Kyoto / Kanamean Nishitomiya
This inn's secret to successful respite is being able to provide it in such a modest space.
Text: Tadashi Wakami | Photo: Ryoihi Saito
A friend of mine once said that, when choosing an inn at which to stay, the secret is to find an establishment with "30 rooms and at 30,000 yen." But the number of rooms can be even lower. By doing so, you will be able to see more of the tastes and preferences of the landlord and landlady – and their sense of spirit.
The aforementioned Sekitei landlord from the "gatherings" talks about a rival of his about the same age, who owned an inn in Kyoto: the Kanamean Nishitomiya.
Around that inn, to which Nishiki Ichiba, a food market in central Kyoto, was also near, there had once lived many townsfolk who would built frames for fans as a living, or so the story goes. Even today, old shops dealing in fans still exist, though dwindled to several in number. The kaname in the name of his inn was derived from the kaname or "hinge" of the fans, and the desire of the landlord to make this inn play a central role among all other inns – a sort of "hinge" in itself, if you will. In turn, as mentioned, the landlords and landladies who all strive to keep a "good inn," are also playing the central role, like hinges, at the innkeepers' gatherings.
There are nine rooms in all at Kanamean Nishitomiya. It is a small inn, but it is just what the heart desires. From the standpoint of one putting up there for the night, there is no need for plenty of guestrooms (although I do find myself in a state of bother when there are never any rooms available as they have been booked to capacity). When I want to request something the hosts respond promptly and, while I realize that they are indeed catering to me as guest, they also make sure not to bother me when unneeded. The good in this reserved balance serves as music to the soul.
There is a spot garden to learn of the machiya houses so peculiar to Kyoto, and checkered-built rooms of various types from which the seasons can be taken in and appreciated - a delight in itself. The landlord, just as a gardener might, has tried his hand at horticulture himself and has attained an excellent sophistication in this pursuit. He has a firm hold of his bearings and just the right measure of gravity about him also.
This spot garden would seem day upon day and instant upon instant to constantly change in expression, and the ambience of the inn's interior and the decor in each room seem to actually be changing with the passage of time itself, however subtly.
"If the water is hoarded it will be spoilt. Always you must have it constantly flow, constant and steady!" Such is the conviction of the landlord. Even as Kyoto carries on its traditions as an ancient Japanese capital, that it is constantly seeking out new tones to establish itself is possibly something unique unto Kyoto itself.
"With a straight face, without pressuring the listener and without wasted words: these are the defining characteristics of a Kyotoite, I would say," shares the landlady.
In the small inn, the true essence of Kyoto overflows. The pleasantness of the familiar, a sentiment well enjoyed by those lodging here, makes it seem as if the guest has returned to his own home, and is just as relaxing.
Although, from the side of the visitor, there is no craving for such hospitality, from the standpoint of the inn's hosts, conversely, it is of interest as to whether the visitor is a good guest or not. Is it acceptable for the guest to merely relax and succumb to his or her own whims and caprices?
I quietly asked the landlady of the inn, with her many regular visitors, who is herself an avid traveler and often enters as a guest at other establishments, questioning her secretively if there are any tips on being well-received by hosts.
"It is being able to employ our services aptly. The respected customer simply makes us feel that we want to do something for them," she replies. In other words, the guest and the host, be it the landlord or the landlady – it is how they are able to convey the contents of their heart. It is basic humanity in itself. Selfish customers are not always plainly selfish under such circumstances.
"Where is he on his stroll right about now? Isn't he suffering under the rain? To host the type of guest that would allow us to think in such a way – that is an ideal for which we all strive."
There are currently twelve inns across the country that are participating in this gathering of landlords and landladies who seek to keep a "good inn." If you are considering also going to see the fruitful results that are the inns of these artisans - these people who have accumulated careful research day after day - I humbly offer up the suggestion that it would best to first have a firm hold of your own bearings, just the right measure of gravity in turn.
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