A small private retreat, within the walls of a real Japanese storehouse.
On the Kiroku grounds in Minamiuonuma, two adjoining historic storehouses have become compact private cottages. Each offers 63 m² over two floors for up to four guests and is booked separately from the other and the main house. With a rental car, make Kura your base for the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, village discoveries and Niigata’s ski resorts.
No transfers or included car-and-driver service. For art and ski outings, we recommend a prebooked rental car; winter visitors should be confident driving in snow.
Art & ski days from Kura
Explore Niigata by day. Come home to your own storehouse.
With a rental car, Kura is a quiet base for the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale and the ski resorts around Echigo-Yuzawa and Minamiuonuma. Spend the day among artworks, villages or snowy slopes, then return to your private bath, comfortable bedding and the support of Satoyama Jujo’s concierge.
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale
Discover the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field, home to the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, where contemporary art meets rice terraces and rural life. Drive across the mountains to Kiyotsu Gorge’s Tunnel of Light by Ma Yansong / MAD Architects, explore Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET in Tokamachi, or visit James Turrell’s House of Light. The artworks are spread across a wide area; a car lets you build a day around the places that interest you.
Approximate drive from Kura: Kiyotsu Gorge 30 minutes; MonET 35 minutes; House of Light 45 minutes. Allow more time for traffic and winter conditions.
Skiing around Echigo-Yuzawa
Make Kura your private retreat for skiing and snowboarding in Niigata. Maiko Snow Resort is about 5 km away, Ishiuchi Maruyama about 8 km and GALA Yuzawa about 11 km; Joetsu Kokusai Ski Resort is another nearby option. With your own car, you can choose a resort to suit your group and the day’s conditions, then return to the calm of a traditional Japanese storehouse.
Selected art venues welcome visitors between triennale editions, but opening days, reservations and winter access vary. Ski operations depend on snow and weather. Check current information before setting out.
Small windows. Thick earthen walls. History you can feel around you.
A kura is a traditional Japanese storehouse, built to protect a household’s valued belongings. Its thick earthen walls and small windows are part of that original purpose. Here, you stay within the retained walls of an actual historic storehouse, rather than a new building with a storehouse-inspired exterior. Enlarging the windows would mean breaking through the original earthen walls and compromising the historic structure we set out to preserve. We have kept the small openings: expect soft shadows, a sheltered atmosphere and a sense of enclosure, with limited daylight and views.
Before you book
Is a storehouse stay your kind of escape?
Stay in a real historic storehouse, with 63 m² arranged over two floors. Please check the windows, facilities and transport options before choosing your stay.
Space & layout
Kura 01 and Kura 02 are two adjoining accommodations, each reserved exclusively for one group. Each has 63 m² over two floors, with an upstairs bedroom, a private bathroom, a dining area and a small kitchenette. They are compact retreats, not detached cottages set apart from one another. Each sleeps up to four, with four single mattresses side by side upstairs. The sleeping area is best for a family or close friends; four adults may find it cramped.
Windows & light
The original windows are small, so daylight and outward views are limited. Kura 01 has a white-toned interior; Kura 02 has darker finishes and a more intimate mood. Browse the photographs before choosing. For larger windows and garden views, consider the main house, Kiroku.
Getting around
A rental car gives you the freedom to explore the art sites and ski resorts. Kura 01 and Kura 02 have no transfer service or included private car and driver. Arrange your own transport; our concierge can help book taxis at your expense. See the driving guide below for pickup and winter advice.
No hot spring or sauna
Each Kura has a private indoor bath with regular water, not natural hot spring water. Neither cottage has a sauna, and Kiroku’s sauna and barbecue facilities are not available to Kura guests. Guests travelling in their own car may use the shared hot spring baths at Satoyama Jujo during their stay; no bathing transfers are provided. Hotel-quality bedding, amenities and concierge support are included.
A former storehouse sitting room. 63 m² over two floors, privately yours for up to four.
Introduction
White-toned walls, with the character of a former sitting room.
Kura 01 preserves a former storehouse sitting room within a compact, two-floor private cottage. White-toned finishes soften the interior, while the original small windows keep its sheltered character. Downstairs are a small sitting room, hinoki cypress bath, dining table for four and kitchenette. Upstairs, four single mattresses sit side by side on a raised tatami platform in the combined bedroom and living space. Kura 01 adjoins Kura 02 and is booked separately from it and the main house, Kiroku. No transfers or included car-and-driver service are available. Kiroku’s sauna and barbecue facilities are not available to Kura guests. The sleeping area is compact, best for families or close friends. Four adults may find it cramped.
At a Glance
Layout
Capacity
Up to 4 guests: four single mattresses, each 100 cm (39 in) wide, arranged together on a raised tatami platform upstairs.
Floor Area
63 m²
Furniture
NORTH Lounge Chair, NORTH ottoman and EURO ST side table by Hisao Hara (SIKI); PITA Chair by Tatsuya Hori (SIKI); KAISER idell by Christian Dell (Fritz Hansen); J1 by Isamu Noguchi (Akari); MS011 by Mette Schelde (Fritz Hansen).
Toilet
1 on the lower floor, with a bidet function.
Baths
Indoor bath with shower; regular water, not natural hot spring water.
Kitchen
A kitchenette with one induction cooking zone, a small sink, basic utensils and tableware, for simple meal preparation. Seasonings are not provided.
Hotel Comforts & Amenities
Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand soap, makeup remover, toner, moisturiser, toothbrushes, cotton pads and cotton buds, hand and bath towels, loungewear and slippers. To reduce disposable plastic, hairbrushes, hair ties and razors are not supplied. Please bring your own.
Equipment
Humidifying air purifier; heating and air conditioning; kitchen appliances and utensils; tablet; hairdryer; towel warmer; safe; Bluetooth speaker; torch; nail clippers and umbrellas.
A storehouse for family treasures. 63 m² over two floors, privately yours for up to four.
Introduction
A dark, quiet interior with space to sit and unwind.
Once used to keep the family’s treasures, Kura 02 has a dark, intimate interior. Small windows and deep shadows are part of its appeal. From the entrance you can look towards Kiroku Shrine’s main hall. Kura 02 adjoins Kura 01; each is booked separately. Its 63 m², two-floor layout matches Kura 01: a sitting room, hinoki cypress bath, dining table for four and kitchenette downstairs, with four single mattresses on a raised tatami platform in the combined bedroom and living area upstairs. No transfers or included car-and-driver service are available. The sauna and barbecue facilities at the main house, Kiroku, are not available to Kura guests. The sleeping area is compact, best for families or close friends. Four adults may find it cramped.
At a Glance
Layout
Capacity
Up to 4 guests: four single mattresses, each 100 cm (39 in) wide, arranged together on a raised tatami platform upstairs.
Floor Area
63 m²
Furniture
NORTH Lounge Chair, NORTH ottoman and EURO ST side table by Hisao Hara (SIKI); PITA Chair by Tatsuya Hori (SIKI); KAISER idell by Christian Dell (Fritz Hansen); J1 by Isamu Noguchi (Akari); MS011 by Mette Schelde (Fritz Hansen).
Toilet
1 on the lower floor, with a bidet function.
Baths
Indoor bath with shower; regular water, not natural hot spring water.
Kitchen
A kitchenette with one induction cooking zone, a small sink, basic utensils and tableware, for simple meal preparation. Seasonings are not provided.
Hotel Comforts & Amenities
Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand soap, makeup remover, toner, moisturiser, toothbrushes, cotton pads and cotton buds, hand and bath towels, loungewear and slippers. To reduce disposable plastic, hairbrushes, hair ties and razors are not supplied. Please bring your own.
Equipment
Humidifying air purifier; heating and air conditioning; kitchen appliances and utensils; tablet; hairdryer; towel warmer; safe; Bluetooth speaker; torch; nail clippers and umbrellas.
Dining at Kura
Meal plans can include a Satoyama Jujo hot pot and a regional Japanese breakfast. Local hosts help set up hot-pot dinners; you finish cooking at the table. Check the meals included in your chosen plan and arrange them in advance. The kitchenette is designed for simple preparation. Our concierge can also help you find local places to eat.
Getting here & driving
Arrive by bullet train. Explore by rental car.
431 Okiroku, Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan. From Tokyo, the Joetsu Shinkansen reaches Echigo-Yuzawa in as little as 75 minutes. Pick up a rental car near the station, then drive around 18–20 minutes to Kura. If you are arriving via the Kan-Etsu Expressway, the Shiozawa-Ishiuchi exit is about eight minutes away. Times vary with traffic and winter conditions.
1. Reserve a car at Echigo-Yuzawa
Take the Joetsu Shinkansen from Tokyo, then collect a prebooked rental car near Echigo-Yuzawa Station in Niigata Prefecture. Toyota Rent a Car and Nippon Rent-A-Car have local offices. Match pickup and return times to your trains and the office’s opening hours. Reserve enough space for luggage and ski equipment, and request English-language navigation and child seats if needed.
2. Prepare your driving documents before you travel
Check the requirements for the country or region that issued your licence with the rental company before booking. Many visitors need a valid International Driving Permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention, obtained before departure; some licences are accepted with an authorised Japanese translation instead. Bring your passport, original licence and the required original permit or translation.
3. Drive to Kura and explore at your own pace
Allow around 18–20 minutes from Echigo-Yuzawa Station to the Kiroku grounds, where Kura 01 and Kura 02 are located. Save the address and arrival instructions before leaving the station. Japan drives on the left; village roads can be narrow. Our English-speaking concierge can help you plan an art route or choose a ski resort. Please arrange your own transport throughout your stay.
Car rental, fuel, tolls and parking charges are paid separately from your stay. Kura 01 and Kura 02 have no transfer service and do not include a private car and driver. Taxi arrangements are subject to availability.
Check-in from 3:00 pm; check-out by 11:00 am. Self-check-in instructions are sent in advance. There is no staffed reception on site.
Housekeeping and towel changes are provided during multi-night stays. Cots, cribs and dedicated bedding for babies or infants are not provided. Please discuss your family’s sleeping arrangements with us before booking.
Our front desk is available from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm, Japan time. Our concierge can help in English and Japanese. The houses do not have a staffed reception on site; arrival instructions are provided in advance.
