The area around Tsuyama City in Okayama Prefecture traces its history back more than 1,300 years.
It flourished as a post station for people traveling to and from Izumo Province (present-day Shimane Prefecture) and Yamato Province (present-day Nara Prefecture).
When Tsuyama Castle was built in 1603, a castle town developed around it. In addition to the castle ruins, a large number of shrines and temples, samurai residences, and townhouses still exist in the area.
Bito Tsuyama-an Bettei is a rentable luxurious renovated townhouse that stands on the Izumo Kaido, a street lined with historic buildings.
Beyond the noren, the corridor is adorned with a stunning six-meter-long painting of a procession of the Tsuyama clan.
The first floor is a modern space featuring walls decorated with yokonowashi, a famous Japanese paper produced in Tsuyama; a crimson artwork by the sculptor Kiyoyuki Kikutake; and an expansive wooden deck.
The kitchen is furnished with a refrigerator and various cooking equipment, while the bathroom is equipped with water jets, a mist sauna, and a full-body shower.
The second floor consists of tastefully designed Japanese-style rooms which retain the building’s original alcoves and windows.
The townhouse can accommodate up to eight people.
The former Mimasaka Province (present-day Okayama Prefecture), which was controlled by Tsuyama Domain, was established in 713.
Kyoto was established as the capital of Japan in 794, making the Mimasaka Province area older than the former capital city.
Famous people from the area include Honen, the founder of Jodo Buddhism, and Miyamoto Musashi. Notable contemporaries include Koshi Inaba of the rock band B’z, and Masashi Kishimoto, creator of the manga Naruto.
The Tsuyama clan were connected to the Tokugawa clan, and the domain therefore fell under the protection of the Tokugawa shogunate.
When Matthew Perry, admiral of the U.S. fleet came to Japan and demanded an end to its isolationist foreign policy, it was Mitsukuri Genpo of Tsuyama Domain who acted as interpreter.
Udagawa Yoan of Tsuyama Domain translated various Western medical and science texts into Japanese. He devised numerous kanji characters for Western ideas, such as “coffee,” “hydrogen,” “gas,” and “spleen.”
Tsuyama Domain was a hotbed of Western linguistic and academic learning, producing many individuals who contributed to the foundations ofJapanese modernization.
The inaugural presidents of the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, and Waseda University all hailed from Tsuyama.
With its extant Edo townscapes, Tsuyama is a historic region that remains unknown to many residents of Japan.
We invite visitors to the city to make a reservation at Bito Tsuyama-an Bettei.
Address
76-2 Nishishin-machi, Tsuyama City, OKAYAMA Pref.
Telephone Number
+81-868-20-1781 *Phone connect to “Bito Tsuyama-an Honkan”
Bito Tsuyama-an Bettei
https://bitotsuyama.com/bettei/
Reservation
https://airhost.airhost.co/en/houses/435157
YouTube 01
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laHFBTqO4Uo&t=1s
YouTube 02
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAGnYRjnaWE&t=844s
Room rate: From ¥76,000/ 2 persons per night, no meal
*From 3 persons, additional charge ¥10,000/ 1 person, up to 8 persons
*There is also a special plan to guide you through the history of Tsuyama
Address
8-1 Nakano-cho, Tsuyama City. *About 300m from the Bettei
Telephone Number
+81-868-20-1781 *Phone number is common
Bito Tsuyama-an Honkan
https://www.bitotsuyama.com