Nagano is just a 90-minute shinkansen ride from central Tokyo, but for chefs in search of some of Japan’s freshest ingredients, the mountainous prefecture might as well be a world away from the concrete jungle of the country’s capital.
Since 2023, Shishi-Iwa House, a hotel located in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, and chef Masashi Okamoto have invited gourmands from around Asia and beyond to tour the region’s natural bounty while staying in villas designed by renowned architect Shigeru Ban.
As the tour’s name implies, Shishi-Iwa House’s Chef’s Retreat is a three-night, four-day excursion across Nagano Prefecture, with visits to organic farms and wild mushroom foraging capped by a communal meal cooked by the chefs-turned-tourists themselves.
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