Message from Chairman & CEO

Let's make exciting J-hopping!

Hospitality on the road
When I was on a trans-Eurasia motorbiking trip in 2000-2001 (the site is here ), I got heartwarming help from many people in every country that I passed. A Polish artist put me up in his place and offered me his wife's special dinner. A Nepalese guy who worked for a buffalo BBQ restaurant took me to local noted places he was proud of. A French accountant invited me to his favorite restaurant, which was nice and reasonable too. I could have never have experienced the taste of the food without him. I received countless goodwills on the road and all the experiences are deeply engraved on my mind.

Action to the guesthouse in Kyoto
As I was crossing deserted Iranian Highlands, I was considering what to do after my travels. Then I thought it is my turn to welcome foreign travelers in my hometown Kyoto. I want to help them experience travel to Kyoto and Japan more interestingly. And running a guesthouse is the best way to do it, isn't it? Coming back home, I bought a small building near Kyoto station. It is 10 years old and used to be a boutique. I remodeled it into a cosy and functional guesthouse which can be a foothold for tourists to travel the Kyoto and Kansai area.

Japan with many tourism resources
What is your image about Japan? A country of high-tech industry? People's cramped life in overpopulated cities or healthy Sushi and Tofu? You probably don't still think of a samurai and a geisha having a date at the temple now (^_^; ) . Actually Japan has many other attractive faces. For example, once you leave the city and visit the countryside, you will find its splendid nature and wildlife (Do you know nearly 70% of Japan is still forest?). And you might be surprised with our unique culture and lifestyle different from any other Asian countries.

You might say Japan is one of the toughest countries for backpackers because of its high prices, geographical remoteness and the language barrier. You may be right, but this kind of discontent will be considerably eased by proper information from local sources. We would like to provide this kind of useful information and advise our guests with full hospitality. And we hope you enjoy "Japan hopping" as reasonably and comfortably as possible and understand this mysterious country more.

Akihito IIDA