TAKAMATSU -- A towering castle keep and a Japanese garden. The dignified mansion of a former construction company president in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, has been converted into a hotel where guests can rent the entire property.
New lifestyle habits are required to prevent infection with the new coronavirus, and the hotel is drawing attention as an "indoor vacation accommodation plan" that can avoid the so-called three Cs -- closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings.
The mansion is called the Anabuki Residence, and was built in 1970 by Natsuji Anabuki, who developed Anabuki Construction Inc. into a nationally renowned company. Four generations -- from Anabuki's parents through his grandchildren -- lived there. The house had been vacant since 2014, but Anabuki's grandson Eitaro, 36, began to renovate it in the spring of 2019. "Whole mansion rentals" began in October.
After working at a hotel in Shanghai, Eitaro returned to Takamatsu to manage English conversation schools and operate guesthouses for short-stay tourists. He lived in the mansion until he was a junior high school student, and he thought of using it as a luxurious accommodation because he expected the number of foreign visitors to Japan to increase.
"I can't bear to sell the house where I lived with my grandparents and parents since I was born," Eitaro said.
The 888-square-meter premises feature a residence with a castle keep and a Japanese garden with a more than 100-year-old pine tree. All five bedrooms are equipped with two beds each, and if futons are laid out in a Japanese-style room, 12 people can stay there.
There is also a living room where everyone can eat together, or watch movies and TV dramas on a large screen, and a kitchen with a variety of cooking utensils.
In addition, there are options such as an authentic Italian dinner made by visiting chefs, a garden barbecue and pruning bonsai trees with artisans. Guests can also enjoy customized plans such as Sanuki udon noodle-making, cruising and cycling.
Currently, Eitaro is offering a special price of 150,000 yen per night, discounted from the usual 200,000, yen as a "vacation plan to avoid the three Cs." Guests from Kagawa Prefecture will get an additional 10% off. A two-night stay is 200,000, yen and a three-night stay 300,000 yen.
There is also a "limited day use" plan that enables guests to rent the mansion for six hours for lunch or dinner for 50,000 yen.
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