Tsubaki Resort: A Beautiful Japanese Winter Escape with Room to Grow
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) | Winter Resort | L$1,000–4,000/week | RECOMMENDED
Theme: Japanese Winter Retreat (mostly)
Best For: Couples, explorers, photographers, value-conscious renters
Price, 1000-4000L a week
Created by Maison de Fleur, a well-known landscaping studio, this resort promises, on its Facebook page, “a truly authentic Japanese snowy landscape and experiences that warm the heart.”
And on visual impact alone, it delivers: snow-dusted forests, lantern-lit paths, and chalets that look like they come from a Hokkaido postcard. Unfortunately, the journey to understanding Tsubaki is more confusing than it needs to be.
Arrival - beautiful and silent
You arrive in a handsome reception lodge, complete with a rental map and bicycle rezzer outside. The quality is apparent; the snow-filtered light is wonderful, and at first glance, everything appears coherent.
But then the questions start.
A row of Lovense HUD terminals sits on the wall without explanation. Who are they for? Staff? Guests? For an undefined adult club?
A commercial town lies below, shops, buildings, no stated purpose.
Amenities like the Onsen/Geisha house are hidden like a secret level.
Nothing is signposted. Nothing is explained. There is no notecard, no welcome board, no menu of facilities. The constant question is “Why are these here? Where do I go? What happens in this building?”
Most of this is very fixable; add some signage and explanation.
The Highlight - Ryokan Style Chalets
However, where the resort truly shines is in its accommodations.
We rented a chalet for L$2,000 per week, good value, considering some SL resorts charge that much per night.
Stay here and you can expect:
Tatami floors and shoji screens
A stone-lined bath on raked sand
Sea and mountain panoramas
High-quality furnishings, such as a Good Moaning bed
These chalets alone justify the trip. If Tsubaki focused solely on this Japanese alpine aesthetic, it would comfortably be one of SL’s premier seasonal destinations.
The Landscape
Another highlight is the beautiful landscaping. Maison de Fleur’s touch is unmistakable:
Frozen forests
Lantern-lit walkways
A yoga terrace under the snow
Occasional community stations (we stumbled on a winter baking stand)
The photography opportunities are superb. The overall vibe is quiet and elegant.
Activities without a story
Tsubaki is full of activities, but you need to find them yourself. We found:
Baking stations in the hills
Pottery class flyers
A beach with surfboards and loungers (But in December, in Japan?)
Surfboards and loungers
A beachside restaurant, with a slightly confusing design, where Maya pointed out that “These seafood tables are very American Bayou, not Japan.”
Snorkelling gear
A submarine rezzer
A whole underwater world: glowing flora, shipwreck, there’s even what looks like underwater dance pods with tip jars, which might explain the Lovense HUDs we saw at reception? On its own, this would work. But we wondered what it was doing in a Japanese Winter resort.
Everything is beautifully made, but without explanation, it feels like different Sims layered on top of each other, with a few elements clashing with the central theme.
In summary - The Good
Stunning chalets
Top-tier winter landscaping
Fair rental pricing
Huge exploration potential
Photography heaven
The not-so-good
No onboarding, no signs, no narrative
In places themes fight rather than blend
Adult elements appear without context
Facilities feel scattered rather than curated
Verdict
The Japanese chalets and winter landscape are first-class and worth the trip alone. But the resort dilutes its own strengths with conflicting themes and zero explanation.
If the owners pruned distractions, added orientation, and told a coherent story, Tsubaki could become one of Second Life’s defining seasonal destinations.
For now: Go for the chalets, stay for the snow, and treat everything else as bonus content.
Recommended. A few decisions away from greatness.
