Fifteen villas in the forest near Hanazono, each with its own indoor and outdoor hot spring bath, and a northern take on kaiseki.
Zaborin is the quiet answer to Niseko’s ski-town buzz. Its 15 villas sit apart in the woods, and each has two private baths, one indoors and one outside, filled with volcanic spring water that flows up from beneath the ryokan. In deep winter you sit in hot water with snow banked around you and hear nothing at all.
The design, by architect Makoto Nakayama, is spare and modern, with a library, a fireside living room and a tea room to fill the hours between meals. Dinner is Kita kaiseki from chef Yoshihiro Seno, a Hokkaido take on the Kyoto format. Stay four nights or more and one evening is robatayaki at the irori hearth.
It works for skiers who want to come home to silence: Hanazono’s slopes are about seven minutes away by car. It is two hours by road from New Chitose Airport, which is a long transfer after a flight from London. There are no bars or restaurants to walk to, so anyone who wants après-ski nightlife should stay in Hirafu instead.
A villa with Japanese sleeping on futons over tatami, plus private indoor and outdoor hot spring baths and forest views.
A villa with Western beds, with the same private indoor and outdoor hot spring baths and open views.
Some villas add a 12-square-metre tatami room, which suits a small family travelling together.
Breakfast and dinner are included. Dinner is Kita kaiseki, chef Yoshihiro Seno’s northern reading of Kyoto kaiseki, built on Hokkaido produce and changing with the season. Breakfast is Japanese or Western, the Japanese set with local Ginzan rice, grilled fish and homemade tofu.
Every villa has private indoor and outdoor baths fed by the ryokan’s own volcanic spring. There is also a footbath, a massage room, a tea room and a library.
Some villas have an extra tatami room for small families. Ask us about the current policy for younger children.
| Villas | 15, each with private indoor and outdoor onsen |
|---|---|
| Getting there | About 2 hours by car from New Chitose Airport |
| By train | Complimentary transfers from Kutchan Station, 15 minutes away, on request |
| Ski area | About 7 minutes by car to Hanazono |
| Meal plan | Breakfast and dinner included |
Hanazono, Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan
A few of the things we plan for guests in Japan.
Kyoto has hundreds of temples, so choose a few and go early. Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji and its rock garden sit together in the northwest; Ginkaku-ji and the Philosopher’s Path in the east. In the evening, walk the lanes of Gion and Pontocho. A private guide for one day repays itself in context and in avoided queues.
A ryokan is a traditional inn: tatami rooms, a multi-course kaiseki dinner in your yukata and a hot-spring bath before bed. Hakone, 90 minutes from Tokyo, has a good choice, with Mount Fuji views on clear winter mornings. Choose a room with a private outdoor bath if you are shy of communal bathing. One or two nights is plenty.
Tokyo is a city of villages. Spend a morning in Asakusa around Senso-ji, an afternoon in the backstreets of Yanaka, and an evening in the tiny bars of Shibuya or Golden Gai. Tsukiji outer market is best for breakfast. A food guide for the first night helps with menus and seating etiquette.
Four nights high above Tokyo, two in a ryokan in the Hakone hills with its own hot spring baths, then four on the river in Arashiyama for Kyoto. Your luggage goes ahead by courier, so every train is easy.
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We will check availability, suggest the right room and send a price.
