Part of what makes staying at Kajiya Iya Romantei so special are the experiences which can be enjoyed while here, including eating, drinking, bathing, house chores, and touring the Iya Valley.
The Bath House
At Kajiya, the nautical-themed bath house offers both an indoor bath and a special outdoor "goemunburo" bath, which is a traditional cast iron tub that is heated from below by a wood fire. Rarely found in modern Japan, such bath tubs were once common in Iya and guests are welcome to help prepare the daily fire for the bath.
Both baths are lined with the unique blue-grey Iya River stones, and both offer an expansive and relaxing view across the valley.
The Sake Room
Curious to explore the world of Japanese sake? Well, Kajiya offers by far the largest collection of sake in the Iya Valley, with well over 200 bottles from every part of Japan. Hot sake, cold sake, sweet sake, smooth sake... your host Shino-san has got it all (as well as shochu and other liquors).
With a whole room dedicated to Japan's national alcohol, Shino-san has also made a "Sake Shrine" in here to honor this revered spirit.
To sample and drink as much as you would like, he only asks that you bring him a new bottle from somewhere else in Japan or any nice alcohol from your home country to donate to the collection (so if you want to drink his sake, you got to bring him some in return). And please, respect the collection and don't bring a paper container of the cheap stuff!
Fire & Wood
At Kajiya there are often several fires burning at any given time, and guests are welcome to help prepare and maintain them.
First, wood needs to be chopped for the goemunburo bath fire, which is then burned below the tub. Also, a wood fire is made in the outdoor hagama stove for making rice.
Inside the house, sumi charcoal is used in the irori floor hearth for cooking upon, and this needs to be made hot by blowing on it through a bamboo pipe. And in winter, a wood fire may also be made inside Kajiya's large iron stove.
Meals
Cooking and eating is always a unique experience for everyone who stays at Kajiya. The meals feature seasonal products which include local vegetables, Iya's famed "stone" tofu, and either fish or meat. (Vegetarian and halal options are available on request).
The irori floor hearth is used for cooking inside and eating around, while the outdoor hagama wood stove is for preparing traditional style rice.
Breakfast also features onegiri rice balls roasted over the irori along with Kajiya's original blend coffee.
Guests are welcome to help prepare the meals and learn about traditional cooking methods.
The Iya Valley
Kajiya is located in the middle of the 60km long Iya Valley near the small downtown section of Kyojo, which has a couple small shops, the post office, and the local history museum.
This central location makes it very convenient to all of the area's sights, including both the main Kazurabashi Vine Bridge and the hidden Oku-Iya Double Vine Bridges. Historic Ochiai Village is also not too far away, as well as the weird and wonderful Scarecrow Village of Nagoro.
For guests staying two or more nights, Shino-san can drive you around to some sights in Iya, and only asks that you pay for some gasoline for his van and for his lunch at a local restaurant. But do note that his camper van can only hold 2 or 3 people, where only 1 person can sit in the seat in front, with the others sitting sideways on the bed in back. So if looking for more comfort, consider using a tour operator instead.
You can find more details about all the sights and activities available in the Iya Valley, on the local IyaTime travel guide website. And for information about taking complete tours of the area, check out Iya Valley Tours.