dining
enjoy fully organic meals
where the focus is on letting the natural ingredients speak for themselves.
One of the 10 stories we aim to conceptually communicate at Satoyama Jujo is food, as it is central to the experience of staying here and discovering what Minami-uonuma has to offer. Our restaurant, Sanaburi, showcases the seasonal mountain vegetables of the region while striving to keep alive traditional food preservation methods unique to Japan’s snow country. Enjoy fully organic meals where the focus is on letting the natural ingredients speak for themselves.
At Satoyama Jujo, we strive to offer a totally unique and unprecedented approach to Japanese food. We call this “all-natural Japanese cuisine.” Instead of the rich broths and seasonings associated with typical Japanese food, we emphasize the naturally occurring flavors of fresh, local ingredients. We use only organic ingredients, with no artificial additives. After the spring thaw, the staff head into the mountains en masse to collect a stunningly wide variety of vegetables, including wild ferns and butterbur shoots. Some of the harvest is served fresh, and some is preserved using traditional methods to be used in the winter. Another unique aspect of our meals is that we serve rice as the main dish. Minami-uonuma is known throughout Japan for growing the best Koshihikari brand rice, much like the Romanée-Conti region of France produces the best wines, so it is only fitting that our meals conclude with the finest rice you will find in Japan.
The unique culinary creations at Satoyama Jujo are born from the collaboration of our two Food Creators, both of whom bring different approaches and skill set to the table.
KEIKO KUWAKINO
Chef Keiko Kuwakino started her career as a therapist, gaining experience in Australia and India and learned about Ayurveda and Ayurvedic cuisine. She previously worked as a chef at a vegan restaurant in Tokyo and moved to Minami-uonuma to work at Satoyama Jujo, where her speciality is locally sourced ingredients, mountain vegetables and body-healing spices. Appointed to be head chef at Satoyama Jujo in 2018, she won Michelin star in 2020 and was awarded 15.5 point by Gault Millau in 2021. She is nominated as one of Japan's 100 best chefs and restaurants by Hitosara in 2022.
TORU IWASA
creative director
In addition to serving as CEO and Creative Director, Toru Iwasa is also actively involved in the creation of Satoyama Jujo's cuisine from the design side. He withdrew the distinct talent of Kuwakino, while selecting the plates, deciding arrangements, and designing the menus and the overall flow of the course.
Satoyama Jujo Course
¥12,800 per person + tax
This course features a wide range of small seasonal dishes so you can enjoy all of the flavors that the Minami-uonuma region has to offer, whatever time of year it may be. The menu in the spring focuses predominantly on handpicked mountain vegetables, many of which you can only enjoy here and only for a very limited time. The menus for the rest of the year feature locally sourced seasonal vegetables as well as seafood from the Sea of Japan, Wagyu beef, and Echigo brand pork. The leisurely course concludes with Minami-uonuma’s own Koshihikari rice, typically considered the best in Japan, steamed in an earthenware pot right at your table.
*Fully vegan, vegetarian, or macrobiotic meals can also be arranged provided you make a reservation at least five days in advance.
Several dishes can be added a la carte depending on the preferences of the people in your party.
Optional dishes :
Niigata Wagyu shabu shabu (150g): ¥5,000 (+ tax)
Niigata Wagyu aitchbone roast beef (120g): ¥5,000 (+ tax)
Niigata Wagyu tenderloin steak (120g): ¥5,000 (+ tax)
Joya Nabe (pork shabu shabu in sake) (150g): ¥5,000 (+ tax)
*Please ask our staff, if you have a small appetite.
natural niigata
wine & sake course
¥8,500 per person + tax
A five-drink set served by the glass as an accompaniment to your dinner. The natural wines are produced by several local wineries, Femier and Domaine Chaud, and are only available in limited quantities. Likewise, the unfiltered, unprocessed sakes made from locally grown rice and pristine spring water are only available in the Minami-uonuma region.