From "Too Spacious to Sell" 3,000 sqm Vacant House to a "Japanese Guesthouse" Admired Worldwide. Shodoshima Retreats' Vision for Island Development 100 Years From Now.
Shodoshima Retreats Co., Ltd. is revitalizing a vast, formerly unsellable vacant mansion on Shodoshima island, once a soy sauce merchant's estate, into a unique "Japanese Guesthouse" and retreat. Their dream is to create a hub for international travelers and locals, fostering sustainable tourism, generating employment, and encouraging young people to return to the island.
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- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 19:10
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Our company supports April Dream, which aims to make April 1st a day to share dreams. This press release is the dream of Shodoshima Retreats Co., Ltd.
Shodoshima Retreats Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Shodoshima Town, Kagawa Prefecture) operates sole-occupancy guesthouses renovated from historic vacant houses and develops community-based tourism businesses, under the philosophy of "Connecting the Future of Shodoshima."
■ Shodoshima's Vacant House Problem and the "Baton of Obsession" We Inherited
The vacant house problem is worsening nationwide in Japan. The Naeba district, which prospered from soy sauce production on Shodoshima, is no exception. The property we operate, "Oyashiki Stay Kō," is the former residence of a prestigious soy sauce merchant family, situated on a vast site of approximately 3,000 square meters. Although real estate agents deemed it "too spacious to sell," it was a miraculous vacant house that the previous owner diligently maintained for 10 years, visiting the island monthly with a strong will to "never let my family home decay."
Details of Oyashiki Stay Kō here
■ Our Dream: To Bring Light to Vacant Houses and Create an "Island Where Children Want to Return."
Our dream is to make this residence more than just an accommodation facility; we aim to create a hub where travelers from Japan and abroad can interact with the local community. Opened in November 2025, our facility offers exclusive stays for one group per day, featuring a BAR renovated from a 150-year-old storehouse, a semi-open-air bath overlooking a Japanese garden, and private dining prepared by local chefs.
Through this initiative, we aim to establish "sustainable stay-based tourism." We envision a future where people from all over the world visit Shodoshima drawn by this lodging, experiencing the region's charm. This economic cycle will create new employment opportunities, enabling children who once left the island to return, believing "there are jobs on this island to be proud of."
■ A Future Walking Together with the Community
We continue to tackle regional challenges such as depopulation and vacant houses through the approach of tourism. Without breaking the baton of history and passion inherited from the previous owner, we will connect Shodoshima's beautiful nature and culture to the next 100 years.
May we deliver fulfilling and happy ("Kō") times on Shodoshima to guests from around the world.
Shodoshima Retreats Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Shodoshima Town, Kagawa Prefecture) operates sole-occupancy guesthouses renovated from historic vacant houses and develops community-based tourism businesses, under the philosophy of "Connecting the Future of Shodoshima."
■ Shodoshima's Vacant House Problem and the "Baton of Obsession" We Inherited
The vacant house problem is worsening nationwide in Japan. The Naeba district, which prospered from soy sauce production on Shodoshima, is no exception. The property we operate, "Oyashiki Stay Kō," is the former residence of a prestigious soy sauce merchant family, situated on a vast site of approximately 3,000 square meters. Although real estate agents deemed it "too spacious to sell," it was a miraculous vacant house that the previous owner diligently maintained for 10 years, visiting the island monthly with a strong will to "never let my family home decay."
Details of Oyashiki Stay Kō here
■ Our Dream: To Bring Light to Vacant Houses and Create an "Island Where Children Want to Return."
Our dream is to make this residence more than just an accommodation facility; we aim to create a hub where travelers from Japan and abroad can interact with the local community. Opened in November 2025, our facility offers exclusive stays for one group per day, featuring a BAR renovated from a 150-year-old storehouse, a semi-open-air bath overlooking a Japanese garden, and private dining prepared by local chefs.
Through this initiative, we aim to establish "sustainable stay-based tourism." We envision a future where people from all over the world visit Shodoshima drawn by this lodging, experiencing the region's charm. This economic cycle will create new employment opportunities, enabling children who once left the island to return, believing "there are jobs on this island to be proud of."
■ A Future Walking Together with the Community
We continue to tackle regional challenges such as depopulation and vacant houses through the approach of tourism. Without breaking the baton of history and passion inherited from the previous owner, we will connect Shodoshima's beautiful nature and culture to the next 100 years.
May we deliver fulfilling and happy ("Kō") times on Shodoshima to guests from around the world.