Following last year’s opening of the “Old Chusha Public Hall” in Togakushi, a place with 2,000 years of history, the “Thatched House” will open as a guesthouse for rent. At “Thatched House,” which will serve as a new base for sightseeing in Nagano, including Zenkoji Temple and Obuse, as well as visits to Togakushi Shrine, guests will enjoy a new type of French cuisine centered on “Togakushi spring water” created by a chef who has honed his skills at Michelin-starred restaurants.
Togakushi, the land of awaii
Togakushi is a 40-minute drive from Nagano Station and 30 minutes from Zenkoji Temple. Togakushi is a sacred place of nature worship with a 2,000-year history. Togakushi is a place where people and nature coexist in harmony.
Its majestic nature is designated as a national park, and its historical townscape is designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. Togakushi Shrine is famous throughout the country, and Kutouryujin, the god of water, is also enshrined here.
awai Togakushi - A Fusion of Climate, Space and Food
Two vacant houses in the villages of “Naka-sha” and “Ho-ko-sha”, two of the five shrines of Togakushi Shrine, were revitalized as a restaurant and hotel guest rooms (3 rooms). We carefully deciphered the story of the original architecture and aimed to create a minimalist, noiseless space while preserving the traces carved over time.
Old Chinese Community Hall
Thatched house (scheduled to open April 20, 2024)
Original French cuisine using local vegetables and ingredients from Shinshu, centered on Togakushi spring water.
This pure spring water is the origin of the Togakushi faith. The water produced by the mountains at an elevation of over 1,200 meters has no peculiarities, is very soft, and brings out the potential of all ingredients. The water is also used to produce carefully selected Shinshu ingredients such as Togakushi vegetables, river fish, and wild game grown in an environment with a large difference in temperature.
We have stripped away the elements and kept things carefully simple so that you can enjoy the taste of the water and ingredients themselves. We prepare dishes that are gentle to the body and soul.
Opening the mind and body in the land of awai
At awai Togakushi, we shine a light on resources that are unique to Togakushi, carefully decipher them from a new perspective, and strip them down to the bare essentials to bring out the intrinsic appeal of the materials themselves. We create an environment that allows our guests to open their minds and bodies and feel “Togakushi”.
