Deep Japan Editor-in-Chief Hana Shiraishi and writer Kimberly Hughes will attend an event in Tokyo on October 9 in which Chiiori Alliance CEO Toru Muramatsu and other team members will give talks introducing the company’s story and their vision for their new guesthouse, Nishi-iya COMMONS.
The event will take place at Paddlers Coffee, whose owner — Daisuke Matsushima, a friend of Muramatsu — will also give a talk introducing the shop.
“Beyond starting a new guesthouse in Iya, our aim is to build international connections. I believe that sharing our message from Tokyo, the heart of Japan, will be key to our future, alongside having our authentic presence in Iya, one of Japan’s most secluded regions,” Muramatsu says. “Therefore, I truly hope to build a long-term partnership with Jarman International.”
Hana and Kim are looking forward to getting to know the Chiiori team and their network better at the event. Alongside profiling another of Matsushima’s eateries, Thai restaurant Orangutan, for the Japan Times, Kim has experience writing about akiya restoration and has previously visited the original Chiiori house that American writer and Japanologist Alex Kerr bought more than 50 years ago. The house eventually led to the founding of Chiiori Alliance and its mission to thoughtfully renovate abandoned folk houses where travelers can experience the beauty of traditional Japanese countryside living.
Chiiori Alliance aims for Nishi-iya COMMONS, a renovated folk house set to open in winter 2026, to provide “a shared ground of intellect, where the communal nature of the land merges with the collective wisdom of our visitors.” The team hopes the new guesthouse will be not only a physical facility that enables visitors to spend more time in the Iya region, but also a space that fosters new ideas and possibilities through interaction with both local residents and other travelers.
The event at Paddlers runs from 18:00 to 20:00, with an entry fee of 1,000 yen (light snacks included). Following a roughly 1-hour talk, the event concludes with time to mix and mingle. Paddlers Coffee is accessible via Hatagaya Station on the Keio New Line or Yoyogi-Uehara Station on the Odakyu and Chiyoda lines. Contact Chiiori Alliance (info@chiiori.org) if you would like to attend.