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Travel Guide
A kominka — a traditional Japanese house — works differently from a hotel. Here, up front, are the things first-time guests most often find surprising.
A stay that feels like renting a home
These are not large buildings with a front desk, but inns shaped like ordinary houses. Some rent you the whole house; another is a small inn with just four rooms. What they share is the intimacy of a home — in exchange, what the inn does for you (meals, laying out the futon, and so on) varies from inn to inn. Check each inn's page before you book.
Where do I book?
Each inn's page on this site carries that inn's own booking channels. For inns you can reach directly on LINE, starting with a chat about dates and group size is the surest route. For inns booked through their official site or a booking site, use those buttons.
What staying in an old house means
A house more than a century old is not as quiet or as airtight as a newly built hotel. Floors creak, and in winter you feel the cold beyond the sliding doors. That, too, is part of the house's time. Heating and cooling differ from inn to inn, so if a season concerns you, ask before booking.
Being a good neighbor
Kominka inns stand in residential streets and town centers. Voices at night carry further than you expect. The neighbors are going about their ordinary lives — a stay that keeps this in mind is what allows this way of traveling to continue.