The Risonare Nasu - The Unique Farming Resort Only 1.5 Hours From Tokyo
- Nov 3, 2025
- 7 min read
A review of the Risonare Nasu, an up-market farming resort in Tochigi Prefecture
Image source: Ollie Ronin
Introduction
Nasu is a beautiful region in Tochigi prefecture, located just north of Tokyo. It’s not well-known to foreign visitors, but it’s famous among Japanese residents thanks to an abundance of natural hot springs, gorgeous mountains, and thriving farming community. While many regions in Japan are famous for their hot springs, Nasu has a unique culture of independent farmers who specialise in growing some of Japan’s most sought-after produce.
Risonare is a brand of up-market hotels by Hoshino Resorts, they focus on incorporating regional activities into the guest experience. For the Risonare Nasu, this means an emphasis on fresh produce, developing a connection with nature, and experiencing the benefits of homegrown ingredients with exquisite food and fine dining.
Having grown up in a farming community myself, I wasn’t sure if I would be as impressed as the average city person, but the Risonare Nasu really blew me away. They have elevated normal farming activities and turned them into a luxurious experience that feels special and unique. Growing, harvesting, and learning have been carefully designed with aesthetics in mind. The staff ensure guests have a lovely experience while gaining a deeper understanding, and appreciation, for the food that we consume on a daily basis.
I spent 3 wonderful nights here, joining in the activities, tasting the wonderful food, and exploring the Nasu area. In this article, we'll provide an efficient summary to give you an idea of what the experience is like, and explore some of the most notable highlights this resort has to offer.
In This Article
1.
Key Highlights
The arts and crafts greenhouse.
Image source: Ollie Ronin
Serene Location
Situated in the farming region of Nasu, the Risonare is located in a peaceful area, away from the urban environment. It's surrounded by farms, natural forests, and mountains. It's only a one-hour train ride from Tokyo, and then 30 minutes by car, taxi, or shuttle bus.
Escape over-tourism
Nasu is a region that isn't well-known to foreign tourism, so you'll have a more immersive experience by spending a few days here. It's especially nice if you feel like you need a break from the crowded city environment of Tokyo.
Private Rooms
All rooms are immersed in nature, with each room type having its own unique attributes. Some offer views over the rice fields, while others are surrounded by maple trees which are perfect for the autumn colours. Most of them are separate units, offering unmatched privacy.
Unique Activities
Join a range of unique activities such as farming rice, learning how to grow your own herbs and vegetables, making nature-based art and crafts, and roasting marshmallows on the campfire.
Gastronomy
The hotel features two exclusive restaurants, one serving an incredible buffet of Western and Japanese cuisine, and the other specialising in fine dining Italian cuisine. Each restaurant focuses on using the ingredients that are found growing throughout the property.
Farm to Table
One of the unique activities is the farm-to-table brunch, where you harvest your own vegetables which are then cooked for you by talented chefs, and served outside, overlooking the rice field and Mt. Nasu.
Price Range
$400 - $800 per night
Rooms sell out fast, you'll find the best prices on Booking.com
2.
The Location
Image source: Risonare Nasu
The town of Nasu is only a 1-hour train ride from Tokyo. Once you arrive at the station, you can take the Risonare shuttle bus, taxi, or rent a car if you also want to explore the surrounding area. Nasu is full of fun things to do and see, so we rented a car, however, this was not necessary because there is so much to enjoy at the resort! Indeed, on our second day we didn’t want to drive anywhere at all, so we just stayed at Risonare and enjoyed the farming and craft activities.
3.
The Rooms
Image source: Risonare Nasu
There are a variety of room types, each with different views and features, and most of which are individual units. We opted to stay in the units which overlooked the rice field, as it was harvesting season and we were going to take part in one of the rice activities. The unit was beautifully designed, it was a two-story cabin, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the entire place in gorgeous natural sunlight. The top floor was reserved for the beds, with an outdoor balcony, and the bottom floor contained the lounge room, bathroom, and outdoor deck facing the rice field.
Opening up the huge sliding doors elevated the atmosphere with the charming sound of birds, frogs, and the wind rustling through the trees, a nice change from the noise of the city. The nights were equally peaceful, with the moonlight illuminating the rice fields, I found myself sitting outside after dinner just to soak in the atmosphere.
4.
The Property
Image source: Risonare Nasu
The whole property is very spacious, with all the facilities connected by forest paths and walkways. The main building that housed the lobby, buffet restaurant, and onsen, was located in the centre. A nice walk around the resort would bring you to the various rooms and facilities such as the campfire pavilion, picnic area, drinks lounge, fine dining restaurant, river, rice fields, vegetable garden, and the greenhouse.
5.
The Restaurants
Image source: Risonare Nasu
With a focus on farming and fresh ingredients, it’s no surprise that the two onsite restaurants served incredible food. The buffet restaurant offers an amazing selection of Japanese, Western, and fusion dishes. For health-conscious people, Japan tends to be lacking in veggies and salad, but the Risonare Nasu is the opposite, offering so much to choose from. They also serve rare fruits and vegetables that are hard to find anywhere else, such as watermelon radish, a personal favourite, along with creative homemade dressings and sauces to enhance their flavours. The desserts were especially impressive, offering fluffy sponge cakes and the perfect chocolate mousse.
Image source: Risonare Nasu
Their fine dining restaurant, the Otto Sette, served up a full course of truly amazing and innovative Italian cuisine. The set menu takes you on a 2-hour journey celebrating freshly farmed ingredients from across Nasu, Japan, and Italy. I could easily write a full article describing this whole experience, so instead I’ll just mention a personal highlight, a 3-layer mushroom soup. The bottom layer, was a mushroom pudding, the middle layer was the soup, and the top layer was a mushroom foam - and each layer had its own unique flavours, topped with freshly shaven black truffles. To give you an idea of how impressive this was, my girlfriend, doesn’t like mushrooms, and doesn’t like soup, but she loved this dish. It might have been the best soup I’ve ever had.
6.
Rice Farming
Image source: Ollie Ronin
From May to October, you get to experience planting and harvesting the rice. This was so much more fun than we expected. We were there during the harvest season, so we got to cut the bundles of rice from the field, tie them together, and hang them up to dry. After we harvested a bunch of rice, the farmers cooked some for us in a traditional hagama rice pot, which we then used to make our own onigiri. It was heaps of fun to learn about the whole process and try harvesting rice for ourselves, it gave us a new sense of appreciation for the food we eat every day.
7.
Arts & Crafts
Image source: Ollie Ronin
The arts and crafts greenhouse was another favourite, the vibe and atmosphere in here is so nice and relaxing. The greenhouse is full of fresh herbs, ambient music plays softly in the background, and a range of herbal teas are available for you to enjoy. Three tables are set up offering different arts and craft activities. The crafts are intended to highlight the surrounding nature, with some of them requiring you to hunt outside for leaves and plants in order to make your creation. It's fun, relaxing, and a lovely way to spend the afternoon.
8.
The Farm to Table Brunch
Image source: Ollie Ronin
Available on weekdays, and only during autumn from September to October, the farm-to-table brunch was another highlight. Starting at 9:45am, you’ll head to the farm to harvest your own vegetables, then bring them to the rice field, where the chefs will transform them into a delicious brunch. Enjoying exquisite food with views of Mt. Nasu and the rice field is an amazing way to start the day, and with a late checkout of 12pm, it makes for the perfect end to a relaxing trip.
9.
Closing Comments & Further Reading
Image source: Ollie Ronin
This Risonare Nasu offers a much-needed break for the busy streets of Tokyo, and gives a unique experience away from the normal tourist attractions. We learned so much and gained a deeper appreciation for home-grown produce and Japan's farming community. I'd recommend this place to anyone, if the price is outside your budget, then come here with a group of friends to share the cost, it becomes very reasonable when split among 4 people.
One thing I love about Hoshino properties is the late checkout of 12pm, you never feel rushed. I would recommend spending at least 2 nights here to enjoy all the facilities, and 3 nights is ideal if you want to feel even more relaxed and spend more time exploring the Nasu region.
For our itinerary, we arrived in the afternoon, walked around and explored the property before heading off to the buffet dinner, and then finished with the onsen in the evening.
On our second day, we had the buffet breakfast and then experienced the rice farming activity. After that, we hung out in the arts greenhouse, drinking herbal tea and making crafts. And for dinner, we enjoyed the lovely Italian food onsite at the Otto Sette restaurant.
On our third day, we enjoyed the amazing brunch and then drove to the Mt. Nasu ropeway. For dinner, we sampled one of the famous Soba restaurants nearby, and then finished with an onsen. It was the perfect 3-night itinerary, I would love to come back in the spring sometime.
Rooms sell out fast, you'll find the best prices on Booking.com
