This November, a brand-new, intimate retreat opens in Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture, but that’s not what will set this property apart. ASO RETREAT by Onko Chishin will sit within Aso-Kuju National Park, surrounded by one of the world’s largest volcanic calderas, allowing guests to experience Aso’s dramatic landscape.
© Onko Chishin
The retreat will feature just 17 rooms, each looking onto the ridgeline of the Five Peaks of Aso (Takadake, Nakadake, Nekodake, Eboshidake and Kishimadake). All rooms also have a private, open-air, hot-spring bath fed by the mountains, and select rooms will also boast private saunas.
The hotel’s signature program, ASO FORAGING EXPERIENCE, lets guests establish a better relationship with the land. The experience begins in an on-site, edible garden of more than 30 native Aso plants and continues to seasonal gathering walks into surrounding grasslands and streams.
© Onko Chishin
Executive chef Yamato Imanishi presents ASO PRIMITIVE GASTRONOMY, where each course follows the landscape from mountain to coast. Chef Imanishi celebrates the region through locally foraged ingredients, live-fire cooking and produce sourced from mountain to sea.
The first booking window covers stays from Nov. 2, 2026, to Feb. 28, 2027.
ASO RETREAT by Onko Chishin sits just 25 minutes from Kumamoto Airport and 1.5 hours from Fukuoka Airport.
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