, a private changing room with a beauty corner and amenities, and beyond it a cedar shower room featuring a deep ofuro bath. Towels and all toiletries are included.
A dedicated gear room is available for skis, boards, and adventure equipment, including a waxing corner.
Laundromat is only 2 minutes away by car.
Parking on the property is limited. If you plan to come by car, please let us know in advance so we can accommodate you. For guests arriving without a vehicle, we are also happy to help arrange local car rental options for your stay.
Plan your stay
During the winter season (December–March), we have a minimum stay of 5 nights.
Check-in is after 16:00, and check-out is at 9:00.
We can also help you figure out local car rental options or arrange shuttles, we’ll talk about it once you get in touch.
Book a room or reserve the full lodge
Choose the option that fits your plans
Inaka Shared Weeks
For couples, friends, or solo travellers who don’t need the whole house.
During Shared Weeks, you get your own private double room,
while the rest of the house is shared with a small group of other guests.
Pricing:
Two people: ¥24,000 per night / double room
One person: ¥16,000 per night / double room
Book a room
Full lodge booking
Book Inaka Lodge as a whole house for your family or group of friends.
Pricing:
The rate is ¥110,000 per night
(up to 10 guests, 5-nights stay minimum in the winter).
Book the lodge
Every season looks and feels different here. No matter when you come,
there’s always something to chase, or slow down for.
Winter covers everything in snow, and spring brings back the sound of water and flowers in the fields.
Summer is for green mountains, cold rivers, and long days outside, while autumn turns the valley red and gold.
It is also the season of rice harvesting and apple picking.
Winter season
The mountains around us get 10–12 meters of snow each year and rise up to 2,300 meters.
There are slopes for everyone, from first-time skiers to deep-snow chasers and park riders.
Over 30 ski resorts are within a 30–45 minute drive, including Shiga Kogen, Nozawa Onsen,
Myoko, Madarao, Ryuoo, X-Jam, and more.
Green season
When the snow melts, these same mountains turn into a playground for hiking, biking, camping,
and wild onsening. Trails cross high ridgelines, mountain lakes, and cedar forests.
In summer, small farm stands pop up along the roads, selling fresh vegetables and homemade pickles.
CULTURE & DAY TRIPS
When not in the mountains, explore the culture that makes Nagano special...
Explore Nagano City, home of the 1998 Winter Olympics. See the Olympic stadium,
visit Zenkoji Temple, grab the best apple pie you’ve ever had, and try oyaki, the local specialty.
Spend a day in Obuse, a small town known for chestnut sweets, sake, and art.
It’s where the famous artist Hokusai lived, and it’s only a 5-minute drive from our lodge.
If you come in summer, you might catch one of Obuse’s small street festivals,
where the whole town lights up with lanterns and food stalls.
In about a 45-minute drive, you can walk the 400-year-old cedar alley leading to
Togakushi Okusha Shrine, then stop by the Ninja Museum or a soba shop run by monks.
Head north to Joetsu for a winter view of mountains meeting the Sea of Japan.
In the spring, you’ll find one of Japan’s most beautiful cherry blossom parks around Takada Castle,
and ramen that’s been rated among the country’s best.
And of course, the famous Snow Monkeys of Jigokudani, bathing in hot springs through the falling snow.
Not to mention the vending machine with the best pudding on the way from the monkeys’ park.
Around the lodge, the resorts, and everywhere in between, you’ll find plenty of small cafés,
local restaurants, onsen towns, and hidden gems. Trust us, we know the good ones, and we’ll
point you in the right direction to make your trip unforgettable.
Who are we and how we ended up in Japan?
We’re Adam & Laura from Slovakia (yes, that’s in Europe), and we’ve been on the move since a few days after we turned twenty. Living in Ireland showed us what kindness between strangers looks like. Winter in the Austrian Alps taught us that this is how we want to spend every winter from now on. Canada was where we learned work–life balance was a thing, hiked mountains, lived out of a camper, and spent endless nights around fires with friends. Japan blended all of those things that mattered to us.
And the truth is, this wasn’t a plan...
It wasn’t the cities or the tourist spots, honestly, not even famous Japanese powder, that made us stay. It was inaka. “Inaka” means countryside. It’s simple. It's about neighbours leaving vegetables at the door, mornings where you hear nothing except wind in the trees, and people who always have time for one more conversation.
Story of Inaka Lodge
Inaka Lodge is a renovated 47-year-old farmhouse in Mitsuwa, near Nagano. It was abandoned for years before we found it and decided to bring it back to life. Many people told us it wasn’t worth saving. But we weren’t looking for “worth it.” We were looking for something we could build with our hands and grow into… slowly, room by room, wall by wall. Every beam cleaned, every floor laid, and every corner repaired was done by us, our friends, our family and people who believed in the idea of turning an empty house into a place that feels warm again.
We’re not trying to be a hotel.
This is a quiet base for people who want mountains without crowds, a stay without chaos, and a place that actually feels like a home. You’ll find Japanese countryside life as it truly is: simple, calm, and always real.
We rebuilt this lodge around a few things that matter to us ...
Simplicity
Life doesn’t need to be complicated. Good food, good company, kind people, that’s enough.
Honesty
We don’t pretend to be something we’re not. This is a farmhouse renovated by two people learning as they go.
Community
The people around us, family, neighbours, friends made this place possible. We try to honor that by keeping the door open to anyone who wants to experience life here.
Slowness
The countryside teaches you to take your time. We want our guests to feel that too.
We want to create a space where you can breathe, reconnect,
and enjoy the kind of days that stay with you long after you leave.
