When this 150-year-old farmhouse was built in the mountains of Tochigi north of Tokyo, Hokkaido wasn’t even officially a part of Japan.
The northern frontier was almost wholly inhabited by the indigenous hunter-gatherer Ainu people, and very few isolated colonies of people of Japanese heritage existed anywhere on the island.
It’s not surprising then that the traditional architectural forms that typify Japan are few and far between in Niseko, which was only settled by mainland Japanese in the late 1800s.
”It’s also one reason Somoza makes such a unique and captivating addition to the Niseko landscape
Somoza is the name given to this “new” Niseko cultural space by long-time resident Shouya Grigg. Within its walls Somoza houses a café and restaurant including outdoor terrace dining areas, several gallery spaces including a ceramics gallery/shop, a traditional Japanese tea room, a private studio workspace, and a large, open basement gallery space that can be used for functions, seminars and even performances.
A lover of Japanese art, culture and history in all its forms, Shouya embarked on the ambitious project to transplant the traditional “kominka” farm house from its mainland birthplace 700km away to a part of his land just near the Hanazono ski resort.
“I bought it from a wealthy Japanese farming family and had it taken apart piece by piece then shipped up here and rebuilt,” Shouya says. “In these old houses the floor used to be soil. On one side would be where your horse lived, and then on the other side, the floor rises up and that’s where you’ve got the tatami living areas and an irori (charcoal fire pit). Above that are massive beams and no ceiling, and it just goes all the way up to the roof.”
Shouya has used his creative licence to reimagine the space for its modern purposes in his signature industrial old-meets-new, East-meets-West style, without compromising its Japanese character. This included installing floor-to-ceiling glass across almost the entire length of one side of the building to take advantage of its exquisite backdrop – a clifftop perch in one corner of his sprawling property, overlooking a spring-fed mountain stream running through a valley descending from the Annupuri range beyond.
“The land drops off into a valley with a beautiful river running through it,” he says. “I actually dug into the top of the cliff so the building looks down over the river and back up to the mountains. I added a semi-basement underneath, which you don’t actually see from the entrance of the property because it’s below the original house, embedded in the cliff face. When you go downstairs you come into a big gallery, workshop and seminar space, which is all glass on the valley side.”
Shouya’s concept for Somoza was not for it to be locked up as a private home or accommodation, but rather for it to become a multi-purpose utilitarian public space that celebrates its spectacular natural setting, as well as the art, culture and food of Niseko year-round.
“I wanted to create a unique space for people to experience the beauty of what’s out there in all seasons,” he says. “For me nature always comes first – that’s the most powerful thing. So if I can start with a great canvas with some interesting features like this location, then bring some other interesting things together such as this beautiful old building, and within it display art and found objects, alongside great food and interesting music, that’s what I like doing. My whole concept for this is that it’s not a restaurant, it’s not a café, it’s not a gallery – but when those things come together, then it becomes much more.”
Somoza offers a different experience in every season, and even changes moods from day to day and hour to hour with the weather and sunlight. Be sure to visit once when you’re here, and come back again to experience it in another of Niseko’s spectacular seasons.