Airbnb joins forces with local community to build accommodation in Japanese city

The Japanese city of Yoshino is nestled among the mountains of Nara Prefecture and is famous for its cherry blossoms. In 2004, it was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, since 2016, it has been home to a pioneering initiative: the Yoshino Cedar House . The Yoshino Cedar House explores how architecture, culture and sharing can help revitalize rural communities. The building, a hybrid of community space and lodging, began as a collaboration between the Airbnb founder Joe Gebbia, Japanese architect Go Hasegawa, and the local community. Today, it is part of Airbnb's newly created Responsible Tourism Hub and is run by 31 members of a local cooperative.

The design

Architect Go Hasegawa selected cedar wood from the forests surrounding the city and used it as the main material for both the interior and exterior of Cedar House. "The trees were identified by forest guardians, felled by local woodcutters and traditional master craftsmen. of the city built the house - during the process, many hands touched the building and Yoshino's heritage and aesthetics were woven into its architecture," explains Hasegawa on the development's official website . Although cedar is the main ingredient, the building also features 28 types of wood: the highlight is the two bedrooms on the upper floor, which can be rented and are covered in hinoki, a type of Japanese cypress. The bedrooms are in oriental style They have futons, accommodate up to seven guests and each one was designed with a different view: the sunrise room faces east; the sunset room faces west.

Downstairs, the layout is based on the ancient Japanese concept called "engawa", which consists of a wooden paved strip that protrudes from the face of the walls formed by sliding doors. It is a transitional space, which can be considered both as a extension of the internal part of the house as an external one. In Brazil, it would be the equivalent of a balcony. This division also marks the public and private aspects of the house, since the first floor is entirely open to the community and houses a large communal dining table, a setting for neighborhood gatherings and from where you can have a beautiful view of the Yoshino River.

The business

According to Airbnb, the house was first presented at the House Vision event, which took place in Tokyo in 2016. After acquiring the commercial licenses and to operate as a restaurant, it was installed on the banks of the Yoshino River and had its first reservation made on the day April 7, 2017. During its first year of operation, 346 people from around the world stayed at Cedar House, including architects from the Spanish firm RCR, Australian Olympic swimmers and a large number of local musicians and artists. The accommodation operates from Wednesday to Sunday and has an average occupancy rate of 70%. Daily rates start at R$328. During the installation, the city's residents themselves decided that the business would be run collectively. A cooperative was formed and today it has 31 members, including local residents and students interested in interacting with foreigners - if you book a room there, a local resident will The city will welcome you upon your arrival and will assist you during your stay, including with translations. According to Airbnb , in 12 months, the business raised around 25 thousand dollars, an amount that was divided between the local cooperative and invested in the company itself. community. In addition, 70 new jobs were created as a result of the project. The success of the project inspired local residents to invest in renting out their own homes - in 2015, there were only four homes in the area listed on Airbnb. Today, there are 15. All this collective strength was present in October 2017, when the city was hit by a typhoon and the Yoshino River rose more than 5 meters, causing water to invade the ground floor of the Cedar House. Within hours , the local cooperative, city officials, and community members came together to clean up and make repairs, resulting in minimal damage and no electrical or plumbing damage. Business was back to normal within a few days.