Rates: From $1,500 for two guests, with meals and select on-site activities included; guided excursions priced separately
Set in the pine and cedar forests of Iwate Prefecture, two hours north of Tokyo by shinkansen, Azuma Farm Koiwai offers a compelling new reason to venture to a part of Japan most visitors never reach.
I was the first guest to try out the 24-villa resort, which opens to the public on April 23, 2026. The property is notable because it’s a collaboration between 93-year-old Adrian Zecha, founder of Aman Resorts, and Fumitomo Hayase of Kyoto-based hospitality group Naru Developments, who led Aman’s Japan expansion and cofounded the ryokan brand Azumi with Zecha.
The driving force is East Japan Railway (JR East), a joint developer on the site, which is investing in high-end hospitality to lure travelers to a region still recovering from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. The resort sits on 20 acres of the 7,500-acre Koiwai Farm, established in 1891 and known across Japan for its dairy products.
When I visited from my home in Tokyo just days before opening, the grounds were still shaking off a long winter and the second restaurant hadn’t yet opened. Even so, the retreat already immerses guests both nature and local culture. As a guide myself, I was impressed by the depth of the experiences, which most visitors couldn’t access on their own.
Who’s Azuma Farm Koiwai for?
Seasoned Japan travelers looking to explore beyond the usual circuit; nature lovers; culture seekers interested in local life.
Who isn’t it for?
Travelers seeking a spa, fitness center, or social scene.
The location: Morioka, Iwate Prefecture
Iwate Prefecure is the second-largest prefecture in Japan, behind Hokkaido, and is famous for its abundance of produce.
Courtesy of Azuma Farm Koiwai
Iwate’s mix of mountains, rivers, and the Sanriku coastline makes it one of Japan’s most agriculturally rich regions. Morioka, its capital, is a two-hour shinkansen ride north of Tokyo. From Morioka Station, Azuma Farm Koiwai is a 30-minute shuttle provided by the hotel, only 12 miles away but remote enough for inky night skies. Morioka itself is worth exploring, with a thriving kissaten coffee culture, historic temples, and izakaya pubs, all walkable or accessible via the Dendenmushi Bus.
Iwate’s mix of mountains, rivers, and the Sanriku coastline makes it one of Japan’s most agriculturally rich regions.
The rooms at Azuma Farm Koiwai
The 24 villas, the work of architect and designer Shiro Miura of Rokukakuya, are built from red pine and cedar trees sourced from Koiwai Farm. Windows on three sides flood interiors with light, and materials are almost entirely local, with plastic eliminated throughout.
My Forest Villa was spare but inviting: pale pine and cedar floors and ceilings, mud plaster walls with from local straw, cloud-shaped washi lanterns that cast a soft glow, and large stone baths (eventually to be filled with local onsen water). A handwoven grapevine basket brimming with apples, homespun wool pillow covers, Nanbu ironware, and pour-over coffee from a local roaster all connected me to Iwate.
For the best views, request Forest Villas 12 or 13 facing Mount Iwate. The two Garden Villas are larger and more secluded but lack the view.
The food and drink: a showcase of Iwate ingredients
Dinner is a showcase of Iwate’s seafood and Koiwai Farm’s famous dairy products.
Courtesy of Azuma Farm. Koiwai
Meals take place in one of the resort’s two central lodge buildings. Chef Yoshitaka Oyama, an Iwate native, skillfully works with the ingredients he grew up with, from seafood on the Sanriku coast to Koiwai dairy. Highlights include grilled kichiji, a local fatty fish with bottarga, and a Tankaku wagyu T-bone with charcoal-grilled carrots.
For three of five courses, a cart arrives table side with beverages, appetizers, cheese, and dessert, served in portions that guests select—scallops on the half shell with asparagus and lemon, or desserts like strawberry and blueberry tart, cut to order.
Sommelier Shinichi Sasaki has assembled a strong list of sake, wine, and spirits. I left the pairings to him entirely, omakase-style. An aged Masuizumi sake, rich as a port wine, paired beautifully with handmade cheese from nearby Cheese Kobo.
Breakfast is offered European or Japanese style. The traditional set—grilled salmon, seasonal vegetables, and miso soup—fits the setting, but the European option has its own appeal, particularly for the grilled Koiwai Farm caciocavallo cheese.
A second restaurant, Okibi, centered on open-fire robata cooking, is expected to open later in 2026.
Activities: cultural tours, stargazing, sea kayaking, and more
Nanbu ironware making and tours of Tendaiji Temple are two of the many cultural activities available through the resort.
Courtesy of Azuma Farm Koiwai
Complimentary activities include guided stretching, staff-led stargazing, twilight aperitifs, and self-guided biking. While Koiwai Farm doesn’t offer hands-on farming experiences, one sunny day, I rode out past streams and stands of trees on one of the resort’s electric bikes out to the farm to see the cows up close.
Cultural tours include lacquerware classes, visits to a wasabi farm, horseback riding, and experiences at the temples and gardens of the Hiraizumi UNESCO World Heritage site; they range from $50 to $2,400 (the latter price for the rare chance to make an iron teapot with a 1659 purveyor). Outdoor options include fishing, sea kayaking, and hiking.
The hotel’s six-hour Morioka tour ($240) leads visitors through the region’s mingei traditions—ironware makers, textile studios, and a seventh-generation bamboo craftsman—along with lunch, sake, and tastings. Even while exploring independently, I noticed shop owners and café staff were already familiar with Azuma Farm Koiwai, a sign of how closely the property is working with local businesses.
Three sauna pavilions have wooden soaking tubs, dry saunas, and hot and cold baths, and can be booked for two-hour sessions ($350).
Staff and service
For a property days away from opening, operations felt remarkably smooth. Staff introduce themselves by their first names in a country where formality in hospitality runs deep. Even the general manager, Hiroaki Mazaki, encouraged me to call him Hiro, and I felt I could relax and be less bound by formalities.
About 80 percent of the staff are from Iwate prefecture, and I sensed genuine local pride with every interaction. Several shared memories of Morioka in March 2011, when the earthquake halted trains, closed the airport, and cut power and water. Inland Morioka was spared the worst, but along the coast, entire towns were lost, a reality that is never far from view.
Accessibility
Two rooms and the main buildings, including the reception lounge and dining hall, are wheelchair accessible. For specific needs, call the resort at +81-50-4561-5181.
Make a trip of it
Morioka sits at the center of a region few visitors to Japan ever think to explore; according to the Japan National Tourism Organization, less than two percent of the country’s inbound tourists make it this far north. From here, the shinkansen connects easily to Aomori, Akita, and Sendai.
