A couple found an abandoned, 96-year-old home in the Japanese countryside and turned it into an Airbnb. It's available for rent from $113 a night — check it out.

Amanda GohMar 20, 2023, 19:16 IST

The building is situated by a river.Daisuke/Yui Valley

Daisuke Kajiyama and his late wife, Hila, spent two years restoring an abandoned traditional Japanese house.
The couple turned the 96-year-old wooden home into a quaint guesthouse in Shizuoka prefecture of Japan.

After seven years of traveling around the world, Daisuke Kajiyama decided that he wanted to head back to his hometown to start a guesthouse with his late wife Hila.

Daisuke and his late wife, Hila, in their traditional Japanese home.Daisuke/Yui Valley

Kajiyama always knew he wanted his guesthouse to be a traditional Japanese home, but finding the right one to fix up wasn't easy.

The exterior of the abandoned traditional house that Kajiyama ended up renovating.Daisuke/Yui Valley

When Kajiyama finally managed to get in touch with the owner, he was met with a lot of skepticism. The owner felt the structures had deteriorated so severely that they weren't livable.

Everything in the home was as it was on the day that the previous owners left.Daisuke/Yui Valley

When Kajiyama finally managed to get in touch with the owner, he was met with a lot of skepticism. The owner felt the structures had deteriorated so severely that they weren't livable.

Abandoned houses are a common sight in the Japanese countryside, as younger generations move away from their villages in favor of the city, Kajiyama said.

Furniture was left behind.Daisuke/Yui Valley

But Kajiyama's guesthouse plans were ambitious. No one had lived in the house for seven years, and everything had been left the way it was on the day it was abandoned.

There was even leftover food in the fridge.Daisuke/Yui Valley

Kajiyama is not a professional carpenter but says he has some building experience from the odd jobs he picked up while backpacking.

The original bathroom in the guesthouse.Daisuke/Yui Valley

With a tight budget, Kajiyama decided to reuse whatever furniture he could from the original house.

The house had been abandoned for over seven years before Kajiyama and his wife came along.Daisuke/Yui Valley

Kajyama and his late wife started working on the abandoned house in 2012, and it took them about two years to complete the restoration.

The building is situated by a river.Daisuke/Yui Valley

Kajiyama's guesthouse, which has three bedrooms, can be rented for $120 per night on Airbnb.

The living area of the traditional guesthouse after it was restored.Daisuke/Yui Valley

Apart from managing the property and his guests, Kajiyama is also a bamboo farmer.

One of the bedrooms in the ryokan.Daisuke/Yui Valley

Due to the harsh weather, the guesthouse is closed for the winter from mid-November until the end of March.

The kitchen of the restored traditional guesthouse.Daisuke/Yui Valley

Interested guests can also attend a bamboo-weaving workshop that Kajiyama hosts next door.

Kaijiyama's bamboo weaving studio.Daisuke/Yui Valley

The guesthouse is situated between the major cities of Tokyo and Kyoto on the Tokaido Shinkansen line — one of the routes in Japan's bullet train network.

A small yard outside of the traditional guesthouse.Daisuke/Yui Valley

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A couple found an abandoned, 96-year-old home in the Japanese countryside and turned it into an Airbnb. It's available for rent from $113 a night &mdash; check it out.

After seven years of traveling around the world, Daisuke Kajiyama decided that he wanted to head back to his hometown to start a guesthouse with his late wife Hila.

Kajiyama always knew he wanted his guesthouse to be a traditional Japanese home, but finding the right one to fix up wasn't easy.

When Kajiyama finally managed to get in touch with the owner, he was met with a lot of skepticism. The owner felt the structures had deteriorated so severely that they weren't livable.

Abandoned houses are a common sight in the Japanese countryside, as younger generations move away from their villages in favor of the city, Kajiyama said.

But Kajiyama's guesthouse plans were ambitious. No one had lived in the house for seven years, and everything had been left the way it was on the day it was abandoned.

Kajiyama is not a professional carpenter but says he has some building experience from the odd jobs he picked up while backpacking.

With a tight budget, Kajiyama decided to reuse whatever furniture he could from the original house.

Kajyama and his late wife started working on the abandoned house in 2012, and it took them about two years to complete the restoration.

Kajiyama's guesthouse, which has three bedrooms, can be rented for $120 per night on Airbnb.

Apart from managing the property and his guests, Kajiyama is also a bamboo farmer.

Due to the harsh weather, the guesthouse is closed for the winter from mid-November until the end of March.

Interested guests can also attend a bamboo-weaving workshop that Kajiyama hosts next door.

The guesthouse is situated between the major cities of Tokyo and Kyoto on the Tokaido Shinkansen line — one of the routes in Japan's bullet train network.

A couple found an abandoned, 96-year-old home in the Japanese countryside and turned it into an Airbnb. It's available for rent from $113 a night — check it out.