[1 Night] Fushi – A Private Gastronomic Retreat in the Lush, Nature-rich Akigawa Valley of Western Tokyo’s Akiruno City

Off the Beaten Path into a Luxuriously Verdant Corner of the Capital Metropolis

On the western fringe of Tokyo, about ninety minutes from the city center, lies the West Tama region and its Akiruno City – a rare pocket of deep, luxuriant nature still within the official borders of the capital metropolis. Here lies the Akigawa Valley, a basin ensconced in unspoiled mountains, blessed with pristine rivers, and rich in fresh farmer’s markets and joyous seasonal festival traditions. All of this belies the region’s proximity to the capital’s dense and sprawling cityscape.

Usually a destination for day-tripping Tokyo hikers and families barbecuing by the riverside, its farthest reaches hold landscapes few visitors ever glimpse, much less slow down and soak in. It is here that the vacation villa Fushi, opened in 2024, offers a completely new face of Tokyo: a landscape where, aside from the villa itself, not a single man-made object stands in sight.

The West Tama region is a hidden corner of the Tokyo metropolis where nature still thrives

These hidden landscapes burst with endless seasonal beauty where cherry blossoms burst in spring, foliage burns auburn and amber in autumn, and winter snow casts blankets all in silence. The presence of fireflies at a nearby temple in early summer attests to the pristine quality of the local waters and greenery. 

Clean waters and crisp air permeate

The Shape of the Wind, the Tranquility of the Formless

Opened in 2024, Fushi was created by the Kurochaya Group—an institution with over half a century of gastronomic tradition—as a wholly new expression of hospitality in rural Tokyo. Built on a riverside where no structure had ever before stood, Fushi stands alone in the pristine landscape, a work of thoughtful architecture that melds into its surroundings rather than disrupts or competes with them.

The beautiful entrance gate to Fushi, which harkens seamlessly to both timeless tradition and modern naturalism

The name Fushi (literally “the shape of the wind”) comes from Zeami’s classical treatise on Noh theater, the Fushi Kaden. It alludes to a famous line which translates to something like: “The form of the wind is written in flower petals.” The chairman of Kurochaya group founded Fushi with the desire to “make real an impossible shape” of Tokyo for international visitors: bespoke luxury hospitality in untouched nature. Fushi goes beyond surface-level opulence, offering deep, quiet wellness – a place where the greatest pleasure is sometimes doing nothing at all but being.

Fushi seamlessly integrates the indoors with the outdoors in both form and feeling

A one-group-per-night villa, Fushi blends seamlessly into its riverfront setting. Its open-air “outdoor living room” lets you dangle your feet above clear river waters or relax in a built-in jacuzzi surrounded by the crisp air and sounds of the forest. Clad almost entirely in wood, the residence also features award-winning architecture that pays deference to the forest landscape and its serene power to calm the hearts of visitors.

Warm wood decor soothes the spirit and softens the heart

Becoming One with the Local Nature

Inside Fushi, warm wood tones and generous natural light create a sense of natural tranquility that blurs the line between the indoors and outdoors much like the open-walled living room. In the scenic, living seasonal beauty of this setting, guests can also enjoy a private gastronomy experience curated and crafted by Chef Chishiki, a 30-year veteran of the Kurochaya Group’s culinary services. 

Fushi’s gastronomic delights are impressive to all five senses thanks to Chef Chishiki’s culinary acumen and flair for dramatic presentation

Dinner is a three-hour journey across the joys of flavor, nutrition, place, and time itself. Seasonal local ingredients are transformed into magnificent kaiseki fare right before your eyes through live cooking that is as much performance as culinary art. Relax and enjoy the spread leisurely alongside conversation with the chef, relishing the five-senses delight of fresh-caught ayu sweetfish grilled over an open flame on the room’s riverside hearth.

* Please note that live cooking is offered only for the main dishes. 

Fresh-caught local ayu sweetfish on Chef Chishiki’s grill

Rooted in the kaiseki tradition of honoring the passage of both seasons and moments, this is a creative dining experience crafted by the hand of a veteran private chef who can also tailor the meal to a wide variety of dietary needs. Breakfast the next morning features similarly thoughtful fare built from the fruit of the local terroir, so guests can start the day unhurried in the valley’s crisp fresh air and gentle light.

Japanese culinary delights crafted from the produce of the local terroir by Chef Chishiki (food shown is for illustrative purposes only – actual servings vary according to the season)

Fushi has already garnered acclaim, receiving the 2024 World Architecture Festival “Small Project of the Year” award. Its private interior spaces – all linked through the edenic luxury of the “outdoor living room” – are warm compositions of wood and antique furnishings enriched by touches such as handmade bamboo tableware.

One of Fushi’s seasonal handmade interior design fixtures

Natural Delights: Ayu Fishing, or a Hike to Limestone Caves and the Hossawa Falls

One optional experience unique to Fushi is ayu fishing with local master fisherman Ishii, who has competed in fishing competitions and even served as an editor for angling magazines. Guests can observe and even try the traditional tomozuri method – catching ayu using one live ayu to lure others in. The fresh catch is all brought back for Chef Chishiki to prepare, with kaiseki cooking methods that honor the season with maximal deliciousness. This is a living, five-senses, river-to-table connection to place, to season, and to tradition.*

*Ayu fishing is available from June to September.

Ishii with a pair of ayu sweetfish caught using tomozuri from the local river

For those who prefer to explore, Fushi’s guides can take you by car to and from the surrounding mountains of Okutama. Visit hidden limestone caves or Hossawa Falls – one of Tokyo’s rare waterfalls listed among Japan’s “Hundred Famed Falls.” These excursions offer a reminder that Tokyo, too, can be a land of soaring cliffs, rushing water, and surprisingly near-pristine wilderness.

Hossawa Falls: a sign that this is an entirely different side of Tokyo

Steeping in Tradition

Within the villa itself, guests may also take part in a guided tea preparation experience. Learn to whisk matcha in the serenity of Fushi, with the babble of the river outside as ambience. Even within an already deeply relaxing private stay, this is a moment of particular peace, connecting guests to centuries of Japanese tradition and an ethos of stillness, presence, and a savoring of the moment.

Preparing matcha in the atmospheric “outdoor living room” of Fushi

A Luxurious Bespoke Stay in Tokyo’s Hidden Hinterlands

If gastronomy and nature are the dual means of this stay experience, ease and leisure are the ends. Guests arrive and check in at their chosen time on the first day before enjoying their selected optional activity, and then savor a long evening of gastronomic joys. The following morning begins with a serene breakfast before an unusually leisurely check-out – as late as 3pm – to truly linger in nature’s embrace.

Whether through the thrill of catching ayu with a master, the wonder of exploring hidden waterfalls and caves, the calm ritual of tea, or the profound pleasure of doing nothing at all, Fushi invites guests to relish the moment. Discover a Tokyo – and rich forms of nature, cuisine, and relaxation – that truly feel “impossible.”

Fushi’s vistas on the luxuriant local nature are unmarred by a single manmade object aside from the property itself