The other day, something really happy happened ❣️ A group from a certain prefecture’s chamber of commerce came to visit Watausagi as a successful example of vacant-home revitalization 💓
Watausagi is a guesthouse that was born from restoring what used to be a vacant single-family home.
Before opening, I worked through everything step by step—from renovating the empty house, to building the business plan, securing permits and licenses, and choosing every piece of equipment—steadily, one piece at a time.
At that time, I also received support through a grant from the Tsuruoka Land Bank,
and that small house was finally able to stand at the starting line—as a “guesthouse.”
That connection is what led to this—an opportunity I’m truly honored to have received.
🏡 As a successful vacant-home revitalization example, a group from another prefecture’s chamber of commerce came to visit us
At the request of the Tsuruoka Land Bank,
a group from another prefecture’s chamber of commerce visited Watausagi for a study tour as a “successful example of vacant-home utilization.”
That day, a sightseeing bus pulled up in front of Watausagi,
and seeing so many people looking with genuine interest at the entrance and the facilities made my chest warm and full.
“So this house used to be vacant, right?”
“So a place like this can work even out in the countryside?”
“What kind of guests stay here?”
矢継ぎ早にそんなご質問をいただいて、興味を持っていただけることがとても光栄で誇らしかったです✨
今までの苦労がすっと報われた気がしました✨
The vacant-home issue has become a nationwide challenge.
So I’m truly happy that the Watausagi example could be seen as one small part of the solution.
🏠 Lately, I’ve been getting more and more inquiries about “wanting to start a vacation rental”
Recently, it’s not only guests who stay here, but also…
* People who own a vacant house * People interested in starting a vacation rental * People who don’t know where to begin
I’ve been getting more and more inquiries like that.
Each time, I’m reminded of this:
There’s still so much room for what vacation rentals can do—precisely because we’re in the countryside.
That said, it’s not an easy path.
To be honest, I’ve been learning through trial and error ever since opening.
The flow of travelers changes with the seasons, and sometimes you have to adjust pricing depending on demand.
Then there are the efforts to improve guest satisfaction, tweaks to the facilities, and relationships with the local community…
It’s been a constant stream of things you can only see once you actually try.
But after all those layers of experience, I’ve finally started to feel it—
“Okay. This is something I can keep going.”
🐰 For those about to start a vacation rental— I want you to succeed without getting lost
For anyone who wants to take on a vacation rental by using a vacant house,
I hope you can get there with as few detours as possible—without getting lost, and with real success.
That’s my honest wish, as someone who runs one.
To keep a vacation rental going in a rural area,
✔ 自己犠牲に頼らない働き方
✔ 地域に溶け込む姿勢
✔ 小さくても心地よい設備づくり
✔ 柔軟に変化できる運営力
I’ve come to feel deeply that these four are essential.
🌸 Watausagi is still on its journey, too
This time, we were visited as a “successful example,”
but Watausagi is still very much a work in progress.
In running a guesthouse, “keeping it going” is the hardest part— and also the most valuable part.
The ideas that make travelers love it, the ways of engaging that make the community glad, and the flexibility to keep changing with the times.
Without forgetting any of that, I want to keep nurturing it steadily, one step at a time.
One house that used to be vacant
now welcomes travelers, connects with local people,
and has become a place that—however modestly—can be of use to someone.
そのことが、何よりの喜びです💓
まだまだ私にできること、わたうさぎが存続する意義を考え続けていきたいと思います🥰
ゲストハウスわたうさぎは、昭和２８年に立てられた古家を再生してオープンしました。
民泊で働きたい、民泊を運営することに興味がある方、ぜひご一報くださいね❣️
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