In the year 1052, Fujiwara no Yorimichi built the Byodo-in Buddhist temple, effectively establishing the City of Uji in the southern outskirts of Kyoto. 1,000 years later, Uji, with its abundance of tea shops and traditional cormorant fishing, continues to be a popular destination. Bringing together everything good about ancient Uji, and putting a modern twist on it, is the Nigauri guesthouse that opened March 2016. The Nigauri is an entirely rentable guesthouse with a traditional ryokan-type feel, and unstaffed so visitors are free to come and go as they please without worrying about any rules. The guesthouse can sleep up to 4, but can host many more. The two-story structure was designed by local architects at Alts Design Office.

Be sure to visit Spoon & Tamago below for more guesthouse features and images!