From July 27 to 30, Deep Japan Editor-in-Chief Hana Shiraishi and writer Sébastien Raineri visited Kagawa and Tokushima prefectures in Shikoku as part of a promotion project for social business Chiiori Alliance.
Chiiori Alliance aims “to preserve the beauty of the Japanese countryside and to create an environmentally friendly community rooted in traditional culture” primarily through operating accommodations in Tokushima, Kagawa, and Kyoto prefectures. They thoughtfully renovate abandoned folk houses, preserving their traditional charm while making them more accessible to the modern traveler.
Jarman International has worked with Chiiori owner and Chiiori Alliance co-founder Alex Kerr in the past, including organizing a livestream to promote Kochi Prefecture. However, Hana and Sébastien’s visit marks the first time JI has worked with Chiiori Alliance. The collaboration aims to highlight the beauty of Chiiori Alliance’s accommodations as well as showcase their new team and concept led by CEO Toru Muramatsu.
The two sides initially connected when Toru and his colleague Shota Koda, Chiiori Alliance’s Iya area manager, visited JI’s booth at the Inbound Expo in March 2026 and listened to Hana’s presentation on Jarman-owned media Deep Japan, which promotes Japan through personal stories with an international perspective. Toru felt a human-centered approach like Deep Japan’s was the best way to share Chiiori’s vision and truly connect with the organization’s audience.
Chiiori Alliance recently bought and is currently renovating a folk house they have named “Nishi-iya COMMONS,” located in the Nishi-Iya region of Tokushima Prefecture. It is scheduled to open as a guesthouse, with capacity for up to 10 guests, in winter 2026.
Chiiori’s COMMONS concept refers to “a shared ground of intellect, where the communal nature of the land merges with the collective wisdom of our visitors.” They aim for Nishi-iya COMMONS to become not only a physical facility that enables guests 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 guests. Chiiori’s other accommodations are mainly whole-house rentals, so Nishi-iya COMMONS represents a new initiative for the company.
During their trip, Hana and Sébastien visited Nishi-iya COMMONS, stayed at the 300-year-old “Chiiori” house that Alex originally bought over 50 years ago, and visited other Chiiori Alliance accommodations, including Ten-Ippo, Yukyo, Chiiori Utazu Branch, and Co-machi-no-ie.
Based on their trip and discussions with Chiiori Alliance’s team, Hana and Sébastien will be publishing four articles, mainly on Deep Japan but potentially also other media, to promote Chiiori Alliance’s accommodations, mission, and vision.