While travel often means dining out, this land inspires you to gather your own ingredients and cook. Our base for this trip was SANU 2nd Home FERN Yatsugatake, nestled deep within the forest and part of the membership-based second-home network SANU 2nd Home. Equipped with a full kitchen, it allows you to move seamlessly from market to table, living through the day just as you would at home.
What to eat today? You decide on the menu, gather the ingredients, and step into the kitchen, right at home. The only difference: the produce in your hands is the direct bounty of this land. But first, off to a local shop to find today’s bottle of wine.
montara: Wine and cheese in a home’s doma earthen floor
Word of a local wine and cheese shop led us down a residential road. Arriving at montara, we found a true hidden gem: a small shop set right inside the earthen entryway of a private home.
In the garden, a small cabin functions as the wine cellar, stocked with unique labels from across the globe. Watching us browse, owner Yusuke Honda stepped over to chat. He asked about our plans and palates before offering a few tailored suggestions, ultimately landing on a Georgian bottle and a local choice.
Inside the showcase, cheeses ranging from traditional favorites to bold, unique cuts line the display. The owner pairs each slice to match your chosen bottle, making it easy to venture out of your comfort zone. Taking his advice, we added his recommended cheeses to our haul.
Our brief chat left us eager for the night to begin. Outside, fresh garden herbs rested under the eaves with a note welcoming you to help yourself. Bright sprigs of yerba buena and holy basil, hard to come by in the city, gave off a deep, vibrant scent as we drew close. Deliberating on how to use them, we gathered up a bundle.
Himawari Market: Loved by locals and visitors alike
What to pair with our wine and cheese? To find out, we made our way to Himawari Market. Popular with locals and visitors, the shop features hardy vegetables and fruits cultivated in the Yatsugatake region alongside handpicked delicacies from all over the country. Lively audio broadcasts guide shoppers through the store, enticing you to fill your basket.
What makes the market special are the enthusiastic hand-drawn pop signs accompanying the goods. Reading the staff’s detailed notes makes every item irresistible. Local kale, fresh tomatoes, and natural-yeast bread: our basket was overflowing in no time.
Kindling a flame to taste the land
With grocery bags in both hands, we headed back to SANU 2nd Home FERN Yatsugatake. Because every cabin shares identical cookware and a curated set of seasonings, finding what you need feels natural, even on your first visit. Rather than fumbling through an unfamiliar kitchen, we eased straight into preparing our meal as if at home.
Sunlight washed over the fresh leaves outside our window. It only felt right to enjoy local Yatsugatake produce out in the mountain air. Drawn outside, we started a charcoal fire. While waiting for the embers to quiet down, we sliced vegetables and plucked leaves from our herb bundle. Birds and insects provided the background music as a gentle breeze carried the crisp, green scent of the trees.
Getting the charcoal ready meant slowing down. Chairs side by side, drinks in hand, we sat back to watch the dancing flames. The tedious extra steps we usually skip in city life suddenly sparked pure joy. Once the food hit the grate, a satisfying crackle filled the air along with a rich, savory scent. When ingredients are this fresh, a light touch is all the seasoning they need.
The table was practically buzzing with stories. Favorite stops, incredible bites: everything from grocery shopping to prepping the food gave us plenty to chat about. Post-dinner was reserved for the wine and cheese pairing the owner set us up with. Day-drinking a fine bottle just felt like pure, unadulterated getaway luxury.
On paper, the routine was no different from dinner at home; plan, shop, cook, eat. The only change was that every ingredient came straight from the local soil. That one small shift transformed a simple meal into something truly special.
SANU 2nd Home FERN Yatsugatake
17217-869 Harayama, Hara-mura, Suwa-gun, Nagano
montara
1547-7 Kamikurosawa, Takane-cho, Hokuto, Yamanashi
Himawari Market
2008 Yato, Oizumi-cho, Hokuto, Yamanashi
【SANU 2nd Home】
Live with nature.
SANU 2nd Home is a service that offers uniquely designed shared vacation homes—
“a second home in nature”—located amidst beautiful natural settings across Japan.
Moving back and forth between the city and nature,
and it gradually become part of the local daily life.
Based on the concept of “Live with nature.”,
SANU proposes a new lifestyle.
SANU currently operate 241 rooms across 37 locations nationwide (as of August 2026).
Its network spans from Niseko, Hokkaido, to Amami Oshima,
and it plans to expand to over 100 locations both domestically and internationally by 2029.
As its network grows, SANU enrichs both nature and the local communities, and cherish the regenerative approach.
Reservations & Inquiries
https://www.sa-nu.com/