A private house in the Wadano forest, Hakuba.
One house in the Wadano forest of Hakuba, let to a single party of up to fourteen. The lifts of Happo-One are a minute away by car; Tokyo Heliport, a little over an hour by helicopter.
A house on the line between the village and the forest.
Vimana stands among the beech trees of the Wadano forest, at the edge of Hakuba village. The Happo-One lifts and the restaurant street are a minute away by car, or ten minutes on foot through the forest; a convenience store is a short walk away. The great room faces the trees through floor-to-ceiling glass. With the lifts a minute away and the village on foot, it is an easy place for three generations, or a group of friends, to gather and to come and go from all day.
There are two fireplaces: one in the great room and one in the games room.
The house at night
From the road, through the trees, the house shows as one long band of light: the great room, glazed on the forest side, with the fire lit. Stone at the base, dark timber above, a ceiling of cedar slats. Inside, 118 square metres under a ceiling of almost four metres, with room for fourteen.
The great room at night.
Six bedrooms, one house
Two master suites, three double rooms and a bunk room for four, each with its own bathroom. Three generations of one family, or friends taking all six rooms: everyone has a door of their own to close. A staff room takes a visiting chef or a nanny.
Master suite, forest side.
The bunk room for four.
The onsen bath, looking into the trees.
The onsen, the sauna, the ice
The 14-square-metre bath is natural hot-spring water, reserved for your party, with the forest through the glass. Beside it, a cedar sauna of five square metres, an ice bath of four, and a balcony off the sauna to stand on between the two. And a gym of 15.5 square metres: a multi-station machine, a treadmill, dumbbells and a bench.
The cedar sauna.
Your stay at Vimana
In the forest, a minute from the lifts
The house stands among the beech trees of Wadano at the foot of Happo-One. The lifts and the restaurant street of Happo are a minute away by car, ten minutes on foot through the forest.
Sushi from Roppongi, Tokyo, at your own counter
A sushi master comes from Roppongi, Tokyo, with the day's fish and serves at your counter. A Japanese-French chef comes up from Karuizawa; local cooking is delivered to the door. On other nights, our group's own restaurants in the valley are a complimentary transfer away. All on request; chefs are quoted separately.
For the days you don't ski
Snowshoes through the forest, snow in the garden for the children, a massage at the house, a photographer for the family. Farther afield, the snow monkeys of Jigokudani, the temple of Zenkoji and the castle at Matsumoto, with the tour arranged and a transfer to the station.
A concierge on call, in your language
No staff live in the house; that privacy is deliberate. Your concierge is a message away on WhatsApp, WeChat or LINE throughout your stay, and at the house promptly whenever you need us.
From Nagano Station to the door, and every local transfer included
Our car meets you at Nagano or Itoigawa Shinkansen station for the hour to the house. During your stay, every ground transfer is included: to any of the ten ski areas in the morning, back after the last run, and to the rental shop for fitting. Airport cars and helicopter charters can be arranged, quoted separately.
Room for three generations, and an onsen of your own
Two master suites, three double rooms and a bunk room for four, each with its own bathroom. And a 14-square-metre natural hot-spring bath reserved for your party alone, looking into the trees.
Sauna, ice bath, and the forest air between
A cedar sauna of five square metres, an ice bath of four, and a balcony off the sauna, facing the forest, to cool down on between the two.
Mahjong, billiards, and a second fire
On the lower floor, behind a wall of glass to the garden: a full-size billiards table, an automatic mahjong table and the house's second fireplace. For the evenings after dinner.
A private gym, whenever you want it
A private gym of 15.5 square metres: a multi-station machine, a treadmill, dumbbells and a bench.
Dinner at home
A sushi master from Edomae Hattori in Roppongi comes to the counter with the day's fish and serves the table piece by piece.
A chef from Karuizawa cooks a Japanese-French course dinner in the kitchen, with wine, sake or whisky pairings; local cooking can be delivered to the door.
Chefs are arranged on request and quoted separately. On other nights, our group's own restaurants are a complimentary transfer away: THE STELLE GRILL for wagyu, the dining room at our ryokan in Happo, and THE PAITAN ramen, which your party can have to itself.
The counter, before service.
Wadano, Hakuba
Vimana stands in the Wadano forest at the foot of Happo-One, the largest ski area in the valley and the venue of the 1998 Olympic downhill. The lifts and the restaurant street are a minute away by car, ten on foot through the trees. The heliport is five minutes on foot. The village, with its izakaya, bars and public baths, carries on just beyond the forest.
- Happo-One lifts
- 1 min by car, 10 min on foot
- Iwatake
- 5 min
- Goryu, Hakuba 47
- 13 min
- Tsugaike
- 13 min
- Cortina
- 25 min
- Heliport
- 5 min on foot
- Nagano Station, Shinkansen
- about an hour
- Itoigawa Station, Shinkansen
- a little over an hour
- Tokyo Heliport
- about 65 min by helicopter
- Narita
- about 80 min by helicopter
Rates
Vimana is let to one party at a time, for up to fourteen guests, always the whole house. Rates are per night for the house, tax included.
| period | per night | minimum stay |
|---|---|---|
| 1–19 December | ¥600,000 | 2 nights |
| 20 December – 11 February, including New Year and Lunar New Year | ¥1,300,000 | 3 nights |
| 12–28 February | ¥1,000,000 | 2 nights |
| 1–10 March | ¥800,000 | 2 nights |
| 11–31 March | ¥600,000 | 2 nights |
A deposit of 30% confirms the booking; the balance is due sixty days before arrival.
Payments are not refundable. Dates can be moved twice, without charge, to available dates in the same season.
Children count towards the fourteen; infants who do not need a bed do not. Transfers are included; private chefs and catering are quoted separately.
Questions
The house and the rooms
How many guests can stay?
Up to fourteen, children included, in six bedrooms, each with its own bathroom: two master bedrooms for two, three standard bedrooms for two, and a bunk room for four. A separate staff room takes one accompanying member of staff, such as a chef or a nanny. The house is never shared with another party.
How are the beds arranged?
Apart from the bunk room, each of the five bedrooms can be made up as twin or double; tell us your preference before arrival.
Do the bedrooms lock?
Yes. Every bedroom has a lock.
Are the bedrooms soundproofed?
Yes. The walls and doors are soundproofed, and the doors seal when the handle is turned.
How is the house heated?
Underfloor heating and air conditioning throughout, including every bedroom.
Is there parking?
Yes. Three spaces on the property with snow-melting, and up to five more with advance notice, eight in all.
Can we smoke indoors?
No. The house is non-smoking throughout.
Can we bring a pet?
No. Pets cannot be accommodated.
Is there Wi-Fi?
Yes, throughout the house.
Children and three generations
Is the house suitable for grandparents and small children?
The house is on more than one floor, connected by stairs with handrails; there is no lift. The bath, sauna and bedrooms are all part of one family house rather than a hotel, and the bunk room and garden suit children well. Infants who do not need a bed are not counted in the fourteen.
Can you provide baby cots?
Yes, at no charge: up to five cots, with mattresses and sheets.
Are there high chairs?
Yes, up to five.
Is there tableware for children?
Yes: plates, forks, spoons and cups for children.
Getting here
What transfers are included?
All ground transfers during your stay: from Nagano or Itoigawa Shinkansen stations, from any station in Hakuba, Otari or Omachi, and from the heliport five minutes away; to any of the valley's ten ski areas each morning and back after the last run; to the rental shop for fitting; and day trips to Nagano or Matsumoto stations.
How do we get there from Tokyo?
By Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagano in about an hour and a half, then about an hour by car with our driver, complimentary. By helicopter from Tokyo Heliport, a little over an hour, landing five minutes on foot from the house; charters are quoted separately.
How do we get there from Narita or Haneda?
We can arrange a chartered taxi straight from the airport to the house, quoted separately. Or take the Narita Express from Narita, or a train, limousine bus or taxi from Haneda, to Tokyo Station, then the Shinkansen to Nagano as above. From Narita, a helicopter of about eighty minutes can also be arranged.
How do we get there from Osaka?
The Thunderbird limited express to Tsuruga, about an hour and twenty minutes, then the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Itoigawa, about an hour and fifty minutes, where our car meets you for the hour to the house, complimentary.
Anything to know if we drive?
The road to the house is cleared, but winter roads in Hakuba freeze. Please come in a four-wheel-drive car on winter tyres. We can also arrange a rental car.
Skiing and days off
Can you arrange ski lessons, guides and equipment?
Yes: private instructors for the children, a guide for the powder, and rental with fitting at the shop and delivery to the house. We also book lift passes and restaurants, and arrange tuning, local onsen and shopping.
How does ski rental work?
We drive you to the rental shop, two minutes away, for fitting. Your equipment is then delivered to the house. At the end of your stay, leave it at the house and our staff collect it.
What does rental cost?
For standard models, roughly: skis, boots and poles ¥6,000 a day; snowboard and boots ¥6,000 a day; jacket and trousers ¥5,000 a day; helmet ¥1,500 a day. Clothing and gloves can also be bought at The North Face and Patagonia shops in the village.
What is there besides skiing?
Snowshoe walks through the forest, a tour to the snow monkeys bathing at Jigokudani, and visits to Zenkoji temple in Nagano and Matsumoto Castle, among others. Tell us what you would like and we will suggest more.
Dining
Are meals included?
No. The kitchen is yours to use. On request we arrange a visiting sushi master, a Japanese-French chef and local cooking delivered to the door, all quoted separately. On other nights, we drive you to our group's three restaurants, complimentary.
Tell us about the sushi.
The master of Edomae Hattori in Roppongi, Tokyo, brings fish from Toyosu market and serves sushi at Vimana's kitchen counter. Omakase only: ¥55,000 per person including tax and service, for ten guests or more, booked two weeks ahead. Smaller parties can be accommodated at the ten-guest price, for example eight guests for ¥550,000, with the fish adjusted accordingly. Wine, sake and whisky pairings are available.
Tell us about the Japanese-French dinner.
A chef from Karuizawa brings mainly Nagano produce and cooks a Japanese-French course dinner. Omakase only: ¥44,000 per person including tax and service, for ten guests or more, booked two weeks ahead. Smaller parties can be accommodated at the ten-guest price, for example eight guests for ¥440,000. Wine, sake and whisky pairings are available.
Tell us about the wagyu grill.
THE STELLE GRILL at Hotel Stelle Belle in Hakuba Goryu, part of our group, about fifteen minutes by car: a section of the dining room can be reserved for your party. Besides wagyu, we recommend the Tateshina beef steak chosen by our group's CEO, less fatty than wagyu and very juicy. Around ¥10,000 per person.
Tell us about the Japanese restaurant.
Hosono-kan, our sister ryokan in the centre of the Happo ryokan street, one minute by car: a section of the Japanese dining room can be reserved for your party, with creative Japanese cooking by the chef. Around ¥10,000 per person.
Tell us about the ramen restaurant.
THE PAITAN at Okanoue Hotel in Tsugaike, about fifteen minutes by car, can be hired for your party alone: well-regarded chicken paitan ramen, opened last year. Around ¥5,000 per person.
Can we bring our own wine?
Yes. There is an empty wine cellar for twenty to thirty bottles. You can also buy from our wine list and have the bottles placed in the cellar.
Can you cater for dietary requirements and allergies?
Please tell us in advance. THE STELLE GRILL and the Japanese dining room at Hosono-kan can prepare vegetarian menus. For the visiting chefs, sushi and Japanese-French, please ask us.
Concierge, housekeeping, medical care and privacy
Is there staff in the house?
No staff live in the house. Your concierge is a message away on WhatsApp, WeChat or LINE throughout your stay, and comes to the house promptly when you need us.
Which languages do you speak?
English, Japanese and Chinese.
Is the house cleaned during the stay?
Yes. As standard we suggest a linen change every three days, and we clean whenever you ask. Housekeeping is done between 10 am and 3 pm, at a time agreed with you in advance.
What about medical care?
An international clinic seven minutes away by car has English-speaking Japanese doctors.
How does check-in work?
Either our staff hand you the keys at the house, or we send you an electronic key code in advance. Documents required by law, such as passports, can be submitted beforehand by email or WhatsApp.
How are our documents handled?
They are kept in an internal system protected by two-factor authentication, and only managers and above can view them.
Booking, payment and check-in
How do we book, and what are the terms?
Write to us or message us on WhatsApp. A 30% deposit confirms the dates; the balance is due sixty days before arrival. Payments are not refundable, and dates can be moved twice without charge within the same season.
Can you hold dates for us?
Dates are secured on payment of the 30% deposit. If the balance is not paid sixty days before arrival, the booking is released and the deposit is not refunded.
How do we pay the deposit?
By credit card or international bank transfer, as you prefer.
How do we pay the balance?
By international bank transfer as a rule; if you would prefer another method, please ask.
What if we have to cancel, for illness for example?
The deposit is not refunded, but depending on the circumstances we can discuss a discount on the following year's rate.
Can you invoice a company?
Yes.
Are there taxes on top of the rate?
No. Consumption tax, onsen bathing tax and accommodation tax are all included.
What are check-in and check-out times?
Check-in from 3 pm to 10 pm, check-out from 7 am to 10 am. We can often be flexible; ask us.
Can you hold our luggage before check-in?
Yes. We can also receive luggage sent ahead.
Enquire
Write to us, or send a message on WhatsApp, WeChat or LINE. We reply within a day, in English, Japanese or Chinese.
Opening September 2026