Name: Shishi Iwa House
Address: 2147-768 Nagakura, Karuizawa 389-0111, Karuizawa, Karuizawa, Karuizawa, 389-0111, Japan
Rating: 10

Air conditioning

Terrace

General

Non-smoking rooms

Family room

Rooms

Meals

Parking

Parking nearby

Location

At the hotel

Matsumoto Airport

Shishi Iwa House

I feel fortunate to have found ShiShi Iwa house.  It’s even more beautiful and serene than it looks online.  Every inch of the hotel is crafted in a way that enhances the guests’ experience and cleverly incorporates nature and sustainability.  

The beauty of the architecture was matched by the wonderful service.  No wonder this relatively new property already has a Michelin Key.  Junko, in guest relations, was extraordinary before and during our stay.  Providing excellent advice and awesome service.

Karuizawa is a stunning area, with lovely onsens, and pristine trekking.  Junko was brilliant at helping us enjoy all that Karuizawa has to offer.

With stunning architecture by Shigeru Ban (who designed House 1 and 2), this stylish small hotel has interesting spaces filled with contemporary art. My family took 3 rooms in Villa A of House 2 which gave us a private kitchenette and small seating area, with access to a beautiful communal room and library. It's a couple of minutes' walk to House 1 with the gorgeous restaurant that merges the indoor with outdoor. The restaurant offers a good breakfast and a la carte lunches/dinners. We chose the omakase dinner one evening and it was creative and excellent. The staff members are fantastic - friendly and helpful, especially the knowledgeable and wonderful General Manager Ogihara-san who went out of his way to personally take us to the oldest ramen restaurant in Karuizawa and the volcano park. We enjoyed our stay very much. The hotel recently added House 3 which is also stunning. There's quite a bit to do in the area - hikes, waterfall, onsen etc., so we are already planning our next trip.  A great escape in the summer from the blazing heat of Tokyo, and I hear it's amazing in the snowy winter too. 

We stayed 3 nights here and wished it was more...It's a small hotel, can be reaches by bus from Karuizawa or Karuizawa Naka train stations or a quick ride by taxi. We did walk a few times to Naka Karuizawa station, it's a lovely walk....
The room is not big but very cosy and comfortable. There is kitchenette which is sharable with other guest. Local coffee and teas provided, simple meals can be cooked if desired. 
The hotel's staff is very professional and pro-active. All inquiries prior trip were answered. One afternoon they asked us if we had plans for dinner and we just said maybe we will go out, maybe not... 10 min later we got Ipad offered with their suggestions for dining in case we were interested....Reservations were made and we really enjoyed dinner place they recommended.... As well they gave us some tips for our day trip to Nagano and that did not disappointed us either...
The breakfast was delicious. We tried both western and japanese style breakfast and both were delicious including breads from local bakery, coffee from local roastery...
We travel to Japan once a year and I must say this place gave me: wow feeling in all aspects. If you like small hotels, fine with less amenities then you will enjoy this place!
Dreaming of going back....

We stayed for a night in Shishi-Iwa House.  The architecture designed by Shigeru Ban is simply beautiful.  We loved all the wood and the curves of the design make the rooms so stylish.  You can feel the details in everything, from the selection of art, furniture, lights and space down to the tableware.  The flowers in every room were beautiful, too.  We felt as though we were staying in a museum, yet the place is extremely relaxing and comfortable.  The breakfast was the best continental breakfast we have ever had.  The blueberries and melon were so ripe and sweet!  The staff were friendly and professional making sure that guests enjoyed everything about their experience. We would love to return.

Karuizawa

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sauna

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safe

mini-bar

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park access

Absolute serenity

A unique and stunning retreat

Perfect!

Museum like experience

Breakfast included

Free Internet

Transfer

Suitable for children

Swimming Pool

Fitness centre

Bar or restaurant

For guests with disabilities

Conference hall

Spa Services

Ski slope nearby

Beach nearby

Air-conditioning

Pets allowed

Jacuzzi

Private Bathroom

Kitchen

Balcony

View from the window

Smoking allowed

Electric car charging

Shishi Iwa House

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