A mid-century gem built in 1968 by an acclaimed Japanese architect as his personal retreat. The charming house is perfectly preserved, and features a large fireplace and tatami bedroom with windows looking out into the forest. A private sauna house was recently added in the forest behind the home, with a changing room, Finnish sauna and a rooftop hinoki bath perched among the tree tops. This property is ideal for romantic getaways, creative weekends or family excursions in nature.

Tatehata House was conceived in the late 1960s by Tatehata Yoshikado, a prominent architect of the time. His vision was for a simple modernist cabin offering elegant essentials for peaceful weekends away within nature.

Built into a small hill, the home was designed with three overlapping levels, all with large windows opening out into the forest. Ceilings, cabinets and details are mostly done in teak. The home features elements of both traditional Japanese architecture and mid-century modernism.

The house is compact (50 square meters). It's perfect for a couple but a little tight for groups of three or four.

"Shinkenchiku of 1968"

The villa was featured in the 1968 edition of "Shinkenchiku" (a leading Japanese architecture magazine) and it has been carefully preserved for over half a century. Many of the building's original period details and fittings are intact.

Tatehata-san also designed nearby homes for many of Japanese leading mid-century cultural figures, including Nobel Prize-winning author Kenzaburo Oe and legendary actress Kyoko Kishida.

Private Sauna & Bathhouse

Follow the path behind the house and you'll find a private sauna house.

The first floor features the changing room and sauna, while the second floors steps out onto a hardwood deck with an open-air waterfall shower and handmade Hinoki bath.

The sauna room is enveloped in Kiso Hinoki wood. The Harvia heater was imported from Finland. The windows look out onto the forest.

Hinoki Bath Overlooking the Forest

On the second-floor deck, there's a spacious Hinoki bath that can be used as either a cold plunge or a hot bath. Adjust the temperature to your liking and relax amidst the trees. The bath comfortably fits at least two.

In Kita-Karuizawa, even during summer, the average tap water temperature is around 12°C (54°F) or below — perfect for post-sauna ice baths.

In mid-winter, you'll be surrounded by snowy scenery.

The house has a compact, charming kitchen. Stock up on Nagano's famed produce and cook yourself unhurried meals. The custom-made Itaya maple dining table seats four.

While the kitchen is compact, it's equipped with high-quality cooking tools for mindful living: ambai stainless pots, Shizu Hamono knives and iittala cutlery, etc.

A Weber grill is also available for rent, should you care to enjoy an outdoor BBQ during your stay (BBQ must be reserved prior to arrival).

Secluded Writing Retreat

The quiet environment is perfect for focused creative work or writing. Take rejuvenating breaks in the sauna and open-air bath for a dreamy workcation. The home also has high-speed internet.

Living room

Digital Detox in Seclusion
Turn off your phone and indulge in a digital detox. The home's midcentury design and vintage materials feel almost antithetical to screen culture. Bring all those books you've been aspiring to read.

Forest Bathing While You Sleep
The bedroom features a large window with a view of the forest. Wake up surrounded by the gentle rustling of leaves and chirping birds, as the morning sun streams into your bedroom.

Fireplace option
The second-floor living room is equipped with a large custom-made fireplace, original to the home's 1960s design. If you would like to use the fireplace, please contact us to reserve it at least two days before your arrival, so that our caretaker can prepare it for you (we charge 3300 yen for the wood and cleaning). It can be used only in winter months (December to February).

A Villa Community for Cultural Figures
Tatehata House is located in Daigakumura, a historic villa community established in 1927 by the president of Hosei University, who subdivided a large piece of land for scholars, literary figures, and artists to build getaways. The community cultivated a salon-like mountain villa culture while preserving the natural environment. Building regulations, including restrictions on fencing and building colors, ensured harmony with nature.

Today, the community is a peaceful relic that stimulates the imagination. Many cultural figures, including the great poet Shuntaro Tanikawa and Nobel laureate Kenzaburo Oe, had homes in the area and wrote some of their greatest works here here.

About Kita-Karuizawa
Kita-Karuizawa is cooler and less humid than Karuizawa proper - a summer retreat where air conditioning is unnecessary. Some of the nearby landscape resembles Hokkaido, with vast pastures and corn fields.

Consider traveling via Karuizawa on your way in — to do your shopping — and returning through Kusatsu Onsen to enjoy its massive hot spring baths.

Access & Nearby Attractions:

• - 30 minutes by car from central Karuizawa and Kusatsu Onsen

• - Direct bus service from Shibuya Station (15-minute walk from the bus stop)

• - 20 minutes by car to Harunire Terrace, Tombo-no-Yu, and Naka-Karuizawa

• - 15 minutes by car to Tsumagoi's vast cabbage fields

• - 45 minutes by car to Manza Onsen, famous for its scenic views and milky white hot springs

• - Convenient base for winter skiing