In Narai-juku, known as one of the 69 post towns on the Nakasendo highway, a new complex facility has opened, comprising six elements: an accommodation facility, a hot spring facility, a restaurant, a bar, a gallery, and a sake brewery, all renovated from a former sake brewery. It inherits the history of the sake brewery and allows visitors to experience the unique local culture of Narai-juku.

In Narai, Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture, a small-scale complex facility, renovated from a sake brewery, was opened in August 2021. The project was planned and developed jointly by Takenaka Corporation and 47PLANNING. This initiative is part of a project to realize the "Utilization of Historic Buildings and Cultural Resources" under a partnership agreement between Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture, and Takenaka Corporation, aimed at contributing to the creation of a sustainable society and the resolution of regional issues.

This project involved the renovation of "Sugino Mori Brewery," built approximately 200 years ago, and the "Former Hoihoi Inn" in Narai-juku, a post town on the Nakasendo highway designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, with the aim of preserving historic settlements and townscapes across Japan, such as castle towns, post towns, and temple towns. It opens as a small-scale complex facility consisting of six components: the accommodation facility "BYAKU Narai," a restaurant, a sake brewery, a bar, a hot spring facility, and a gallery.

The accommodation facility "BYAKU Narai" is the first facility under "BYAKU," a new hotel brand developed by 47PLANNING. As a place where guests can experience the unique culture passed down through the town and buildings of Narai-juku, it offers enjoyment of the changing seasons, buildings where history breathes, and the beauty of crafts cherished since the Edo period.

The restaurant "Kura" (くら) offers a new culinary experience by adding a modern interpretation to the ingredients nurtured by the climate and soil of Narai-juku, and the living culture passed down by the local people. It aims to not only provide "flavor" as a restaurant by reconstructing the original charm of the land from a contemporary perspective, but also to offer a "culinary experience" that satisfies intellectual curiosity and allows for new discoveries and surprises about the region. Utilizing seasonal ingredients produced locally, the menu features arrangements of local traditional dishes and cooking methods. For "BYAKU Narai" guests, breakfast and dinner plans are available.

Furthermore, the visible sake brewery "suginomori brewery," which brews the new sake "narai" as Japan's highest altitude brewery, the bar "TASTING BAR suginomori" for savoring local culture, the gallery "hoihoi" that inherits the history and life of Narai-juku, and the hot spring facility "SAN-SEN" for immersing oneself in the headwaters of the Shinano River, are scheduled to open sequentially from the autumn of 2021.