Forest Inn Italian Restaurant was my first Italian food place in Japan when I arrived here in 1998. Located in the snow country of Niigata, the restaurant is a popular location for the MBA students of International University of Japan (IUJ) and also for ski tourists who visit in winter.
Forest Inn offers the right balance of great Italian food, an awesome location in the hills of Niigata and a European interior offering a great experience. Although deep in the interior Japan, courtesy of the International University of Japan in the neighborhood, the restaurant has English speaking staff, and even the menu is available in English. Do not miss the ice cream desserts to complement your Italian lunch/dinner - they're highly recommended.
The restaurant is famous for ski visitors in winter, when most people travel to the nearby ski locations of Hakkai-san and Itsukamachi ski resort. The restaurant is a 5-minute taxi ride from the Urasa shinkansen station. You can also access the restaurant with a 6-minute walk from Yairo Station on the Joetsu Line. The restaurant is closed during the new year holidays, usually from December 28 to January 4, and the regular weekly holiday is on Monday.
The owner himself speaks English and loves conversation with the visitors. The owner usually asks the first time visitor to sign in an Encyclopedia of Geography book, which is full of signatures. You will be asked to sign on the page of your country in that book. The owner also loves cars and owns multiple vintage cars which are usually parked in the parking space. It's a great collection, and worth a look.
Forest Inn holds a bit of nostalgia from when I was new in Japan, and it is no doubt a must visit location when I visit Niigata once every year in winter with my family.
