In rural Japan, railway stations and empty properties repurposed to serve tourists
Stations, vacant properties and an old bus have been turned into tourist accommodation, giving rural communities new life
With rural Japan experiencing severe depopulation, unstaffed railway stations and vacant properties are being turned into places for tourists to stay – and it is proving a success.
Transport operators are working with local communities to repurpose quiet outposts into hubs of activity, injecting new life into surrounding areas with their creativity.
Inn My Life was opened by Akihito Nakatani in May 2019 to encourage people to explore his hometown of Tenryu, whose once-thriving forestry industry has faded.
“For a place to become a tourist destination, it needs attention-grabbing accommodation and attractions. If we can create successful examples, local people might be encouraged to do the same, eventually turning the area into a viable tourist spot,” the 34-year-old said.
Nakatani, who used to run a real estate business renovating buildings in Tokyo, decided to return to Tenryu around 10 years ago to do something similar in his hometown.