103-Year-Old Grandpa’s House Now Airbnb’s $350-a-Night Time Capsule
In 2020, Machiko Imai inherited a 200-year-old Japanese house from her 103-year-old father and joined forces with her 46-year-old son, Matsukane, to convert this antique beetle-hotel into a guesthouse in Okaya, Nagano. The place boasts an irori (sunken charcoal hearth), a silk-weaving loom museum exhibit, and a hinoki-wood bath—which sounds like a spa but probably smells like ancient silence. They spent three years renovating, snagged a government subsidy covering a third of costs, and now charge a proud $350/night for a minimum two-night stay. The family wisely hired professionals for management since living in Tokyo means they’re terrible at running a guesthouse 2.5 hours away.
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When your great-grandpa lives to 103 and your 200-year-old house turns into a $350-a-night museum for bugs, fireflies, and silk looms, you know Japan’s quiet suburbs are where heritage meets Airbnb pricing that scares away everyone but history buffs and wealthy nostalgia junkies.
Nothing screams modern hospitality like charging $350 a night to sleep where silkworms once dropped literal silk threads on your head. But hey, inflation also hit antiques and hearths apparently.
Three years of renovations, a government subsidy, and a silk loom display for your $350-a-night stay means you’re basically paying to time travel back to when internet was silk worms tweeting.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 10/5/2025 | Author: Amanda Goh
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