Overview

NIHON IRO gives you a private whole-house stay in Mochimune, a small fishing port town in Shizuoka City. Rather than staying inside one hotel building, you check in at HUT PARK Mochimune and then settle into your own renovated Japanese house in the nearby streets. The houses sit less than 100 metres from reception, placing you close to Mochimune Fishing Port, the beach, local seafood shops, cafés, and everyday town life.

Each house takes its name from a traditional Japanese colour and carries a different layout, mood, and story. Wooden beams, tatami, gardens, irori hearths, deep baths, and carefully restored details keep the character of the older buildings alive. At the same time, private kitchens, comfortable beds, Wi-Fi, climate control, and projectors in selected houses make it easy to relax for more than one night.

You do not follow the fixed rhythm of a conventional ryokan here. You can cook when you like, buy seafood from the port, grill dried fish over charcoal, walk to the natural hot spring, and enjoy breakfast inside your house. This freedom lets you experience Mochimune as somewhere you temporarily live, not simply somewhere you visit.

Accommodation

You can choose from ten private houses, with options for couples, families, groups, pet stays, and accessible travel. Every house includes its own kitchen, bathroom, washroom, toilet, living space, and sleeping area. Several houses also include a Japanese cypress bath, irori hearth, garden, projector, or dedicated space for dogs.

Chigusa offers 55.58 square metres surrounded by a private garden. Large windows bring the greenery into the living room, while an irori hearth creates a warm place to gather over food. The house includes one semi-double bed, space for additional futons, and a Japanese cypress bath. Rindoh gives you 79.50 square metres with a playful loft that works as a private theatre. You can watch films on the projector and screen, then relax in the cypress bath before sleeping in the bedroom or on futons.

Seiran offers 88.40 square metres together with a wooden terrace and private dog run. You can stay here with your pet, enjoy the spacious living room, cook in the kitchen, and gather around the irori hearth. The sleeping setup combines two semi-double beds with futons, making the house suitable for a family or group. You can also arrange an outdoor gas barbecue in Seiran’s garden.

Nadeshiko spreads across two floors and gives you 99.38 square metres with three large living and sleeping areas. Four semi-double beds, an extra bed, and futon space create flexible sleeping arrangements for a larger group. Kohaku offers 90.88 square metres plus a garden, with a broad tatami living room, separate dining space, irori hearth, two semi-double beds, futons, two washrooms, two toilets, a bathroom, and a separate shower room. It is the largest-capacity choice and works especially well when several generations travel together.

Geppaku creates a more intimate stay for two. The 40.75-square-metre house includes a queen-size bed, private garden, wooden terrace, skylight above the bedroom, dining area, and dog run. You can stay here with your pet and spend the evening looking through the skylight or sitting outside. Konparu offers 83.63 square metres across two floors, with three semi-double beds, a private courtyard, a swing, and a semi-outdoor charcoal-grill space designed for use in different weather conditions. Pets can also stay with you in this house.

Lemon gives you 88.86 square metres with five semi-double beds and a large open atrium. The first floor follows a universal design, with easier wheelchair access, a spacious toilet, a bedroom, and private parking directly outside. Kurumi offers 90.24 square metres and places food at the centre of the stay. Its large kitchen and dining table include an irori hearth, while the open living area, projector, veranda, garden, two semi-double beds, and additional futons create a welcoming setting for long meals and conversation.

Hisui is the most spacious house at 125.87 square metres. You have a private dog run, a large entrance with a swing, an irori dining area, a full kitchen, two upstairs sleeping and living areas, two semi-double beds, futons, a projector, and a spacious bath. This house suits you when you want plenty of room for family time, a group holiday, or a stay with your dog.

Dining

Breakfast brings the character of Mochimune directly into your house. When you choose a breakfast plan, a local “hospitality mother” visits in the morning and prepares a Japanese set meal for you. A typical breakfast includes rice, soup, boiled Mochimune whitebait, grilled fish, small seasonal dishes, and dessert. The menu changes with the season and the day’s ingredients, and breakfast is served between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM.

Dinner remains flexible. Every house includes an irori hearth or shichirin charcoal grill, depending on the building. You can bring your own ingredients or buy fresh fish, dried fish, meat, and vegetables from shops around Mochimune. At your requested time, lit charcoal can be prepared for you, so you can begin grilling without managing the fire yourself. Some stay plans also include local meat, vegetables, and dried fish.

Seiran gives you the added option of an outdoor gas barbecue in its private garden. You bring the ingredients, while the barbecue stove and a simple weather tarp can be arranged for an additional fee. Refrigerators inside the houses give you plenty of space to store food bought from the port, supermarket, butcher, greengrocer, or whitebait shop.

For a special evening, you can reserve a private Italian dinner served inside your house. This weekday option is limited to one group per day and begins at 6:00 PM, with the seasonal course taking about two hours. You can also order Shizuoka oden and selected local sake for delivery to your house. Dinner services depend on advance booking and your chosen plan, so it is best to arrange them before arrival.

Onsen and Wellness

The bathrooms inside the houses are completely private, but they do not use natural hot spring water. Most houses include a Japanese cypress bath, while Geppaku, Konparu, and Lemon use a different private bath design. You can bathe at your own pace without entering a shared bathing area.

For a full onsen experience, your stay includes complimentary access to Mochimune Minato Onsen, around seven minutes away on foot. You can visit the hot spring more than once during your stay, and bath and face towels are included. The bathhouse occupies a renovated former tuna-processing building directly beside the fishing port.

The natural spring rises from around 1,000 metres below the property. It is a weakly alkaline sodium-calcium chloride spring with a pH of 8.3. The spring is known for its warming and moisturising qualities, with traditional indications that include sensitivity to cold, poor peripheral circulation, dry skin, and minor cuts.

The 100% natural hot spring open-air bath looks toward Mochimune Port and Mount Fuji on clear days. Inside, the main bath uses natural groundwater drawn from 56 metres below ground. You can also enjoy a high-concentration carbonated bath, a cold bath maintained at around 15°C, and a far-infrared sauna kept between approximately 80°C and 90°C.

Mochimune Minato Onsen opens from 10:00 AM to midnight on weekdays and from 9:00 AM to midnight on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, with final entry at 11:00 PM. Temporary closures may take place for maintenance.

A partner wellness salon also offers Thai massage and Balinese aroma treatments. An exclusive short treatment option is available during your stay, with advance booking recommended when two people wish to receive treatments at the same time.

Guests with Tattoos

If you have tattoos, you cannot use Mochimune Minato Onsen, regardless of the tattoo’s size. You can still bathe privately inside your house without restriction, although the in-house bath does not use natural hot spring water.

Facilities

Each house includes free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, a private kitchen, refrigerator, microwave oven, electric kettle, cookware, knives, cutting boards, tableware, glasses, wine glasses, cutlery, a corkscrew, and basic seasonings. You also have a private bathroom, washroom, shower toilet, hair dryer, Japanese sleepwear, bath towels, face towels, slippers, green tea, coffee, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, skincare products, toothbrushes, haircare items, cotton products, and razors.

Entertainment depends on the house you choose. Most houses include a television, while several add a projector, large screen, and access to streaming entertainment. Free bicycles and board games are available, and you can request a baby chair or charging cables while supplies last. Luggage storage is available before check-in and after check-out, and luggage can also be sent to the reception before your stay.

Selected houses welcome pets and include useful equipment such as a cage, toilet sheets, food and water bowls, wet wipes, deodorising spray, a lint roller, paw towel, waste bags, and a dedicated bin. Seiran, Geppaku, Konparu, and Hisui provide pet-friendly layouts, with private outdoor spaces available at each of these houses.

Free parking is available near the houses, with ten spaces in total. Lemon and Kurumi have private parking directly outside, while Hisui also includes its own parking space. Advance contact is recommended when your group arrives with more than one car.

Activities

Mochimune is easy to explore on foot or by bicycle. You can walk to the fishing port in the morning, watch the whitebait boats leave or return, and stop at a local shop for boiled whitebait, fresh fish, sashimi, dried seafood, black hanpen, or Shizuoka oden. The port area also includes cafés, a craft beer brewery, restaurants, and small shops where daily life and tourism mix naturally.

The beach gives you a simple place for a morning walk, sunset view, or quiet break by Suruga Bay. On clear days, you may see Mount Fuji and the Southern Alps beyond the coastline. You can also visit Mochimune Minato Onsen for an open-air bath, sauna session, meal, or drink on the terrace overlooking the harbor.

JR Mochimune Station places central Shizuoka within easy reach. The train to Shizuoka Station takes around seven minutes, allowing you to explore the city’s museums, tea culture, shopping areas, and restaurants before returning to the quieter port town. Free bicycles make it easier to explore locally, while the complimentary tuk-tuk transfer adds a memorable start or finish to your stay.

Additional Features

Reception is located on the first floor of HUT PARK Mochimune at 4-20-12 Mochimune, Suruga Ward, Shizuoka City. The private houses stand in the nearby streets rather than inside HUT PARK itself. After completing check-in, you receive directions to your selected house.

Check-in runs from 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and check-out is at 11:00 AM. A free tuk-tuk transfer is available from JR Mochimune Station when reserved in advance, with the journey taking about five minutes. You can also walk from the station in around seven minutes.

NIHON IRO suits you when you want more independence than a traditional ryokan stay while still enjoying Japanese architecture, local breakfast, charcoal dining, natural hot spring access, and close contact with a fishing town. You receive an entire house rather than a single room, giving you space to cook, eat, bathe, talk, and experience Mochimune at your own pace.