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Chojaya is a 250-year-old thatched-roof farmhouse in the village of Shobara, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. It is a traditional kominka-style house which was opened as an exclusive-use, high-end lodging in September 2019 following an extensive refurbishment by social enterprise group Setouchi Cominca Stays. It is part of a regenerative travel initiative, focused on preserving local culture and buildings. So far five houses, all with unique, individual designs have been saved by the group, with more yet to come in the future.
Chojaya was meticulously restored under the direction of Kyoto-based architect Shiro Miura.
Creating places to stay that are special enough to be the purpose of travel and the training of construction workers in regional areas on traditional building techniques are Miura’s driving force. He likes to work with natural materials, in particular stone and wood, making the restoration of the Shobara farmhouses a perfect project for him.
Miura commented:
“Staying in a private house that has a long and strong connection to the land, enables you to fully feel the charm of Shobara in a way that you cannot if just passing through. I want the houses to give people an experience different from their everyday, that will give them a fresh, new type of happiness from travelling.”
Surrounded by terraced rice paddy fields in the remote village of Shobara, Chojaya combines authentic Japanese architectural features (a thatched roof, wood-timbered roofs, engawa porches and beautifully-textured washi used on the walls and sliding doors) with modern conveniences and 21st-century comforts.
Find out more about the houses here cominca-stays.com