Furano, JapanNakafurano
Element
Contemporary Hokkaido barn inn
Contemporary Hokkaido barn inn
Run by its owners, this four-room inn functions like a modern country home centered around a wood-burning fireplace.
What it’s good at
Notable
Barn-style architecture built with salvaged timber beams under high vaulted ceilings.
What they say
Michelin Selected
Michelin
Few boutique hotels in Japan are as unmistakably modern as Element, Nakafurano, established in 2017 by a husband-and-wife team of hoteliers.
Somewhere quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Furano town and ski slopes sit a short drive away, while summer brings blooming lavender fields across Nakafurano.
The rooms
Second-floor rooms sit beneath pitched ceilings with raised tatami areas, while downstairs spaces look straight onto the fields.
The bathhouse
The private bathhouse holds a deep soaking tub made of fragrant koyamaki wood and two sit-down shower stalls.
At the table
Breakfast brings warm soup, homemade jams, and eggs served with produce from neighboring Furano farms.
How it began
After restoring an abandoned farmhouse nearby, owners Ken and Chie built this inn using salvaged timbers from dismantled regional barns.
The app
Like this one? There are so many more.
Swipe any city’s hotels and heart the ones you love. The app gets your taste.
Our shorthand
How we rate hotels.
The medals
Gold
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Silver
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
Bronze
They did this well. You’ll notice.
Listed
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Design
Built around a vision. Even the door handles have a designer.
Luxe
Cared for at every turn. The bath is drawn before you ask.
Local
It could only be here. You wake up knowing where you are.
Social
Where the city goes out. The bar is full and the night is young.
Heritage
A building with a story. Once a palace, a monastery, a station.
Wellness
You leave feeling new. Rest, sweat, soak and sleep like a stone.
Classic
The city grew up with it. Same rituals, same regulars, same bar.
Resort
A world of its own. Something to do from breakfast to nightcap.
The scene
Lively
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Central
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Secluded
A place apart: the property is the destination.