Kiraku Obi

Obi, Nichinan, Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu

Even within Japan, few know about the collection of bukeyashiki — Edo-era samurai houses from the 19th century — in the town of Obi near Kyushu’s southeastern coast. Shrouded in cedar forests, many were abandoned and left to decay in recent decades. Now a company called Kiraku is trying to restore them as private villas, beginning with two that opened this year. The first, Katsume, which can accommodate up to six, is hidden behind a stone gate, and while its exterior and the extensive gardens had been preserved by the local government, the clean-lined interiors have been fully modernized (and include both a kitchen and a washing machine). The other property, Ohya, a five-minute walk away, is a long, one-story structure that was once a gatehouse for a larger samurai estate. In this house, which also sleeps six, there’s a traditional okudosan (stove) that guests are welcome to use. For more history, they can tour the nearby ruins of Obi Castle, a stone and cedar fortress that was originally built in the 15th century, or eat at Gallery Kodama, a merchant-house-turned-restaurant that serves a breakfast of rice, fish, vegetables and a sweet rolled omelet, called tamagoyaki.