Title: Benton Guesthouse: Private Countryside Nostalgic Shōwa-era House: Former "Akiya" Reviews, Deals & Photos 2026 - Expedia.co.uk [See all properties](http://www.expedia.co.uk/Hotel-Search?regionId=&adults=2&children=&sort=RECOMMENDED&useRewards=false&semdtl=&userIntent=&vip=false) Entire home # Benton Guesthouse: Private Countryside Nostalgic Shōwa-era House: Former "Akiya" Holiday home with kitchen, steps from Setonaikai National Park ## Photo gallery for Benton Guesthouse: Private Countryside Nostalgic Shōwa-era House: Former "Akiya" ![Interior - Benton Guesthouse: Private Countryside Nostalgic Shōwa-era House: Former "Akiya" (Imabari)](https://images.trvl-media.com/lodging/110000000/109800000/109799400/109799346/4adac8ab.jpg?impolicy=resizecrop&rw=598&ra=fit) ![Exterior - Benton Guesthouse: Private Countryside Nostalgic Shōwa-era House: Former "Akiya" (Imabari)](https://images.trvl-media.com/lodging/110000000/109800000/109799400/109799346/4e7802df.jpg?impolicy=resizecrop&rw=297&ra=fit) ![Interior - Benton Guesthouse: Private Countryside Nostalgic Shōwa-era House: Former "Akiya" (Imabari)](https://images.trvl-media.com/lodging/110000000/109800000/109799400/109799346/5488d391.jpg?impolicy=resizecrop&rw=297&ra=fit) ![Beach - Benton Guesthouse: Private Countryside Nostalgic Shōwa-era House: Former "Akiya" (Imabari)](https://images.trvl-media.com/lodging/110000000/109800000/109799400/109799346/9e72d1d2.jpg?impolicy=resizecrop&rw=297&ra=fit) ![Property grounds - Benton Guesthouse: Private Countryside Nostalgic Shōwa-era House: Former "Akiya" (Imabari)](https://images.trvl-media.com/lodging/110000000/109800000/109799400/109799346/e9c46aca.jpg?impolicy=resizecrop&rw=297&ra=fit) - Overview - Location - Amenities - Policies Immerse yourself in the nostalgic charm of Benton Guesthouse, a lovingly restored Shōwa-era rental. Experience slow life in Japan's countryside, just minutes from the scenic Shimanami Kaido. With traditional Japanese joinery and vintage furnishings, this former abandoned 'akiya' now offers a unique blend of comfort and history. ### Entire home 3 bedrooms1 bathroom1765 sq ft ## Popular amenities - Kitchen - Washing machine - Free Wi-Fi - Air-conditioning - Outdoor space - Parking available ## Add dates for prices Check-in Check-out Travellers ## About this property ### Entire place You'll have the entire home to yourself and will only share it with other guests in your party. ### Benton Guesthouse: Private Countryside Nostalgic Shōwa-era House: Former "Akiya" Our guesthouse is a true Shōwa-era style countryside home. Built in 1953 with traditional Japanese joinery, this house was formerly an 'akiya' abandoned for 10 years. Many of the antique belongings were carefully restored and used to decorate this house. We hope guests will enjoy stepping back in time, with a few modern amenities. The furnishings are simple, era-appropriate, and true to the history of the home. PRIVATE RENTAL HOUSE: We only host one group of guests at a time. There are no "shared spaces". If you're a solo traveler, or a large group, the whole house is private just for you. You have private access to all living spaces: 1 Western-style bedroom suite, 2+ Japanese-style bedrooms, living room, full kitchen, office, bathroom (toilet room, laundry room, shower room), 'doma' entrance room, and traditional 'engwa'. BEDROOM: Western-Style Bedroom Suite (Downstairs): Sleeps 2 in a 'double' size western-style bed. The bed area can be closed off from the sitting area, using the vintage shoji screen doors. YES, this room has air conditioning. BEDROOM: Japanese-Style Bedroom Suite (Downstairs): Sleeps 4 on Japanese floor mats, with tatami mat flooring. This room can be divided into two separate sleeping spaces. It's next to the 'engawa' sunroom, so you can enjoy a lovely golden sunrise. YES, this room has air conditioning. BEDROOM: Japanese-Style Bedroom (Upstairs): Sleeps 4 on Japanese floor mats with tatami mat flooring. Large wooden windows can be opened for a breeze. YES, this room has air conditioning. BATH & SHOWER ROOM: We now have both a bathtub and a shower available. We recently finished renovation of our cast-iron bathtub, which was a real adventure. Please enjoy! TOILET: We have one toilet. We're planning to increase guest capacity from 6 to 10, so we will add a second toilet (this will hopefully be completed by autumn or winter 2025, but is not guaranteed yet). COOLING: For the summer, we have air conditioning in all bedrooms and the living room. Other rooms are cooled with electric fans, or opening the windows (with mosquito screens installed). HEATING: For the winter, we have a mix of electric and kerosene heaters. In traditional Japanese style, we have a cozy 'kotatsu' heated table, 'hanten' house jackets, and slippers. For extra warmth, the bedding closet has more blankets than you could ever need. FULL KITCHEN: We have a 2-burner stovetop, cookware, dishes, glasses, silverware, rice cooker, blender, and a refrigerator. Also, a Keurig coffee maker and instant hot water kettle, with complimentary coffee pods and tea bags. NO microwave. NOTE: Since we do NOT provide guest meals, we've curated a small "convenience store" cupboard with quick meals and snacks you can purchase. Snacks and drinks can also be purchased from our neighbor Rumi-san's corner market and vending machines. TV: We have a vintage TV with a classic Shōwa-era gaming console (Nintendo Famicom), plugged in, and ready to play! There is no broadcast or cable TV. NEIGHBORHOOD: The Kamiura-cho Inokuchi neighborhood is located on the east side of Ōmishima island. It's close to both bridges, which makes it very conveniently located for guests cycling the Shimanami Kaido. We have one grocery store (closed on Sunday) and a handful of delightful restaurants. OUTSIDE: You have access to our semi-private side yard, and our vegetable garden. It's not currently a very usable space, as we're still in the process of building an outdoor sitting and BBQ area. You're welcome to walk through our flower and vegetable garden! Please, enjoy some veggies, if they're in season. YOUR HOSTS: We’re Evan & Dani Benton. We're from the US; we both grew up in Oregon, then lived in Louisiana, then Mexico. Now we've re-planted our roots permanently on Ōmishima island, in rural Japan. We're able to live in Japan as two foreigners thanks to the Startup & Business Manager visa, which is based entirely on the success of our small business, Benton Homestead: honeybees, guesthouse, and natural farm. We're also renovating our own house, a former ryokan abandoned for 40 years! RENOVATION: You can look back to watch the whole process of transforming this formerly abandoned 'akiya' into our guesthouse! We encourage you to visit our YouTube channel (Benton Homestead Japan) to see the love and hard work we've poured into this house. WHAT'S NEXT?: While this guesthouse is perfectly functional and comfortable, we plan to continue restoration projects over the next few years. What you're seeing now is "Phase 2". Each guest helps fund future renovation projects, to make this guesthouse even better. Thank you!!! VINTAGE RETRO SHOP: We have a small "shop" for vintage and retro items that we've found in our two 'akiya' abandoned homes, located in our 'doma' front entrance room. The items range from antique to vintage and retro, from the 1940s to 1970s. Eventually, the retro shop will expand into the large garage space, adjacent to our guesthouse. \* \* \* \* \* YouTube » @BentonHomestead IG » @BentonHomestead FB » Benton Homestead MyShopify (Honey + Retro) » BentonHomesteadJapan \* \* \* \* \* Note 1: Benton Homestead's business office is located in one room of the guesthouse. It has it's own private entrance, completely separate from your guest space. Even though it would not interfere with privacy, we do not enter the office while hosting guests. Note 2: There is a large garage on the property, separate from the guesthouse. We're in the process of renovating this into a roadside farm-stand and retro shop. While this is a completely separate building, we still take great caution to ensure guest privacy. To be very clear: the whole guesthouse is your private space; there are no "shared spaces". We're attentive hosts, but we do not live on-site. Our house is just down the street, so we're easily available when needed. We enjoy meeting guests, and have a lot of love for Ōmishima and the surrounding area, so we're happy to answer questions! ## Property amenities ### Internet - Available in the house: Free WiFi ### Parking and transport - Parking on site ### Kitchen - Blender - Coffee/tea maker - Cookware, dishware, and utensils - Hob - Oven - Paper towels - Refrigerator - Spices ### Dining - Dining table ### Bedrooms - 3 bedrooms - Bedsheets provided ### Bathroom - 1 bathroom - Bathtub or shower - Hair dryer - Shampoo - Soap - Toilet paper - Towels provided ### Living spaces - Dining table - Living room ### Entertainment - Books - TV - Video games ### Outdoor areas - Garden ### Laundry - Laundry facilities - Washing machine ### Work spaces - Desk - Desk chair ### Comfort - Air conditioning - Heating ### Pets - No pets allowed ### Suitability/Accessibility - If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking. - 2 steps to reach entrance - Handrails in stairways - Upper floors accessible by stairs only - Smoke-free property ### Services and conveniences - Change of bedsheets (on request) - Housekeeping on request ### Location highlights - In a village - Near the sea ### Things to do - Bicycle parking - Cycling nearby - Fishing nearby - Hiking/biking trails nearby - Swimming nearby ### Safety features - Carbon monoxide detector (host has indicated there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property) - Smoke detector (host has indicated there is a smoke detector on the property) - Fire extinguisher ### General - Bed sheets changed on request - Bicycle parking - Composting - Comprehensive recycling policy - Garden - Housekeeping (on request) - Unit size: 1,765 square feet ## Similar properties ![Front of property](https://images.trvl-media.com/lodging/119000000/118230000/118227000/118226902/293f5a50.jpg?impolicy=fcrop&w=469&h=201&p=1&q=medium) ### OMISHIMA SPACE HANARE Imabari - Kitchen - Washing machine - 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18 ### Check-out Check-out before 11:00 AM ### Special check-in instructions You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools ### Rules Please note that only the number of guests specified on the reservation are allowed. Guests cannot have extra guests on the property, per Japan hotel. ### Pets Pets not allowed ### Children and extra beds Children are welcome ### Events No events allowed ### Smoking Smoking is not permitted ## Important information ### You need to know This property is managed by a professional host. The provision of housing is linked to their trade, business or profession. Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited Long-term renters welcome Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher This property is managed through our partner, Vrbo. You will receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account, where you can change or cancel your reservation If you cancel your booking, you'll be subject to the host's cancellation policy. In accordance with UK consumer law, property booking services are not subject to the right of withdrawal. ### We should mention This property does not have any lifts The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare requires all international visitors to submit their passport number and nationality when registering at any lodging facility (inns, hotels, motels, etc. ); additionally, lodging proprietors are required to photocopy passports for all registering guests and keep the photocopy on file ## About the area Located by the sea, this holiday home is in Inokuchi, a neighbourhood in Imabari. Okunoshima Shrine and Hakata-Oshima Bridge are local landmarks, and the area's natural beauty can be seen at Setonaikai National Park and Tatara Shimanami Park. Murakami Suigun Museum and Innoshima Flower Center are also worth visiting. Discover the area's water adventures with fishing and swimming nearby, or enjoy the great outdoors with cycling and hiking. [Visit our Imabari travel guide](https://www.expedia.co.uk/Imabari.dx6342593) [View more Holiday homes in Imabari](https://www.expedia.co.uk/Imabari-Private-Holiday-Homes.d6342593-aaPrivateHolidayHomes.Travel-Guide-Accommodation) ![Map](https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?&size=660x330&map_id=3b266eb50d2997c6&zoom=13&markers=icon:https%3A%2F%2Fa.travel-assets.com%2Ftravel-assets-manager%2Feg-maps%2Fproperty.png%7C34.26915%2C133.03386&channel=expedia-HotelInformation&maptype=roadmap&scale=1&key=AIzaSyCYjQus5kCufOpSj932jFoR_AJiL9yiwOw&signature=sTPJqKn29vvwN6jgis-1TE3oRPg=) Imabari, Ehime ### What's nearby - Tatara Shimanami Park 4 min drive \- 2.0 miles - Omishima Fuji Park 7 min drive \- 2.9 miles - Omishima Museum of Art 8 min drive \- 3.3 miles - Senko-ji Temple 30 min drive \- 21.3 miles - Fukuyama Castle 52 min drive \- 38.0 miles ### Getting around - Onomichi Higashionomichi Station 25 min drive - Hiroshima (HIJ) 75 min drive ### Restaurants - うさんちゅカフェ 27 min drive - うさんちゅ 27 min drive - minatoya 16 min drive - ちどり 16 min drive - 猪骨ラーメン 4 min drive ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Benton Guesthouse: Private Countryside Nostalgic Shōwa-era House: Former "Akiya" pet-friendly? ### How much is parking at Benton Guesthouse: Private Countryside Nostalgic Shōwa-era House: Former "Akiya"? ### What time is check-in at Benton Guesthouse: Private Countryside Nostalgic Shōwa-era House: Former "Akiya"? ### What time is check-out at Benton Guesthouse: Private Countryside Nostalgic Shōwa-era House: Former "Akiya"? ### Where is Benton Guesthouse: Private Countryside Nostalgic Shōwa-era House: Former "Akiya" located? ## Have a question? Beta Get instant answers with AI powered search of property information and reviews. 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