Benton Guesthouse Ōmishima

Welcome to your home away from home on Ōmishima island! “Benton Guesthouse” is a former abandoned ‘akiya’ that we’ve lovingly renovated into our Shōwa-era private guesthouse vacation rental. You can experience slow life in the ‘inaka’ Japanese countryside. Just minutes from the Shimanami Kaido bridge network spanning the Seto sea.


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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.

We only rent to one group of guests at a time. This is a true private full-house rental, so there are no “shared spaces”. If you are 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’.

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!

We’ve been documenting the entire remodeling process on our YouTube channel and our photo blog, so you can watch us bring this ‘akiya’ back to life! We have the blessing of the former owner’s son, who grew up in the house; he’s now in his 70s, and lives nearby. We’re doing our best to honor this home’s history, while solidifying its place in Ōmishima’s future.


Location: Imabari, Ehime, Japan.

Neighborhood: Ōmishima island, Kamiura-cho Inokuchi.

Situated very close to the Ōmishima Bridge and Tatara Bridge, part of the Shimanami Kaido.

Address (English): 2290 Kamiura-cho Inokuchi, Imabari-shi, Ehime-ken 794-1402

Address (Japanese): 〒794-1402 愛媛県今治市上浦町井口2290

Vacation rental for 1 to 6 guests. Soon, we will expand to 10 guests.

Bedrooms: 1 Western-style bedroom suite, 1 Japanese-style bedroom, 1 living room/bedroom. You will also have access to a full kitchen, office, living room, bathroom (toilet room, laundry room, shower room), ‘doma’ entrance room, and traditional ‘engwa’. These rooms are for your own use. Whether you’re a group of 1 or a group of 6, we only host one group at a time.

Parking: Our driveway can park 1 or 2 vehicles. We have outside covered space for bicycle parking.

Our YouTube photo slideshow showing before/after photos 

Our YouTube photo slideshow showing Benton Guesthouse, ready to welcome our first guests! 

Our YouTube video showing some Benton Guesthouse updates for our first summer 

Our YouTube video showing some Benton Guesthouse updates for our second winter 

We look forward to hosting you!

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