Bringing new life to old homes, and communities

Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture is known for its castle, a national treasure, in the city’s center. It also boasts a proud history, unique culture and direct access to Tokyo by train. For those reasons, Matsumoto’s population of 240,000 includes many who have moved from elsewhere, and it attracts many tourists. Tadamasa Saito, who was born and bred in the city, is the current leader of Tobira Holdings, which has been in the lodging business for four generations. The company’s interests in Matsumoto now span restaurants and hotels, including the long-established inn Myojinkan, which has been in business for 90 years.

For several years now Saito has overseen a project to painstakingly renovate Matsumoto’s historic houses and transform them into hotels. The project, which can involve entire local communities, represents a new approach to tourism.

Satoyama Villa Den was opened in 2019 in a renovated property that includes a 190-year-old storehouse. Set in peaceful countryside overlooking the Northern Alps, the hotel takes about 15 minutes to reach from Matsumoto by car. Its concept is “Sense of Place,” and it is designed to give visitors a taste of traditional country life. The property even includes fields where guests can experience farming. “Hotels used to offer experiences that were out of the ordinary,” Saito said. “Now values and travel styles have diversified, and so here we offer the chance to leave your usual routine behind and experience the local routine here.”

Another of Saito’s inns is Satoyama Villa Honjin, in a renovated early 20th-century re-creation of a villa called Honjin where the feudal lord of the Matsumoto domain and shogunate officials stayed during trips between Matsumoto and Edo (now Tokyo). The original building burned down in 1891. On the 2,340-sq.-meter site there is the main building, a storehouse and a separate residence — all built to the luxurious specifications of feudal lords. However, the property had been left vacant for many years and its survival was in danger. Saito engaged experienced local carpenters to do the renovation, making sure the original shape of the building was retained. No more insulation was added than was absolutely necessary. “We can take the edge off the cold with heaters. Besides, if you wear a traditional winter coat indoors, then you’ll get a more genuine sensation of the Shinshu winter,” he said, using an old name for Nagano. “These are the kinds of things the guests can only experience in an old house, so we want them to experience it to the full.”

One important aspect of Saito’s thinking is that he sees himself only as the current caretaker of the houses. In Japan, there is a teaching that there is a god in all objects — and it often feels like these old houses have guardian deities looking over them.

“The first time I worked on the restoration of an old country house was in 2007. It was a historic building near Matsumoto Castle, and I renovated it and started Restaurant Hikariya there,” he said. “After about a year, I realized that the building still seemed somewhat aloof, and that’s when I realized that the houses really belong to the land itself, and the land is just letting us borrow them for a while. Since then, we and all the staff started taking time once a month to express our thanks to the building.”

And so these old houses have been nurtured by the land that is Matsumoto. That probably explains the urge to return the profits from the inns back to the local communities. Almost all ingredients used at the inns are procured from local farmers. “Myojinkan is a member of the Relais & Chateaux brand,” Saito said, “and one of the core beliefs of Relais & Chateaux is to ‘show a sincere attitude toward producers.’ Produce must be procured at fair prices, and a healthy relationship with producers nurtured. This has always been important to us.”