Itsukiri -Itsukiri-, a retreat set in the satoyama countryside of Isumi, Chiba, is hosting a special two-night-only gastronomy event on September 8 (Tuesday) and 9 (Wednesday), 2026. Titled "Resonating Terroir - Land and Sea," the event welcomes Daiki Horita, owner-chef of VILLA COMMUNICO, a gastronomy auberge in Nara, for a rare collaboration with Itsukiri's executive chef, Ai Kimura.
Nara and Boso
Though rooted in different landscapes, the two chefs share a common philosophy: cooking alongside producers and letting the land's own character appear on the plate. Each brings the terroir of his or her home ground to build a single, unified course.
The event goes beyond dinner alone. It is designed as an overnight gastronomy experience centered on the stay at Itsukiri itself.
Wrapped in the quiet of the satoyama, guests can unwind in Boso's rare black-water natural hot spring and sauna, then gather around a bonfire to savor the afterglow of the meal. Cuisine, hot springs, nature, and the passage of time that flows through the land come together in a two-night retreat unlike any other.
VILLA COMMUNICO: Conveying the Terroir of Nara
At the foot of Mount Wakakusa in Nara stands VILLA COMMUNICO, a five-room gastronomy auberge. (https://villa-communico.com/)
"Communico" comes from the Latin word meaning "to share." The Michelin-starred property is built around sharing Nara's history, culture, nature, and the spirit of its producers with guests through both cuisine and the stay itself.
Deeply rooted in the terroir of the ancient capital, the cuisine centers on wood-fire cooking inspired by the Mount Wakakusa yamayaki fire festival and local Shinto rituals, capturing the memory of the land and the changing seasons on each plate. The guest rooms, meanwhile, are themed around five natural elements - fire, water, earth, wind, and wood - turning the stay itself into a way of sensing the spirit of Nara.
Expressing the scenery, culture, and daily life woven into the land through food, VILLA COMMUNICO has become one of Japan's leading gastronomy auberges, telling the story of its terroir through every course.
Itsukiri: Savoring the Satoyama of Boso
Set in the rich satoyama countryside of Isumi, Chiba, Itsukiri -Itsukiri- is a retreat that opened in July 2023. Working alongside local producers and fishermen, it has championed the food culture unique to the region.
Using the abundant ingredients nurtured by Boso's sea and satoyama, Itsukiri offers a stay built around savoring the terroir itself. Rather than simply a place to sleep, it aims to be a destination that lets guests connect with the land's rhythm of time, seasons, and daily life, leaving a lasting impression.
Sourcing largely within a 20-kilometer radius, the kitchen draws on seasonal ingredients from producers and fishermen in Isumi and the outer Boso coast, reflecting the food culture born where the sea meets the satoyama and pursuing a local gastronomy that expresses the region's terroir.
Mountains and Sea, Fire and Water - Two Terroirs in Dialogue for One Night Only
The bounty of the land nurtured by the mountains of Yoshino, Nara.
The rich ingredients nurtured by the sea and satoyama of outer Boso.
Chef Horita's powerful wood-fire cooking meets Chef Kimura's delicate expression of the sea and satoyama's seasonal character. The two terroirs will resonate together, rising as a single course for one special night.
On the day, Chef Horita's signature wood-fire cooking will be prepared live in the courtyard, visible from the dining seats, letting guests experience not just the food but the flicker of the flames and the aroma as part of the evening.
An Experience That Extends Beyond the Meal
On the day of the event, the experience extends well beyond the meal itself. After dinner, guests can gather around a bonfire to talk and let the quiet of the satoyama settle in, or unwind in the natural hot spring and sauna while savoring the story the two chefs have told through their cooking.
Central to Itsukiri's approach is a stay built around savoring the terroir itself, rather than simply providing a place to sleep. The retreat aims to let guests take in the surrounding satoyama scenery, the fields and forests that change with the seasons, the ingredients they nurture, and the work of local producers, along with the time and air that flow through the land.
Boso's rare black-water natural hot spring is among the retreat's features. Rich in organic compounds derived from ancient plants, the dark brown water is known for its smooth, gentle texture. Together with open-air and semi-open-air baths and a sauna, it offers a chance to unwind body and mind amid the quiet of the satoyama.
A New Chapter by the Sea: Onjuku Itsukiri Opens July 2026
Following Itsukiri -Itsukiri- in Isumi, a new stay will open in July 2026 in Onjuku, Chiba: Onjuku Itsukiri. (https://itsukiri-onjuku.com/)
The new retreat sits directly on Onjuku Beach, known for the song "Tsuki no Sabaku" (Moon over the Desert), in a rare location just steps from the water. It will offer ten suite- and villa-type rooms as a coastal, satoumi retreat.
Every room will include an open-air bath fed by natural hot spring water, along with a private sauna and cold-plunge bath. Some rooms will also feature an infinity pool overlooking the point where sea and sky meet, offering the open, tranquil feel unique to a stay by the coast.
The cuisine will center on a Japanese full-course menu themed around savoring the bounty of Onjuku as a satoumi retreat, combining the seafood of outer Boso with the bounty of its satoyama to express the memory and seasonal change of a land shaped by the sea.
Together, Itsukiri in the satoyama of Isumi and Onjuku Itsukiri on the coast of Onjuku will continue to offer stays built around savoring the terroir itself, spanning the range from mountain to sea.
Chef Profiles
Daiki Horita (VILLA COMMUNICO)
Owner-Chef
Born in Nara City, Nara Prefecture, in 1982. He moved to Italy in 2005, training primarily at Il Sole in Bologna. After returning to Japan, he gained experience at Ristorante Canobiano Kyoto and Ristorante I Lunga, then studied French technique at L'Embellir Kyoto from 2014. In 2015, he became chef at Abbots.
In 2018, he opened his own restaurant, communico, in Higashi-Ikoma, Nara. Praised for cuisine that delved deeply into Nara's terroir and food culture, the restaurant earned two toques in the Gault & Millau guide for four consecutive years. It also received a star in the Michelin Guide Nara Special Edition in both 2022 and 2023.
In 2024, he opened VILLA COMMUNICO, a five-room gastronomy auberge at the foot of Mount Wakakusa in Nara Park. Centered on primal wood-fire cooking, he pursues a singular gastronomy built around expressing Nara's history, culture, and terroir through both cuisine and the stay itself.
Driven by a deep love for the Nara where he was born and raised, he continues to engage with the region's producers and culture while sharing Nara's food culture with audiences in Japan and abroad.
VILLA COMMUNICO
https://villa-communico.com/
Ai Kimura (Itsukiri -Itsukiri-)
Executive Chef
Born in Isumi, Chiba Prefecture.
After working in the financial industry, she moved into cooking and trained formally in French cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu Tokyo.
Following her studies, she gained experience at renowned restaurants in Japan and abroad, including Lance Yanagidate, L'Art et la Maniere, and Gordon Ramsay at Conrad Tokyo.
In 2012, she opened the French restaurant Cheval de Hyotan in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.
The restaurant was named a Michelin Bib Gourmand for two consecutive years.
She has served as an Isumi Ambassador since 2022.
In 2023, she received the Bronze Award in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' Ryori Masters awards.
She became executive chef of Itsukiri in 2024.
In 2025, she received a special award at the Chiba Gastronomy Award 2025 and was also listed in the French restaurant guide Gault & Millau 2026.
Valuing her relationships with local producers and fishermen, she develops a local gastronomy that draws on the bounty of Boso's sea and satoyama.
Event Overview
Event name: Resonating Terroir - Land and Sea
Dates: September 8 (Tuesday) and 9 (Wednesday), 2026
Time: 6:00 PM, all guests seated together
Venue: Itsukiri -Itsukiri-, 2891 Shimobuse, Isumi, Chiba
Capacity: 20 guests per day
Note: Available only as an overnight package, with accommodation billed separately
Co-hosted by: Women In Gastronomy (WIG), an association for women in the food industry (https://wig-japan.com/)
Reservations and Inquiries
Itsukiri -Itsukiri-
Official website: https://www.itsukiri.com
Phone: 0470-60-6090
Email: itsukiri@itsukiri.com
Reservations close once capacity is reached.
