The road leading up to Ventinove is neither arduous nor particularly scenic. Climbing steadily from the western fringe of the Kanto Plain, you make your way through tidy, prosperous rural communities in the foothills of the mountains of central Gunma Prefecture until you arrive at Kawaba Village on the southern slope of Mount Hotaka. When you finally see woodlands, you know you’re really close.
The upland air is clear and chilly as you step from your car. Sunlight filters through a sylvan canopy of leaves. The sound of rushing water reaches your ears, nearby but out of sight. And there, tucked away behind the historic Tsuchida sake brewery and overlooking a watercourse that feeds into the mighty Tone River, stands a low-slung building incongruous with its sleek, angular architecture: Ventinove, destination restaurant par excellence.
Ventinove is not a large operation — it has just two tables for four people plus a private room seating eight — but the dining room is enviably spacious, with huge, floor-to-ceiling picture windows that frame the changing scenery and seasons. It also still feels very new.
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