Shonai Hotel Suiden Terrasse

The Suiden Terrasse is a low-rise boutique hotel set on the Shonai plain, a particularly fertile area of land irrigated by snowmelt runoff from the neighboring peaks Gassan, Haguro, and Yudono. Guests are in for quiet stays, with an opportunity to contemplate the slow movement of seasons, as the Suiden is surrounded by working rice fields instead of urban bustle. The hotel takes its cues from the crop, with architect Shigeru Ban’s thoughtful nods to its cultivation informing its thoroughfares and common areas. Rooms, themselves, offer riches of natural light and the warmth of wood. A two-tier onsen accommodates men and women in a saucer-shaped building floating on the water. Suiden Terrasse’s restaurant is proudly farm-to-table, with thoughtful preparation of local, in-season produce and seafoods.