Uenohara - House / Vacation STAY 47885

The food was delicious, but I mostly remember how cold the place was. We came as a family over New Year’s, and while the location is great, this old farmhouse was freezing. There’s only a shower, no changing room, and that area was especially chilly. We huddled together around the hearth to warm up with charcoal. A couple who seemed to be staff came by, but they weren’t especially friendly and scolded us when we moved the table because we were cold. We wanted to keep the stove on all night, but were running low on kerosene, so we reluctantly turned it off and went to bed still cold.

Our family of five spent four nights and five days here during summer break, and the children, ages 3 and in third grade, got to try things that are hard to find elsewhere. Depending on when the manager was available, we had bucket baths, picked vegetables, visited a private waterfall nearby, and made flowing somen noodles. Those activities were a rich way to connect with the local community. There was no air conditioning, and the washing machine had some quirks, so we enjoyed the stay because we’re the kind of family who can roll with that. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone.

We spent two days and one night here, and I’d recommend it to anyone even a little interested in country living. After a roughly 30-minute bus ride from the nearest station and a winding climb through the mountains, the cute exterior of Shitaide comes into view in a very rural setting. The showers and even the toilet paper were clean. I worried there’d be loads of bugs at night, but there were fewer than expected, and the stay was comfortable. We helped out in the actual fields, ate nagashi somen noodles and a locally sourced BBQ, and even had watermelon on the porch. The starry sky was beautiful, and we spotted a shooting star. The owners kindly gave us sparklers too. Their adorable son came to see us, and we had such a good time together. Our child’s guide also took us on an adventure to a nearby shrine that’s perfect for Instagram, which we still remember fondly. I’ll definitely come back. Thanks so much to the owners for all their help.

Getting to this old house in a remote spot meant driving along a narrow, winding mountain road, but we made it. We visited on the day of the Quinoa Shokudo event. They had tasty spiced curry, sweets made with fresh quinoa, and local vegetables for sale. The place had a lovely, homey atmosphere.