The meaning behind "Tsugumori"
It was about 30 years ago when I first laid eyes on this scenery, overlooking the foothills of Mt. Asama, the Saku Plain, and the Yatsugatake mountain range beyond.
It was around the time the Asama Skyline had just opened.
At that moment, I thought to myself:
"Someday, I want to live while looking at this scenery. And I want to create a place where people can relax and unwind."
For a long time, it was a small dream I told no one.
In 2018, I cleared the trees on a 250-tsubo (approx. 825 sq. m.) piece of forest land to build my house.
It included larch and cherry trees that were over 50 years old. At the time, I thought it was the best choice, but even now, a part of me still regrets it.
I wanted to preserve nature, yet I cut down trees.
That experience left a deep impression on me.
The following year, 2019, talks of developing the adjacent forest arose.
I was conflicted.
It was around the time the Asama Skyline had just opened.
At that moment, I thought to myself:
"Someday, I want to live while looking at this scenery. And I want to create a place where people can relax and unwind."
For a long time, it was a small dream I told no one.
In 2018, I cleared the trees on a 250-tsubo (approx. 825 sq. m.) piece of forest land to build my house.
It included larch and cherry trees that were over 50 years old. At the time, I thought it was the best choice, but even now, a part of me still regrets it.
I wanted to preserve nature, yet I cut down trees.
That experience left a deep impression on me.
The following year, 2019, talks of developing the adjacent forest arose.
I was conflicted.
I had cut down trees to build my house, yet I wanted to oppose the development of the forest next door.
It might seem selfish.
Still, I didn't want to lose that forest.
Because that forest, visible directly from the road, was the very landscape of this place.
And then I realized:
What I wanted to protect was not the trees themselves, but this scenery.
Eventually, I bought the adjacent forest and began clearing the overgrown woodland.
There were fallen trees, and it was a place difficult for people to enter.
Why did I want to clear it so much?
It was because I remembered that dream from 30 years ago.
A place where the wind would blow through the trees, mountains would be visible in the distance, and people could spend their time slowly.
A place with a garden, a cafe, where people could gather and enjoy their own time.
I had such a vision in my mind.
However, at that time, I had no funds and no concrete plan.
Standing before the overgrown forest, I simply thought, "Let's start with what we can do."
Around that time, an old friend supported me with funding for the clearing.
A gardener also agreed to help, and many friends lent their strength.
Friends from my student days, friends who rushed from afar, and local residents.
What I could never have done alone gradually took shape through the efforts of many people.
Light began to penetrate the forest, the wind blew through, and grass started to grow.
Then, in 2022, it was decided that a cafe and lodging would be built here.
It was the moment when the scenery of my dream gradually began to become a reality.
After actually creating this place, I learned one thing:
Rather than being told to "protect nature," people naturally want to cherish it when they encounter beautiful scenery or experience a comfortable time.
Therefore, I don't want to teach or make demands.
I would simply be happy if visitors to this place could feel the wind, look up at the sky, and spend their time as they please among the trees.
Whether it's time spent at the cafe, mornings welcomed at the lodge, or moments walking in the garden.
I believe that this comfort will nurture and protect this place, leading to the next beautiful scenery.
I think it would be wonderful if such a cycle could be created.
Tsugumori is not a finished place.
Both the trees and the garden change every year, and I myself continue to learn.
Perhaps dreams don't end when they are realized, but instead show us new landscapes beyond.
Tsugumori is still on that journey.
June 2026Owner: Junko Tsuchiya
What I wanted to protect was not the trees themselves, but this scenery.
Eventually, I bought the adjacent forest and began clearing the overgrown woodland.
There were fallen trees, and it was a place difficult for people to enter.
Why did I want to clear it so much?
It was because I remembered that dream from 30 years ago.
A place where the wind would blow through the trees, mountains would be visible in the distance, and people could spend their time slowly.
A place with a garden, a cafe, where people could gather and enjoy their own time.
I had such a vision in my mind.
However, at that time, I had no funds and no concrete plan.
Standing before the overgrown forest, I simply thought, "Let's start with what we can do."
Around that time, an old friend supported me with funding for the clearing.
A gardener also agreed to help, and many friends lent their strength.
Friends from my student days, friends who rushed from afar, and local residents.
What I could never have done alone gradually took shape through the efforts of many people.
Light began to penetrate the forest, the wind blew through, and grass started to grow.
Then, in 2022, it was decided that a cafe and lodging would be built here.
It was the moment when the scenery of my dream gradually began to become a reality.
After actually creating this place, I learned one thing:
Rather than being told to "protect nature," people naturally want to cherish it when they encounter beautiful scenery or experience a comfortable time.
Therefore, I don't want to teach or make demands.
I would simply be happy if visitors to this place could feel the wind, look up at the sky, and spend their time as they please among the trees.
Whether it's time spent at the cafe, mornings welcomed at the lodge, or moments walking in the garden.
I believe that this comfort will nurture and protect this place, leading to the next beautiful scenery.
I think it would be wonderful if such a cycle could be created.
Tsugumori is not a finished place.
Both the trees and the garden change every year, and I myself continue to learn.
Perhaps dreams don't end when they are realized, but instead show us new landscapes beyond.
Tsugumori is still on that journey.
June 2026Owner: Junko Tsuchiya
