Five wooden townhouses · one quiet lane
Five traditional wooden houses on a quiet lane in Uzumasa, west Kyoto. Fibre internet with mesh WiFi, two bicycles at the door, and a cat café a minute away. A base for visitors who would rather live in the city than pass through it.
All bookings are made on Airbnb, where each house has its own listing.
5
houses on one lane in Uzumasa
Fibre
mesh WiFi in every room, made for calls
12 yrs
caring for and keeping these houses alive
20 min
with the rescue cats, free for every guest
Our story
Uzumasa is a quiet, lived-in corner of west Kyoto: elderly neighbours, a few young families, and a kindergarten down the lane where you'll hear the children singing in the morning. Our five machiya sit a short walk from each other, 15 minutes on foot from JR Emmachi or Uzumasa Tenjingawa station.
We've made them comfortable while keeping the original structure: the beams, the lattice, the small private gardens. They're charming rather than polished, and that's the point. Bicycles are waiting for you at the door.
Every stay supports the teachers at the local kindergarten and nursery school, and animal rescue work across Japan, locally and in Fukushima and Tokyo, through Japan Cat Network.
Run by Susan, who has worked in animal welfare for over 25 years and co-founded Japan Cat Network.
The five houses
Five houses, each with its own character. Dates and prices live on the Airbnb listing for each one, where they are always current.
A row house with a private garden and good morning light. The first one we took on, and still the one we are most attached to.
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Quiet tatami rooms that settle you into a slower rhythm. The best morning light on the lane, and almost no sound after dark.
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Pared back and honest. Easy to unpack into, easy to keep, and easy to call yours by the second evening.
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Small and warm, full of character. The one guests never want to leave. Ask early; it goes first every season.
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Garden views from the tatami and a deep bath for cold evenings. The one to pick if you are here in winter.
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Any questions
Write to us before you book. We will tell you honestly which of the five suits you, even when the answer is none of them.
Send an inquiryThe cat café
Listed on Airbnb as Relax with Rescue Kitties: two hours, in English, rated 4.93 across 277 reviews. The cats are rescues, placed with us by Japan Cat Network. They are not decoration. They are here to be met, fussed over, and eventually taken home by someone, whether that home is in Japan or on the other side of the world.
Guests get a complimentary 20 minutes with the cats. Join the evening care shift, usually between 8:30 and 9:00 PM. For longer, book the Airbnb experience below.
When
Select days, 1 to 3 PM
Group
Up to 7 guests, ages 5+
Where
Uzumasa · 1 min walk
Animal welfare
JCN rescues cats across Japan and finds them permanent homes, here or overseas. We give some of those cats a warm room and a steady stream of visitors, which is often all it takes.
Japan Cat Network takes the cats in, handles the vet work, the assessment and the follow-up. They are the rescue; we are the room where the cats are seen.
Nobody lives at the café permanently. Each cat stays until it finds a home, and then another rescue cat takes its place.
JCN places cats overseas as well as in Japan, and visitors have flown home with one. Ask at the counter how it works. It is less complicated than you would think.
The neighbourhood
A serene old residential quarter of west Kyoto, home to a few families, many elderly neighbours, and a kindergarten behind the back wall whose children can be heard singing. Not a nightlife district: quiet lanes, second-hand ceramics shops, cheap good restaurants. Arashiyama is close by, yet the streets here stay calm and local.
Gallery
Questions
Anything else, write to us.
No. Every house and the café are booked through Airbnb, so your payment and cancellation are handled by them. The buttons here take you straight to the right listing.
Yes. Every house has its own fibre line with mesh WiFi, so the far room is as fast as the near one. Ask and we will send a current speed test.
On Airbnb. Each house has its own listing with live dates, minimum stays and rates, so what you see there is always the real number.
No. The cats all live at the café, a minute down the lane. The houses themselves are cat-free, which matters if someone in your party is allergic.
Every stay includes a complimentary 20 minutes with the cats during the evening care shift, usually between 8:30 and 9:00 PM. For a longer, unhurried visit, book Relax with Rescue Kitties on Airbnb.
Yes, in writing and in person. House guides, appliance labels and the bin calendar are all in English and Japanese.
Come and stay
Booking happens on Airbnb, but the conversation can start here. Send us your dates and how long you are staying.