On Friday, June 20, 2025, Restaurant & Stay “song,” a wood-fired restaurant and lodging facility, will open on the grounds of Gio Hills Winery in Mimakigahara, Komoro, Nagano.
Here are the details.
Background to Restaurant & Stay “song”
Gio Hills Winery representative Masaki Tomioka is the fifth-generation proprietor of Nakadanaso, an inn associated with novelist and poet Toson Shimazaki.
Inspired by a line Shimazaki wrote in “Sketches of the Chikuma River” about becoming fresher and simpler, Tomioka wanted to create a place that feels nostalgic, like returning to the countryside, while adding something new each time so every visit feels fresh. That thinking expanded beyond the inn into winemaking, grape growing, and eventually the establishment of the family's own winery.
His eldest son and daughter and their spouses, who grew up watching that work, have taken over Nakadanaso, while his third son, Hayato Tomioka, is responsible for winemaking at the winery.
Beginning with Nakadanaso, founded around 130 years ago, the family wanted to share more widely the culture and wine nurtured by Gio Hills Winery and offer guests an experience like staying in a winemaker's home. That vision led to the opening of Restaurant & Stay “song.”
About Restaurant & Stay “song”
The name “song” reflects meanings in English such as song and the sound of the wind, expressing the idea of sensing the songs of life, earth, and wind. The space aims to help guests discover local livelihoods and culture through each dish while valuing a close connection with nature.
Gio Hills Winery, which spreads out in front of the facility, takes its name from a Vietnamese phrase meaning “a hill where the wind blows,” while “sống” in Vietnamese also means to live or to carry on one's life.
Located on the winery grounds, the auberge serves wood-fired cuisine using ingredients primarily from Mimakigahara, Komoro, and elsewhere in Shinshu. The chef and staff forage ingredients themselves in the surrounding fields and mountains, offering food that can only be experienced in that particular place and season.
By incorporating Shinshu's local cuisine, rich everyday traditions, fermentation culture, and ways of life into the menu, the team hopes to protect the landscape visible from “song.”
If you're interested, be sure to check it out.
Reference
Facility: “song”
Address: 5656 Fujimidaira, Yamaura, Komoro, Nagano 384-0807
Restaurant seating: 12
Accommodation: 1 room