Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Japan / Karuizawa / Shishi-Iwa House
Shishi-Iwa House
Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan · Independent · High Luxury
Pritzker laureates Shigeru Ban and Ryue Nishizawa built their first hotels here: three houses, thirty-four rooms, Ban's paper tubes, Nishizawa's charred cedar, hinoki inside. The houses opened in the forest at Nagakura, Karuizawa, in 2018. Shigeru Ban designed SSH No.01 and No.02 and Ryue Nishizawa No.03, with art inside each house and the Nagakura forest outside.
- 34 rooms
- Opened 2018
- Neighborhood: Nagakura / Karuizawa
- Architect: Shigeru Ban (SSH No.01 and SSH No.02); Ryue Nishizawa (SSH No.03)
About Shishi-Iwa House
- SSH No.01 and No.02 are Ban; SSH No.03 is Nishizawa. Art in the houses, forest outside.
- The three houses stand in the forest at Nagakura, Karuizawa, Nagano, with art indoors and trees outside.
History
Opened 2018 as three buildings: Shigeru Ban on SSH No.01 and No.02, Ryue Nishizawa on SSH No.03. About 34 rooms. Paper tubes, charred cedar, hinoki interiors.
The setting
In Nagakura, Karuizawa, Nagano, three forest houses by Shigeru Ban and Ryue Nishizawa.
Restaurants and bars
- SHOLA — Restaurant
Experiences
- Culinary Retreat / Chef's Retreat — Culinary retreats for top chefs at Shishi-Iwa House, reported in 2023, 2024 and 2025 press.
- Kintsugi experience — An exclusive Kintsugi experience described as both artistic and philosophical.
- Retreat dinner at SHOLA — Retreat dinner at SHOLA featuring seasonal vegetables from Nagano.
Amenities
- Shola (Contemporary Japanese-French fine dining)
- The Wine & Whisky Bar and Forest Terrace
- Hinoki wood bathhouse and shiatsu massage
- Art and architecture library with a private collection
- Teahouse and Ochanoma Lounges for tea rituals
- Bespoke nature trekking and forest bathing programs
Awards
- MICHELIN One Key (2026)
Open Shishi-Iwa House in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
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