We will post reports and articles about Mountain life and work style.
MT. Rokko NEIGHBORHOOD guide <1> “renest A HOLIDAY HOME”
We are starting a series of articles that introduce various ROKKONOMAD’s neighbors. The first one is about “renest A HOLIDAY HOME .” It’s a lodging facility that for several years now has embodied a comfortable way to spend time on Mt. Rokko.
A “vacation home” in the immediate vicinity that can be rented by families or friends.
The place where “renest A HOLIDAY HOME” is located used to be operated as an auberge (a restaurant with lodging functions in the suburbs or in places surrounded by nature). A log cabin restaurant was the center of the facility and was surrounded by accommodation buildings.
Since THEN JING YU, a Singaporean, bought the place and became the owner, it has been operated as a rental accommodation. Four of the houses are used as lodgings, and another is rented out for events. At this time of the year (March), there are many uses, such as groups of students staying here for graduation trips, families of close friends renting buildings for their children’s graduation from kindergarten or nursery school, as well as two generation families and their parents renting. There are currently no weekend vacancies.
In other cases, people use the log houses for photography or for sound recording of music, etc. They take advantage of the quiet environment that allows for concentration on such activities. The space is also used as a place for groups of yoga enthusiasts to gather and stay together, inviting a teacher to teach them yoga.
Before COVID, inbound tourism was strong and there were many foreign group bookings, but currently the focus is on domestic customers. It has become a focus of “micro-tourism,” where people in the Kansai area and other areas in close proximity to each other enjoy basking in the sun.
The kitchen, living room, bathroom, wood-burning stove are more than enough to serve as a “home.” It’s a perfect place to relax and make a meal in a warm room.
In contrast to the restrictions on eating at restaurants in the city to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, this environment is a great opportunity for families to have dinner and relax in a cozy room without worrying about time limits. Outside, the air is nice and nature so beautiful. Also one does not need to worry about telling children “Don’t make noise! Be Quite!” You can enjoy the stress-free environment of the mountains.
Investment potential + living value
The owner, THEN JING YU, came to Japan almost 10 years ago and looked around at various places such as Hokkaido, Karuizawa, Hakone, and Fukuoka as candidates, but finally decided to invest in a property on Mt. Rokko. Needless to say, he felt the potential of having the extraordinary value of being so close to the city, but at the same time, having an environment where he and his family, who were raising a small child, could live. Mt. Rokko has a post office, kindergarten and elementary school, so it is a very nice place to live. The temperature is cooler than in the city, but not too cold, with a difference of about five degrees.
Last year, in accordance with the “With Corona” work style, his company also purchased a three-story building near the Rokko Cable’s Sanjo Station. It used to be a recreational facility, and is currently undergoing renovation to become a co-working space. It is expected to be operational within the next month or two.
Rokko has a long history as a “resort on the mountain,” and the image of how the place is used is gradually beginning to be renewed as a space for micro tourism and satellite offices in this new age of decentralized offices. We can expect to see more and more examples of diversified uses of the mountain top in the near future.
(Column Writer: Youhei Yasuda Photo: Iku Fujita)
