200-Year-Old Kominka × Nordic Wood Sauna × Kengo Kuma's Jyubako — Three Extraordinary Experiences in Boso's Satoyama
"I want to stay in an old Japanese farmhouse." "I want to feel totonou in a wood-fired sauna." "I want to sleep in a space that feels like architecture." Normally these would be three separate trips — but in Futtsu, Chiba, on the Boso peninsula, there is a satoyama glamping stay where you can experience all three in a single night: Washin Village (和心村).
This article walks through the three extraordinary experiences unique to Washin Village — a genuine ~200-year-old kominka, an authentic Finnish wood-fired sauna, and the "Jyubako", created by world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma in collaboration with Snow Peak — along with accurate access information and how to spend your stay.
In the Heart of Boso's Satoyama, a Comfortable Distance from Tokyo
Washin Village is located at 14 Takamizo, Futtsu-shi, Chiba-ken 299-1733, tucked into a corner of satoyama countryside surrounded by fields and forest on the Boso peninsula.
For your car navigation or map app, the coordinates 35.21983 N / 139.950408 E will get you there reliably — the street address alone can sometimes surface multiple candidates, so checking against these coordinates before you set off helps you avoid getting lost. Via the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line, it is a manageable drive from central Tokyo, putting a proper satoyama stay within reach of a "short getaway" feeling.
Free parking is available on site for about 20 cars, so groups arriving in multiple vehicles are welcome. Please note that Washin Village does not accept reservations by phone — use the online booking site, LINE, or email described further below.
The First Extraordinary Experience — A Genuine 200-Year-Old Kominka
At the center of Washin Village stands not a newly built "kominka-style" structure but a real farmhouse that is genuinely about 200 years old. The beams, pillars, and earthen walls, shaped by centuries of use, carry a depth that no new construction can replicate. Staying here lets you feel, firsthand, the sense of "living alongside nature" that has long defined the Japanese home.
And this kominka has residents of its own. 16 rescue cats live freely around the property, and the whole village functions as their home. This is not an enclosed cat-cafe-style space — guests are the ones visiting the cats' living quarters. Guests often report that a cat wanders into their room unannounced, and some find one has settled in beside them in the futon by nightfall.
Dogs and goats also live on the grounds, along with resident ukokkei (silkie chickens). For families traveling with children, time spent with the animals here becomes a memory worth keeping.
The Second Extraordinary Experience — An Authentic Nordic Wood-Fired Sauna
Japan's sauna boom has produced many new facilities, but most rely on electric heaters inside buildings. A genuine Finnish-style wood-fired sauna that you fuel yourself is a much rarer find.
The sauna at Washin Village is exactly that. Watching the flames crackle as the room slowly warms, then performing your own loyly — pouring water over the sauna stones to send the temperature soaring — this entire ritual is what separates you from the pace of daily life.
Open-air rest amid the satoyama's nature is unique to Washin Village as well. Unlike a concrete rooftop in the city, cooling down while surrounded by rustling trees and birdsong is on another level entirely. After the sauna, an evening bonfire is well worth the time — conversation by the flames is a luxury found only in a satoyama night.
The Third Extraordinary Experience — Sleeping in Kengo Kuma × Snow Peak's "Jyubako"
One experience you should not miss at Washin Village is one of its guest rooms, the "Jyubako." This is a mobile house created by world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma — known for projects like the New National Stadium — in collaboration with the outdoor brand Snow Peak. Built around the concept of "somewhere between architecture and the outdoors," it is a minimalist space filled with the warmth of wood.
Many say the Jyubako is "worth seeing just to look at," but at Washin Village you can actually spend the night inside one. Sleep in a wooden space distilled from Kengo Kuma's architectural philosophy, then recharge the next morning in the wood-fired sauna. It is an especially popular way to spend a stay among couples who love design and architecture.
How to Spend Your Stay — A 1-Night, 2-Day Kominka × Sauna × Jyubako Model Plan
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 15:00 | Check in. Drop your bags at the kominka or the Jyubako, then start exploring the grounds |
| 15:30 | Naturally interact with the 16 rescue cats, dogs, goats, and ukokkei |
| 16:00 | Head to the wood-fired sauna — start by fueling it yourself |
| 16:30 | Loyly, then a cold-water plunge, then open-air rest in the satoyama to "totonou" |
| 18:00 | BBQ dinner. Enjoy the satoyama night around the charcoal grill |
| 20:00 | Bonfire time. Unwind while watching the flames |
| 21:00 | Sleep in your room, wrapped in the kominka's history or the Jyubako's scent of wood |
| 07:00 | Morning walk through the satoyama. Wake to clear air and birdsong |
| 08:00 | Morning animal time with the cat that may have slept beside you in the futon |
| 11:00 | Check out |
Check-in is at 15:00 (last check-in 19:00), and check-out is at 11:00.
Four Room Types Now, With a Fifth in the Works
Washin Village currently offers four distinct room types.
| Room Type | Highlights |
|---|---|
| Kominka main house | A genuine ~200-year-old farmhouse — the heart of Washin Village |
| Nagayamon (maisonette) | A maisonette-style room built from a traditional nagayamon gate house |
| Jyubako | Kengo Kuma × Snow Peak's mobile house, a minimalist wooden space |
| Nordisk Asgard tent | An authentic glamping tent from the Nordic brand Nordisk |
A treehouse is currently being prepared as a fifth room type (coming soon), so the options will keep expanding. Whichever room you choose, you can still enjoy the wood-fired sauna, the animal encounters, and the satoyama nature.
Access & Reservations
Address: 14 Takamizo, Futtsu-shi, Chiba-ken 299-1733
Coordinates: 35.21983 N / 139.950408 E
Parking: free, about 20 spaces
Check-in: 15:00 (last check-in 19:00) / Check-out: 11:00
Reservations are accepted through the official online booking site (d-reserve.jp). For questions, reach us via official LINE (https://lin.ee/E7zha5w) or email (info@washinmura.jp). Photos and the latest updates are available on the official site https://www.washinmura.jp and on official Instagram (@washinmura_nature_glamping).
Please note that Washin Village does not accept reservations by phone. Contact us online, via LINE, or by email.
A genuine ~200-year-old kominka, an authentic Nordic wood-fired sauna, and Kengo Kuma's "Jyubako" — you can experience all three together only in the satoyama of Boso, at Washin Village. Come spend a special night in a village where people, animals, and nature coexist, alongside 16 rescue cats.
▶ Reserve through the official booking site (d-reserve.jp). For questions, reach us via LINE (https://lin.ee/E7zha5w) or email (info@washinmura.jp).