Photo= Zhou (left) and Saito, who remodeled a vacant house to open a guest house (building at right-front side)= Ariichi, Kasagi-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto Prefecture

Two women from China have opened a guest house in Ariichi, Kasagi-cho, Kyoto Prefecture in a vacant house that they remodeled. One of the women also lives in Kasagi-cho, while the other lives in Kizugawa City, Kyoto Prefecture. They expect guests from overseas, including Chinese tourists, who want to experience the tranquil atmosphere of Japan. They eagerly said, "We hope the guest house will contribute to the town's revitalization."

Zhou Jiajun, lives in the same town, Ariichi, and Yoko Saito lives in Kizu, Kizugawa City. Both came to Japan at age 17 to study at universities in Japan, and later married Japanese men.

Zhou provides tourist information in Chinese at JR Nara Station. She opened the guest house on October 1, in Kasagi-cho, which is rich in nature after realizing that many are Chinese tourists looking not only to visit well-known sightseeing spots, but also to have experiences that only they can do, as well as due to their yearning for rural life and the shortage of accommodation facilities.

As the guest house is categorized as "Rinka Minshuku," or lodging run by timber industry workers, it is possible to manage it in a building with a smaller guest room area than that of budget hotels as defined in the Hotel Business Act. They remodeled the interior and the equipment of the vacant house owned by Zhou for approximately 1,500,000 yen. They named it "Full house Kimiko," hoping that "guests will make many different memories, just like in the famous American comedy."

Zhou and Saito, who is an interpreter, manage the guest house jointly. Saito worked hard to obtain the permissions from the public health center, the fire department and the prefectural government. She emphasized, "Chinese, who come on shopping sprees, want to feel a tranquil atmosphere from their second trip." Reportedly, Chinese and Thai living in Japan and overseas utilize the guest house and bathing in Kasagi hot springs is also popular.