{"id":303,"date":"2021-05-14T21:41:15","date_gmt":"2021-05-14T19:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/userblogs.fu-berlin.de\/urban-rural-migration-japan\/?p=303"},"modified":"2023-02-06T09:43:20","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T08:43:20","slug":"guesthouses-and-kankei-jinko-the-key-to-rural-revitalization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/userblogs.fu-berlin.de\/urban-rural-migration-japan\/2021\/05\/14\/guesthouses-and-kankei-jinko-the-key-to-rural-revitalization\/","title":{"rendered":"Guesthouses and kankei jink\u014d: the key to rural revitalization?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Maritchu Durand <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While traveling Japan, I discovered and learned to appreciate guesthouses. They offer affordable and convenient accommodation and provide a welcoming and warm place for lonely travelers exhausted after a long day of discoveries. In Furano, a city in northern Hokkaid\u014d known for its multicolored flower fields, I had an unforgettable experience in a small and cozy hostel. After an eventful and draining day, I was relieved to take a rest in a hammock on the wooden terrace overlooking the small town and later sit down with the other guests. We shared a meal cooked by our host: different seasonal salads and warm dishes, and as a highlight, rice cooked over a woodstove placed in the middle of the small dining room. The owner introduced us to traditions in Hokkaid\u014d and hidden destinations and arranged a cheese-making experience for my delighted neighbor the next day. The sixty-year-old Tokyoite later said that she would definitely come back to the hostel to enjoy the home-like atmosphere, the shared meal with strangers and the warm welcome by the owners.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n