Standing along the road in Shiga Kogen’s Ichinose area, Chalet Shiga is a hotel where nature feels remarkably close. A river runs just beside the hotel at an elevation of 1,600 meters, and with just a short walk, you can reach wetlands, white birch trees, and seasonal alpine flowers. Ichinose is well known as a winter ski base, but in summer and autumn, it offers another kind of appeal: walking, photographing, and quietly resting in the crisp mountain air of the green season.
The owner of Chalet Shiga, Mr. Hidenobu Sato, is himself a photographer who shoots ski photography. For people who visit Shiga Kogen to take photos, he has created the Shiga Kogen Photographers Center, equipped with charging facilities and a photo book library. In doing so, he has opened Ichinose as a base for “traveling to photograph.”
“What makes me happiest is when people go into the mountains and return having rediscovered something natural in themselves.”
We spoke with Mr. Sato about Chalet Shiga, the nature of Ichinose that unfolds right in front of the hotel, the appeal of Shiga Kogen as seen through the eyes of a photographer, and the quiet time he values as an innkeeper.
Wetlands Right in Front of the Hotel: Why Chalet Shiga Is a Special Place to Stay in Ichinose
A Highland Hotel Surrounded by a River, Wetlands, and White Birch Trees
When you enter the Ichinose area of Shiga Kogen, you will notice hotels lined along the road, with a river flowing close beside them. Located within Joshin’etsukogen National Park, this area sits near the center of Shiga Kogen and serves as one of its main mountain resort hubs.
Chalet Shiga is a highland hotel standing along that road in Ichinose. Despite its elevation of 1,600 meters, what makes this hotel unique is that wetlands spread out just beside it.
“Having wetlands this close, right in front of the hotel, is definitely one of our strengths,” says Mr. Sato.
Shiga Kogen has both wetlands and hotels scattered throughout the area, but in many cases they are located separately. A place like Chalet Shiga, where guests can stay overnight and step out on foot to reach the wetlands almost immediately, is not all that common.
From late June through August, the wetlands are home to sundews and other moisture-loving plants, along with seasonal flowers. Though not large in scale, the area preserves valuable vegetation as a high moor. Together with the surrounding white birch groves, it attracts people who enjoy strolling and photography. Mr. Sato notes that the wetlands have become “considerably drier over time,” but he still sees the presence of such wetlands right in front of the hotel as one of Ichinose’s distinctive charms.
Many people associate Shiga Kogen strongly with skiing, but in the green season of summer and autumn, it reveals a different face: walking through wetlands, breathing in mountain air, and spending time in quiet stillness. Chalet Shiga also serves as a base for this kind of green-season stay.
A Hotel Run by a Photographer: Why the Shiga Kogen Photographers Center Was Created
In Summer and Autumn, Photographers Come to Shiga Kogen
Shiga Kogen has many photography spots that are well known among photography enthusiasts. During the green season in summer and autumn, people with cameras visit locations across the area.
What concerned Mr. Sato, however, was the fact that these visitors often had nowhere to rest between shoots.
“A lot of people come to Shiga Kogen to take photos in autumn, summer, and the green season. But there are not many hotels where they can stay during that time, so quite a few people have trouble finding a place. I thought, why not welcome all of them?”
“Even when people are out taking photos, there is nowhere to have tea and nowhere to charge their batteries.”
That is why Mr. Sato established the Shiga Kogen Photographers Center. Designed as a facility with a photo co-working space, photographers’ room, and gallery, it offers charging equipment and a photo book library, creating a place where photographers can stop by between shoots. The hotel also hosts photo exhibitions, as well as photography and editing workshops led by Mr. Sato himself. Guests can rest when they are tired, enjoy a cup of tea, and then head back out to shoot again. Chalet Shiga has been opened as exactly that kind of base.
Although it is a place created for photographers, it is also an invitation to enjoy Shiga Kogen’s green season at a slower pace. Even without a camera, walking through the wetlands, returning to the hotel, and drinking tea in a quiet space is one of the special ways to spend time here.
From His Father’s Camera to a Single Image on the Snow: How Mr. Sato Became a Photographer
Since Elementary School, He Thought Photography Was “Cool”
Mr. Sato first became drawn to photography when he was a child.
“Ever since elementary school, I thought photography was cool. My father was into cameras, so I thought I would try taking pictures too. That was how it started.”
He began using his father’s camera when he was in junior high school. Later, throughout junior high and high school, he devoted himself to drawing, and at university he studied oil painting in the Faculty of Fine Arts. He began skiing seriously after entering high school, and after graduating from university, he spent two years in Australia working as a ski instructor.
After returning to Japan, he became involved in running Chalet Shiga while continuing to nurture his interest in photography. It was about 15 years ago that he began seriously aiming to become a professional photographer. He spent five years attending a course led by renowned ski photographer Akito Mizutani, and later became his apprentice to further refine his craft.
After passing a rigorous review process, Mr. Sato began working as a professional photographer. Today, he is a member of the Japan Professional Photographers Society, the Photographic Society of Japan, and the Japan Sports Press Association. His photo books and works are also available through Chalet Shiga’s official online shop.
The sense of color and composition he developed through oil painting, together with his familiarity with snowy mountains through skiing, both seem to shape the photographic eye he has today.
Ski Photography Is a One-Shot Moment: Mr. Sato’s Eye Lives Within the Hotel
Powder Spray, Turns, and Light: Not Chance, but Careful Design
The ski photographs Mr. Sato creates are not simply snapshots of skiers in motion. Where the skier will turn, where the snow spray will rise, how the light and shadow will change — for each image, he plans the location and movement in advance.
“I might ask them to enter from here, make the turn this size, and throw up the snow spray at that point.”
But shooting in nature never goes exactly as planned. Once a skier makes a run, their tracks remain on the snow surface.
If the shot fails, they have no choice but to find another location. On slopes without lifts, both the photographer and skier have to climb back up. Light and shadow also change with time, so the same conditions never return twice.
There is such intense focus on a single frame that the phrase “betting everything on one shot” comes naturally. That same attentive gaze seems to be directed toward the wetlands just outside the hotel and the changing light of Ichinose from season to season. Inside the hotel, works by Mr. Sato and various other photographers are displayed, allowing guests to encounter the world of photography during their stay.
“When People Go into the Mountains, They Get Their Energy Back”: The Kind of Stay Chalet Shiga Values
Watching Schoolchildren Change in the Mountains
Chalet Shiga also welcomes school groups for outdoor education programs. Children from urban areas come to stay for two or three nights and spend their days walking in the mountains. Mr. Sato has watched that transformation for many years.
“Before they arrive, city kids often look tired and grumpy, even though they are young. But after walking in the mountains, they go home a little wilder.”
Children who arrive with stiff expressions and a tired air gradually begin to change as they walk in the mountains and spend time in nature. In that transformation, Mr. Sato senses the power of Shiga Kogen’s natural environment.
“What makes me happiest is when people go into the mountains and return having rediscovered something natural in themselves.”
He says the same is true not only for children, but also for adults visiting with their families. Guests who seem exhausted at check-in may leave at check-out saying, “The food was delicious,” or “This was such a nice place.” Seeing that change is one of the reasons Mr. Sato continues running the hotel.
Although he is familiar with terms such as “forest therapy” and “phytoncides,” what Mr. Sato values is something simpler. He wants guests to eat good food and spend comfortable time in a space that is as quiet as possible. Helping make that happen is what he sees as the role of the hotel.
When walking through areas of Shiga Kogen rich in coniferous forest, Mr. Sato says there is a subtle feeling of being re-energized, along with a scent reminiscent of pine resin. There is something to be gained not only by staying indoors, but by stepping outside and walking. That may be one of the essential truths of spending time in Ichinose.
What Stays in Your Travel Memories: Food and Conversations with Local People
Homemade-Style Cooking with the Feel of Rural Europe
No matter how wonderful the natural surroundings may be, Mr. Sato says that food and encounters with people are what truly shape the satisfaction of a trip.
“What makes travel enjoyable? It is the meals, and talking with local people.”
At Chalet Shiga, the cooking is entrusted to the chef, while the hotel also values a culinary direction that suits its atmosphere. In keeping with the Western-style appearance of the building, the food has a warm, handmade quality.
“There is a bit of an image of rural Europe in mind,” he says.
One popular dish Mr. Sato introduced is a gratin made with a whole apple.
“We bring in lots of apples, hollow them out, and make a gratin using the whole apple. The apple becomes the lid, and we mix in some of the scooped-out apple as well.”
The apple is hollowed out, filled with gratin, and topped again like a lid. It is a dish that expresses both the warmth of a mountain lodge and the slightly European atmosphere of Chalet Shiga. The current chef has been with the hotel for five or six years, and Mr. Sato says the style of cooking has gradually come closer to the image of the hotel.
The natural environment is already there. That is why, as a hotel, Chalet Shiga wants to do everything it can on its side. This feeling lies behind its care for food.
Protecting a Quiet Kind of Time
An Ongoing Challenge: Helping Everyone Feel Comfortable
One of the things Chalet Shiga values is a quiet atmosphere. At the same time, Mr. Sato speaks honestly about how difficult it can be for a hotel to protect that atmosphere.
“I want to create a quiet space, but figuring out how everyone can feel comfortable here is the challenge we are facing now.”
Because he wants as many guests as possible to enjoy their stay, there are times when staff may need to say something. He says he is still thinking carefully about where to draw that line and how best to communicate it.
For guests who want to spend their time quietly, the atmosphere of this hotel should feel reassuring. Chalet Shiga is not a hotel that presents itself as already complete. It is a hotel whose owner continues to think deeply about what hospitality should be. That, too, is part of its sincerity.
For Photographers and for Those Who Simply Want to Rest: Discovering Ichinose Time at Chalet Shiga
Winter Skiing, Summer and Autumn Wetland Walks: Ichinose Changes with Every Season
Chalet Shiga is a hotel that can be enjoyed both as a winter snow resort base and as a place to stay during the green season of summer and autumn.
In winter, it offers convenient access to the vast slopes of Shiga Kogen, including the Ichinose ski areas, making it a base camp for skiers. Facilities useful for skiers are also well equipped, including ski lockers with space for 200 sets of equipment, a large public bath, sauna, rental shop, and more.
In summer and autumn, a stay here becomes a slower mountain trip: walking through wetlands, trekking among white birch trees, and visiting photography spots around Shiga Kogen. Mr. Sato says the area is especially suited not so much to people aiming for serious mountaineering, but to couples and families who want to enjoy a relaxed hike — perhaps carrying lunch, walking for a while, and returning by afternoon. Around Ichinose, there are trekking routes that are approachable even for beginners and families, allowing guests to enjoy the mountains without overexertion, return to the hotel for a meal, and rest quietly. That kind of rhythm suits Ichinose well.
For photographers, a stay here becomes a journey of observing the nature of Shiga Kogen. For those who simply want to rest, it becomes time to gently loosen the tension of city life. Chalet Shiga quietly supports both kinds of travel.
What you encounter at Chalet Shiga is not only the hotel itself. It is the wetlands spreading out in front of you, the changing light of each season, the meal after walking in the mountains, and the perspective of someone who has continued to watch Ichinose closely over the years. If you want to find a little time to return to yourself in Shiga Kogen Ichinose, Chalet Shiga may be just the place to begin.
Chalet Shiga Facility Information
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | Ichinose, Shiga Kogen, Yamanouchi-machi, Shimotakai-gun, Nagano 381-0401, Japan |
| Telephone | +81-269-34-2235 |
| Check-in | 1:00 p.m. ※Please contact the hotel in advance if arriving after 10:00 p.m. |
| Check-out | 10:00 a.m. |
| Facilities | Large public bath, sauna, banquet hall, beer bar, rental shop, ski lockers with space for 200 sets of equipment, coin laundry, vending machines, parcel delivery service via Yamato Transport, free Wi-Fi throughout the building |
| Official Website | https://chalet-shiga.com/ |
| Photographers Center | https://spc.chalet-shiga.com/ |
| Official Online Shop | https://chaletshiga.official.ec/ |