A Journey Designed for You

[Short Stay] Stay in a Traditional Thatched Villa in Miyama and Discover the Picturesque Countryside of Rural Kyoto

Overview

When we think of Kyoto, the great city of history and culture itself naturally springs to mind. And yet there is another Kyoto far beyond the temples and palaces of the Thousand-Year Capital, a countryside populated by those who have worked the land for hundreds of years. In this exclusive Wabunka itinerary, you will stay in a traditional-style thatched villa in the town of Miyama and participate in a hands-on thatching experience to explore the unique local culture and idyllic natural beauty of the picturesque rural regions of Kyoto prefecture.

location_on Kyoto

schedule 1 night

account_balance_wallet from ¥116,700 / group

group 1 - 10 participants

record_voice_over Available in English

event_available Cancel free up to 24 days prior

*The indicated price is a reference estimate based on the selection of all listed content. Each component can be arranged individually. The price represents the lowest available rate. Please note that prices are subject to change based on the season and room availability.

*The itinerary and prices depicted are a model plan. Itineraries can be customized at guest request, so please feel free to enquire.

*For groups of three and more, an additional fee applies. Please contact us for more information.

*If fewer than 2 participants, the minimum fee will be JPY ¥116,700.

Itinerary Highlights

Miyama FUTON & Breakfast	The 6 villas of Miyama FUTON & Breakfast provide guests with a unique opportunity to stay in the kind of traditional rural Japanese homes that have existed for centuries. With this Wabunka plan, you will enjoy a private stay at the Honkan, a 150-year old thatched house that has been recognized by the Japanese government as a Tangible Cultural Property.
Thatching Experience	Traditional thatched roofs (known as kayabuki-yane in Japanese) require ongoing upkeep and maintenance. To learn the secrets of this ancient roofing technique, you will participate in a hands-on thatching experience led by professional thatchers. As this experience is only available from late-March to November, guests visiting outside those months can take part in a mochi-making experience with local residents instead.

Miyama FUTON & Breakfast

The 6 villas of Miyama FUTON & Breakfast provide guests with a unique opportunity to stay in the kind of traditional rural Japanese homes that have existed for centuries. With this Wabunka plan, you will enjoy a private stay at the Honkan, a 150-year old thatched house that has been recognized by the Japanese government as a Tangible Cultural Property.

Thatching Experience

Traditional thatched roofs (known as kayabuki-yane in Japanese) require ongoing upkeep and maintenance. To learn the secrets of this ancient roofing technique, you will participate in a hands-on thatching experience led by professional thatchers. As this experience is only available from late-March to November, guests visiting outside those months can take part in a mochi-making experience with local residents instead.

*The itinerary depicted is a model itinerary – transportation arrangements, schedule, and length of stay can all be modified to suit guest needs. Please enquire for itinerary details.

Details

Day 1 | 2:00 PM

Explore the Countryside of Kyoto where Villages with Thatched Roofs Endure Between the Mountains

The gassho-zukuri houses of Shirakawa-go in Gifu and Gokayama in Toyama with their steep thatched roofs are justly renowned as enduring examples of traditional Japanese rural architecture. And yet thatched-roof houses were once very common, providing homes for countless generations of families across Japan. Situated about 50 kilometers north of the city of Kyoto, the town of Miyama is made up of many small villages found throughout the region’s mountains and valleys.

Many thatched-food buildings endure within the small mountain villages of Miyama *This is an image of Miyama Kayabuki-no-Sato, approximately 20 minutes by car from your accommodation.

Thatched-roof houses remain a common sight in Miyama, with many still occupied as private homes. Set amidst the lush beauty of nature as they are, these traditional buildings blend seamlessly into their surroundings, almost seeming to grow up out of the land itself. The roofs also change with the seasons, turning green in spring and summer and then brown in the fall before their snow-white cloak arrives in the winter.

The thatched roofs of Miyama’s traditional houses seem to grow up out of the land itself

Day 1 | 4:00 PM

Experience a Private Stay at an Authentic Traditional Thatched Home in Miyama

When you arrive at Miyama Futon & Breakfast, spare a moment to take in your surroundings. Ringed by forests and rice fields, these 6 thatched-roof villas provide guests with the authentic sense of staying in a traditional rural house. With this Wabunka plan, you will be staying in the Honkan, a 150-year old thatched-roof house that has been recognized by the Japanese government as a Tangible Cultural Property.

You will stay at the Honkan, a traditional thatched-roof house with over 150 years of history

The Honkan will be all yours for the duration of your stay as your private home in Miyama. From the moment when you step in through the door, you may feel as if you have traveled back in time. On the first floor you will find an irori sunken hearth, the center of a traditional Japanese home where families would gather to warm themselves by the fire and enjoy tea and meals together.

The irori sunken hearth was a gathering place where families could enjoy tea and meals together

As you explore downstairs and upstairs, you will notice that there are some nods to the comforts of modernity in the Honkan, including comfortable tables and chairs. Nevertheless the traditional rural aesthetic is maintained throughout the building, with wooden beams and thatch left openly visible to the eye just as they would have been hundreds of years ago. Soft lighting is provided to enhance the deep glow of the natural materials that comprise the interior of the Honkan.

Wooden beams and thatch are left openly visible to the eye in the Honkan to enhance its sense of timelessness

Day 1 | 7:00 PM

Enjoy a Dinner at Your Accommodation Prepared Using Local Ingredients (Additional Option)

At FUTON & Breakfast you can enjoy a delicious evening meal in the comfort and convenience of your accommodation, perhaps around the irori sunken hearth. Depending on the day of your arrival, this dinner will be prepared for you by a local restaurant called Yoshino or a small family ryokan known as Kigusuriya. Both emphasize locally-produced ingredients from the Miyama area, crafting delicious dishes that reflect the bounty of the seasons.

Enjoy dinner in the comfort and convenience of your accommodation (additional fees apply)

Day 2 | 8:00 AM

Make the Most of Your Morning with a Hearty Breakfast Featuring Delicious Local Ingredients

The name Miyama FUTON & Breakfast is a Japanese take on the Bed & Breakfast popular in Western countries. Futons and blankets provide you with a good night’s sleep in the traditional Japanese way, while your morning meal takes inspiration from Western-style breakfasts made fresh by fine local ingredients such as Miyama milk yogurt, Miyama blueberry jam, and scrambled Miyama eggs.

Enjoy a Western-style breakfast made fresh by fine local Miyama ingredients

Day 2 | 10:00 AM

Learn How to Thatch a Traditional Roof with a Hands-on Experience

Thatching is a traditional building technique, passed down through generations over thousands of years (in England, the surname Thatcher belonged to artisans of the practice long before it arrived at 10 Downing Street). Thatching generally utilizes whatever local vegetation works best, with Japanese thatched roofs (kayabuki-yane) most often constructed using susuki grass, yoshi reeds and wara straw.

In Japan, thatched roofs (kayabuki-yane) were traditionally constructed using dried susuki grass, yoshi reeds, and wara straw

To try your hand at this ancient art yourself, don a traditional blue happi coat and white tenugui head towel to participate in Miyama FUTON & Breakfast’s unique thatching experience. Led by seasoned thatchers, this unique hands-on experience offers the opportunity to understand the fascinating levels of thought and craftsmanship involved with transforming living plants into the graceful structures that adorn the tops of buildings all around you in Miyama. Division of labor is crucial to thatching, so your leader will be sure to show you the different roles and different tools required to produce a perfect thatched roof.

Learn the techniques of traditional Japanese thatching in this unique hands-on experience

While the thatching experience is only available from late-March to November, guests who arrive outside the thatching off-season can participate in the Japanese tradition of mochitsuki. Mochitsuki, a beloved tradition at New Year among many Japanese families, is the process of preparing mochi, a soft and slightly chewy Japanese treat made by pounding steamed rice. Led by local residents, you can try this in the traditional way, striking the rice with a wooden mallet until it is ready to be enjoyed as delicious chewy mochi.

Try your hand at pounding rice into delicious mochi with a wooden mallet

Please note as well that if you wish to explore more of the local area during your stay in Miyama, you can borrow bicycles free of charge as a special benefit only available to Wabunka customers. Pedal leisurely along meandering country roads through rustic villages with thatched-roof houses set against a background of lush forests and clear fast-flowing rivers.

Immerse Yourself in the Traditions of the Japanese Countryside with an Overnight Stay in Miyama

It might be said that while the cities of a nation often stand at the cutting edge of cultural innovation, the countryside is often the guardian of long-cherished traditions. Many travelers search far and wide for a place in Japan where they can catch a glimpse of traditional rural life, where houses are still built in the way they were for hundreds of years. Despite being located just an hour and a half’s drive from the city of Kyoto, Miyama is still a place where this is possible.

Experience the warmth of small town life in the Japanese countryside

At Miyama FUTON & Breakfast, you can catch more than just a glimpse or a couple of photographs of traditional thatched-roof buildings. Rather, you can actually stay overnight and experience a sense of how these lovingly crafted homes have brought generations of people together around their warm irori hearths.

Miyama FUTON & Breakfast

location_on 52 Shima Kitsuneiwa, Miyama-cho, Nantan-shi, Kyoto

, 601-0751

near_meApproximately 90 minutes by car from Kyoto Station

near_meApproximately 40 minutes by car from Sonobe Station

Things to know

Check-in and Check-out Times	Check-in: From 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM Check-out: Until 10:00 AM
Experience Start Time	<Thatching Experience> Available from late March to November Day 1: From 1:00 PM onward Day 2: From 10:00 AM onward <Making Japanese Mochi> Day 1: From 1:00 PM onward Day 2: From 10:00 AM onward <Free Bicycle Rental> Day 1 or Day 2
Meal Start Times	Breakfast: 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Hotel Facilities	Onsen 　Large bath ✓Free parking 　On-site restaurant 　On-site bar ✓English-speaking staff 　Room service 　24-hour front desk ✓Shuttle service <Shuttle Service to/from Sonobe Station> Outbound: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM Return: 10:00 AM or after the experience Shuttle service to/from Sonobe Station, the nearest station to villa, is available by advance reservation only. Please inform us of your arrival time at Sonobe Station on your check-in date when making your reservation. We kindly ask that reservations or changes be made at least 10 days in advance. Please note that the service may be shared with other guests.
Room Information	Non-smoking Room type (Japanese-style) Bed type (Japanese futon) Room size (200 in square meters) *Room sizes vary depending on the room. Free Wi-Fi available
Amenities	Click here
Price	The price covers accommodation, curated experiences, breakfast and relevant taxes for two adult guests. This plan requires a minimum of 2 people.
Maximum number	Up to 10 people per booking All experiences are private for your group. We do not arrange mixed sessions.
Experience itinerary	Day 1 Check in (3:00 PM - 7:00 PM) With an advance reservation, free pickup from Sonobe Station is available. Dinner (additional option) Day 2* Breakfast (7:30 AM - 9:00 AM) Traditional Thatching Experience or Making Japanese Mochi with local residents (2 hours) You may also enjoy the experience on the first day of your stay. The Traditional Thatching Experience is available only from late March to November. Check out (until 10:00 AM) With an advance reservation, transportation to the nearest station can be arranged either after check-out or after the experience. For Wabunka customers only, bicycles are available free of charge. Feel free to enjoy a ride at your own pace. The itinerary depicted is a model itinerary – transportation arrangements, schedule, and length of stay can all be modified to suit guest needs. Please enquire for itinerary details.
Payment	Payment in advance (Credit card (JPY) only)
Booking deadline	If you wish to arrange the following services, please contact us no later than the deadlines below: <Accommodation / Experience> At least 10 days before the check-in date We may not be able to accommodate your request after the above deadlines, and we appreciate your understanding.
Cancellation policy	You may cancel your reservation and receive a refund as follows: <Accommodation> 24 or more days before the check-in date: 100% refund 23 to 18 days before the check-in date：10% cancellation fee 17 to 11 days before the check-in date：20% cancellation fee 10 to 6 days before the check-in date：30% cancellation fee 5 days before the check-in date：50% cancellation fee 4 days or less before (including same-day cancellation or No-show ): 100% cancellation fee <Experience> 7 or more days before the check-in date: 100% refund 6 to 5 days before the check-in date：50% cancellation fee 4 days or less before (including same-day cancellation or No-show ): 100% cancellation fee Important Notes: Changes to the reservation (including number of guests or schedule) are not permitted after the cancellation policy takes effect. If you wish to make changes, please contact us before the cancellation policy applies.
Guest Requirements	Adult rate applies to 7 years old and over Children under 6 may accompany adults at no extra cost .(Bedding and breakfast are not provided.） <Thatching Experience> Minimum age: 8 years old
Further Remarks	<Check-in and Check-out Information> Check-in/Check-out Counter: 52 Shima Kitsuneiwa, Miyama-cho, Nantan-shi, Kyoto Please check in by 7:00 PM. If there are changes to your arrival time, please contact your accommodation as soon as possible. If you will be arriving by car, each villa has parking available that you can use. Please proceed first to the check-in counter listed above to receive your room key. Please note that all villas are located in separate buildings from the check-in counter. After receiving your key, our staff will guide you to the villa you have booked. If you arrive prior to check-in time, you can store groceries and luggage at the check-in counter. Please return your villa key to the check-in/check-out counter when you check out. Alternatively, you can simply leave your key on the return post located in your villa. Reservations are not available for stays in January and February. Sleepwear is not provided, so guests are kindly requested to bring their own. This plan falls under price category A. <Experience> This experience is conducted privately. Arrival later than 15 minutes after the starting time will result in cancellation. Due to unavoidable circumstances, programs or workshops are subject to last-minute changes and cancellations. From late March to November, you can choose either the thatching experience or the mochi experience. During the rest of the year, the mochi experience will be offered by default. There is no age requirement for overnight stays but participation in the roof thatching experience is usually limited to those 8 years of age and above. If you have younger children who would like to participate, please contact us in advance. Visitors of all ages can participate in the mochi experience. Clothes that you do not mind getting dirty are recommended. Clothing and footwear that are easy to walk around in are recommended. (e.g. pants and sneakers)

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A Journey Designed for You

[Short Stay] Stay in a Traditional Thatched Villa in Miyama and Discover the Picturesque Countryside of Rural Kyoto

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