Judges award honor to traditionally styled property in modern neighborhood.

When traveling in Japan, the first big question most people ask themselves is whether they want to stay in a modern hotel or a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn. However, there’s another type of accommodation that travelers sometimes forget about.

Minpaku translates literally to “people’s lodging,” but vacation rental would be the closer English equivalent, as the term is used to describe bed-and-breakfasts, Airbnbs, and the like. In terms of sheer numbers, hotels and ryokan vastly outnumber minpaku, but the annual Best of Minpaku awards were started in 2024 in hopes of shining a spotlight on the best that the often-overlooked category has to offer.

The winners of this year’s awards, decided on by a panel of judges, were recently announced, and the top pick for the newly established sublease minpaku class is especially eye-catching, After looking through the 1,092 entries in the category, the judges gave the prize to Geisha House Koume, which incorporates the grandiose luxury of Japan’s classical pleasure quarter architecture into its interior design.

Though the aesthetics harken back to Japan’s historical Edo period, Koume is actually located in a modern Tokyo neighborhood, being just a five-minute walk from Higashi Shinjuku Station on the Oedo and Fukutoshin subway lines. From there, the entertainment districts of Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ikebukuro are all less than 10 minutes away, and even Haneda Airport is within an hour’s ride, making this a viable spot to stay even on your first or last night visiting Japan from overseas. Oh, and the closest convenience store to Koume is only a 30-second walk from the front door, so snack shortages won’t be an issue.

The rental property is a one-room apartment, but since it has both a semi-double and a single bed it’s listed with a capacity of up to three guests. There doesn’t appear to be a washing machine, but there is a laundromat nearby if you’re staying long enough that you’ll need to do a wash cycle.

Reservations can be made online here.

Source: PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Airbnb
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