Amid the COVID-19 pandemic: A lodging in the remote Akiyamago region, housed in a renovated school with 108 years of history

Hello. This is Watanabe from Katakuri House in Ketto, Akiyamago Onsen. I’d like to introduce “Katakuri House,” an accommodation facility we’ve created by renovating a 108-year-old defunct school in Ketto—a hidden gem in the Echigo-Tsumari region where we work.

“Katakuri House” is located on the border of Niigata Prefecture and Nagano Prefecture, within “Akiyamago”—a region selected as one of Japan’s Top 100 Hidden Gems—and was reborn as a lodging facility in 1993 after the “Tsunan Town Nakatsusa Elementary School” closed. The former principal’s office has been transformed into a hot spring bath, and the classrooms where children once studied have become guest rooms.

“Akiyamago” is a mountainous region so deeply hidden in the mountains that it is often called a “hidden paradise”; it is a mountainous area where traditional ways of life still persist and where black bear hunting takes place every spring. However, precisely because the school was located in such a remote mountainous area, it appears there were times when its operation faced significant challenges.

Because “Akiyamago” was such a remote area, it was designated as an “area exempt from compulsory education” for 43 years, from Meiji 25 to Shōwa 11. Throughout those 43 years, while the local residents continued to demand the full implementation of compulsory education from the government, they established a private elementary school and provided their children with a terakoya-style education.

Precisely because the school has such a challenging history, the local community’s attachment to it runs deep. Even after it closed, there was a strong desire to repurpose the school building, leading to its transformation into a lodging facility.

“Katakuri House” is a small inn with only seven rooms, built against this backdrop.

The region where we live is blessed with abundant natural bounty, and at our inn, we serve wholesome dishes made with an abundance of local wild mountain vegetables and produce. The wild mountain vegetables grown in this area—one of the world’s snowiest regions—are tender, while the vegetables and rice cultivated in our fertile soil have a robust flavor.

We strive to create dishes that bring out the true power and flavor of these wonderful ingredients to the fullest, carefully balancing taste, color, and nutrition.Furthermore, while incorporating the traditional food culture unique to snowy regions, we prepare our dishes using our own original cooking methods, taking as much time and care as possible.

We adorn the table with seasonal flowers and herbs picked from the wild mountains surrounding the inn, and we hope to serve each dish with heartfelt care so that you can fully enjoy your precious meal.

The global spread of the novel coronavirus began early this year. While tourist destinations all over the world—and throughout Japan—are currently facing the same situation, we, too, have been severely impacted by this pandemic.

Normally, we plan to open for business in late April, starting with the Golden Week holiday. However, just as we were about to begin preparations for this season’s opening, the Tokyo Olympics were postponed, and before we knew it, a state of emergency was declared in seven prefectures. Consequently, on April 10, we decided to postpone the start of this season’s operations.

Until we were finally able to open in June, we spent our days in a state of anxiety, wondering what the future held. For people like us who make our living from tourism, I must admit we honestly had absolutely no idea how to deal with this coronavirus.

Until now, the guests who visited “Akiyamago” were primarily people living in urban areas, and recently, the number of international visitors had been gradually increasing as well.

Then came the coronavirus amid all of this. It felt as though everything we had built up over the years had been completely negated, and that everything was crumbling around us.

Finally, June arrived, and we were able to welcome guests again. I remember that when I served guests for the first time in a long while, a warm, strange feeling—one I had never experienced before—welled up inside me.

It’s still impossible to predict how the social situation will unfold from here on out. I imagine there will be many situations where things won’t go as smoothly as they did before. Amidst all this, I believe the only thing we can do is something very simple: to ensure that every single guest who goes out of their way to choose “Katakuri House” during these difficult times has a truly satisfying experience. And I hope that through our service, we can offer even a little relief to everyone whose spirits have been worn down by this coronavirus pandemic.

These are uncertain times, but we’ll do our best to stay positive and hope to be of some help to you. Please come visit Akiyamago and let the great outdoors soothe your soul.

Akiyamago Ketto Onsen Katakuri House—Yasunari Watanabe