―――In the fall of 2022, as the Covid-19 situation had finally stabilized, foreigners were allowed to enter the country again.

 Azusa: Once the government eased entry restrictions, we immediately started receiving reservations from international customers. We were surprised at the number of reservations we received. We only use Booking.com for reservations, apart from direct bookings via Google, Instagram messages, and phone calls.

 Yancy: We really had people from all over the world stay at this guesthouse. We have had people from Germany, China, Australia, France, and even foreigners living in Japan.

 ―――Do you think that since you can speak English, international guests feel more comfortable coming to your guesthouse?

 Azusa: That’s something we’ve actually talked about before, and it is probably an advantage to be able to speak English. But not everyone in the world is fluent in English, right? I usually speak to people in English assuming that since the booking messages we exchanged were in English, they must speak English, but there are times when I feel like they don't really understand what I am saying. However, that’s not a problem. Body language really helps. When we were traveling in Central and South America, we could only speak rudimentary Spanish, but we managed somehow! (laughs)

―――Your inn, Guesthouse Boro-ya, is located in the mountains of Kochi Prefecture. What is it about this place that makes it so appealing?

Yancy: The one thing we tell our guests is to enjoy the sounds of nature. The sound of the wind, birds, insects, deer, etc. And the moon and stars are beautiful! You can have a nice, relaxing campfire and barbecue with no one around.

Azusa: Everybody loves a good campfire, right? We go through a lot of firewood. If we were to buy it from a store it would cost us a fortune (laughs).

Yancy: I love chopping wood and have done it since I was a kid. It was my responsibility to chop the firewood, and I would do it when I got back from school. I recently started teaching my daughter how to do it too. She helps me stack the wood and we have fun, so I hope everyone else enjoys it as well.

―――The guesthouse is located 20 minutes up a narrow mountain road, so how do people get there?

Azusa: Many of the international visitors who visit here rent a car because they want to do a lot of sightseeing and renting a car is the best way to do so. And there are only a few trains a day that stop at the station nearby so... 

―――There are quite a few steep hills, though, driving a car up here seems scary.

Yancy: Not at all, the roads here are not scary! American mountain roads are much scarier because they are gravel roads. The roads here are paved with asphalt and they are wide enough, so they are not scary at all.

Azusa: It really is easier for foreigners to drive on the mountain roads. That said, I do still get a lot of complaints from city people or people who don't usually drive on mountain roads, saying they are scared and wondering if the guesthouse is actually up here. Many tell me they enjoy the sense of adventure we provide (laughs).

―――How many rooms do you have for rent now?

Azusa: One of these traditional rooms can accommodate a couple so you can relax and enjoy your stay in a very private setting. 

―――Not to change the subject, but do you have any recommendations for the best places to visit here in the Tosa-Reihoku area?

Yancy: In terms of restaurants, I would say Nakatoyoya. The chicken nanban is so good. I also recommend Shanti, a curry shop run by an Indian and Japanese couple. If it is a clear day, you can see very far from the top of Kajiga-mori and Kyobashira Pass, the view is very beautiful. We often go there on weekends for family picnics.

Yancy: (pointing to the mountains in the distance) I hiked all around those mountains. And if you walk for 10 or 15 kilometers, you can get to the Kyobashira Pass area.

―――You really are an expert on the area. Do you also work as a guide?

Yancy: A guide? Oh no, I just went there because I was curious (laughs).

Azusa: We also started renting bicycles this year, so we are planning various bicycle tours and other activities. We will keep you posted as we work out the details.

―――Is it possible to stay overnight in the mountains of the Tosa-Reihoku area in winter, when it is cold?

Azusa: We close the guesthouse in the winter. Because of how this house is built, it never gets really that warm even if we turn on the heat. It is fine for us to live in, but it's not comfortable enough for our guests. Water sometimes freezes, too, and it would be really awkward if guests could not get water out of the tap in the morning. I mean, who would want to pay to stay in a place under such conditions? (laughs) Anyway, we do maintenance on the guesthouse in the winter. Luckily, my husband is a carpenter, so he is able to fix a lot of things by himself. He has fixed the roof, the kitchen, and many other parts of the house all by himself.

―――Do you mind telling us a little bit about yourselves and how you two met?

Yancy: I was born in Washington State, in the U.S.A., then later moved to Colorado, and I've been doing carpentry and yard work since I was about 16 years old. 25? When I was 25, I got a little worn out from all the things I was doing, so I took a little bit of a long break and went to Mexico.

Azusa: I grew up in the city of Kochi, lived in Hokkaido for a few years in my 20s, came back to Kochi, found this house, and lived here alone while working, and doing odd jobs like mowing the grass, working in the fields, and repairing the house. I paid ¥5,000 a month for the house and the mountaintop (laughs). I lived here only from April to December, and every year from December to April, I would take my backpack and travel all over the world. I was traveling in Central America when I met my husband in Mexico. We traveled around Central and South America together for about six months, then I went back to Japan and my husband went back to Colorado for a few months to save up some money before coming over here to visit. He fell in love with the place right away and never wanted to look for another home.

Yancy: We got married in 2016. We had a lot going on that year, with my grandpa passing away, then going back to the US, then Azusa and I went to India, Nepal, and Southeast Asia, then we got pregnant with our oldest daughter, and the list goes on and on!

Azusa: The following year, 2017, we decided to get serious about the guesthouse, and here we are. We used to live in the room next to where the guests stay, but now that we have three kids, we need more space, so we live in a house at the bottom of the mountain.

―――So the guesthouse was born from you two miraculously meeting, and then finding this miraculous building.

Azusa: I guess that's true! But the region has some major problems. The population is aging, so much that they say that in 10 years the population of the entire town will be reduced by half. The people who used to manage the fields are no longer able to do so, and many of the fields are left abandoned, resulting in more and more wasted ground.

Yancy: We are also producing tea now. I was first introduced to tea cultivation by a tea farmer I was working part-time for, and he handed the tea farm over to me.

――――Really? You didn’t buy it, he just gave it to you?!

Yancy: Yes! He just gave it to me! It had been unattended for about three years, so it was a challenge to rehabilitate it, but I think that's why I feel so attached to it. It really is my field.

Azusa: That's how serious the situation is. They can't handle it themselves anymore, and there's no one to take over the fields...it's hard to watch things just turn into a wasteland, it's a little bit sad.

―――I hope that people who come to visit and love the Tosa Reihoku area will want to move here. Finally, what is your outlook for the future?

Yancy: As my wife talked about earlier, we have started renting bicycles, and I would like to get more people to use them and see all the wonderful, different places that the area has to offer. Also, there are still a lot of things to fix at the guesthouse, so I want to do that. Tear down the current bathroom and build a new one, enlarge the campfire area, and other things. I get materials for the repairs from some old houses nearby that have been torn down. I have been allowed to take the old lumber to reuse it. It's great for us because wood is so expensive nowadays.

Azusa: I enjoy working in the fields, cultivating not just tea, but also blueberries, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, onions, and all kinds of other vegetables.  It's great because we can serve our guests what we grow. And above all, the food we grow tastes great, and I'd like to try growing even more things! Working in the fields is hard but I will do my best. I would like even more people to come to the guesthouse and experience the joys of living in the countryside, and I would also like them to discover the beauty of the area. I hope that staying here will inspire other young families to move to the area!

Guesthouse boro-ya

Address: 120 Yakawa, Otoyo-cho, Nagaoka-gun, Kochi, Japan

Cellphone: Intl +81.70.3794.1697

Check-in: From 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Check-out: 10 a.m.

Reservation: Booking.com

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