Play in this Forest..
Learn in this Forest…
And Reach the Heart of Nature.

These are the words of the first mayor of Matsuno Town, Okada Kuratarō. In his day, mountains all over Japan were cleared in the name of continuous development. In defiance of the age, Okada chose the opposite: to protect this abundant forest and bequeath it to future generations. To that end, he opened the “Mura-no-Kuni Hotel,” which over time was reborn into this “Riverside Lodge.”

Said river is the Meguro River. It is the source of the Shimanto River, which is often called “Japan’s last clear stream.” This Lodge’s upstream location itself is the fountainhead of a community whose management respects the ecosystem and ensures harmony between man and nature, using methods that include natural farming, among others.

Included among them is, of course, the Riverside Lodge staff. All of them started out like you, travelers passing through the forest country, but eventually they became so taken with this land that they moved here. What inspired them? How did they arrive here? What did they struggle with after the move? We ask many different questions; how do they talk about their lives and the running of this forest?
We invite you to listen to their stories and imagine their faces away from the front desk – how do they appear? Then, should you want to hear more, feel free to approach them. We are sure that one word to the staff will bloom into an experience that will connect you to nature.