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.


  •   Had a lovely time with my wife and mum. House had everything we needed and a really cool old school atmosphere. Very interesting place to stay. Little bit far from... read more

    thumb Richard
    November 22, 2024

      We loved staying at the Benton Homestead. We used it as a stopover on the Shimanami Kaido cycling route, for which it is perfectly suited. On hindsight I... read more

    thumb Arie
    November 15, 2024

      I had a wonderful one night stay. No surprises here, the house is a restored Japanese home with a lot of history. I enjoyed the feeling of stay in a... read more

    thumb Terry And Yukari
    November 14, 2024

      Tranquil place to stay and disconnect from the hectic fast paced world. Dani and Evan were extremely welcoming and made us feel at home immediately. loved the retro furnishing... read more

    thumb Roy
    November 7, 2024

      Great place, especially for larger groups! Dani and her partner were wonderful hosts! If you stay, make sure to go outside and see the incredible stars at night ✨

    thumb Alena
    November 4, 2024

      The Guest house of Dani is a recently renovated house which was built in the fifties. Although the renovation is still on-going, the house has kept the charm of a... read more

    thumb Laurent
    October 30, 2024
  •   Es ist beeindruckend wie die beiden das Haus saniert haben . Inspirierend. Ich mochte besonders die kleinen Hinweiszettel in english und japanisch überall , sie haben sehr geholfen alles zu... read more

    thumb Frauke
    October 23, 2024

      Ein charmantes altes Haus im Retro Stil. Toll renoviert mit viel Liebe zum Detail. Dani war sehr hilfreich mit Tipps und die Süßigkeiten als Willkommens Geschenk waren lecker. Sehr zu... read more

    thumb Kurt
    October 22, 2024

      Nice traditional character place, interesting retro things. Super helpful host.

    thumb Richard
    October 19, 2024

      Bardzo ładny dom. Niczego nie brakowało i było czuć tradycyjny klimat.

    thumb Julita
    October 17, 2024

      Dani was so helpful when we arrived late. The deserted house was very clean with everything we need. The walking path around the house smelt good. We had a great... read more

    thumb Belinda
    October 13, 2024

      The house is absolutely amazing and offers everything you need including a vintage Nintendo NES. There is a supermarket but also restaurants in walking distance.
    Dani is a great... read more

    thumb Balazs
    September 25, 2024
  •   We had a fantastic stay at Dani's akiya - one of the absolute highlights of our trip! My husband & I had cycled to the island as part of the... read more

    thumb Katy
    September 23, 2024

      It was an amazing experience to stay in this old style Japanese house! They have done the renovation in the right way; modern comfort without sacrificing the traditional charm.. We... read more

    thumb Kenichiro
    September 15, 2024

      We stayed at Benton Guesthouse for one night in September. The accommodation was beautifully finished in traditional Japanese style with interesting vintage touches, was spotlessly clean, comfortable and had every... read more

    thumb Deborah
    September 11, 2024

      Beautifully and thoughtfully renovated traditional home in the countryside in the tranquil setting that is Omishima Island. We enjoyed the many personal touches throughout the house. We were also grateful... read more

    thumb Daniel
    August 20, 2024

      Dani was a great host that made the stay very special. Would return to this Air BnB in the future!

    thumb Adam
    August 18, 2024

      What a beautiful home, we loved the authentic feel of an older Japanese house but with all the modern amenities. Such a lovely peaceful area and it's a shame we... read more

    thumb David
    August 16, 2024
  •   Dani et Evan ont été des hôtes extraordinaires. Très réactifs et très prévenants. L’un de nous a chuté à vélo avant d’arriver au logement. Non seulement Dani et Evan se... read more

    thumb Thomas
    August 14, 2024

      素敵な体験ができました!オーナーとのコミュニケーションも円滑で、不自由なく手続き、宿泊ができて満足です!

    thumb 悠太
    August 12, 2024

      大三島を訪れた際は是非また利用したいです!

    thumb 飯島
    August 11, 2024

      we waren al in de grote steden en op het platteland tijdens onze reis, maar op Benton Homestead kwamen we echt even tot stilstand..de lome warmte die binnen heel... read more

    thumb Monique
    August 8, 2024

      Dani and Evan’s hospitality began before we even arrived with the aircon and fans already on when we arrived. They are awesome hosts and the guesthouse has been renovated... read more

    thumb Darren
    July 28, 2024

      un grand merci pour l'accueil.
    emplacement parfait pour se reposer.
    dani et Evan sont super et proposent énormément de solution.
    spécial remerciement

    thumb Lois
    July 23, 2024


Our home is a true Shōwa-era style countryside home. This house was formerly an ‘akiya’ abandoned for 10 years. It was built in 1953 with traditional Japanese joinery. The furnishings are simple, not overly fancy, but they’re era-appropriate and true to the history of the home. We’ve embellished the ‘natsukashii’ nostalgic feel of the house with era-appropriate furnishings found in local thrift shops, and given to us by our neighbors.

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.

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! 

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