and Craft
Artisan craft-meets-traditional Japanese. Quiet, unhurried, and intensely local. Each villa has a distinct personality tied to the craftsperson who designed it. Think exposed wood beams, handmade ceramics on the windowsill, lacquer chopsticks in the kitchen drawer. This is the opposite of a standardized hotel experience.
Book workshops at the same time as your room reservation through the official site — artisan availability is confirmed separately and the booking can be cancelled without fees if a workshop falls through
Why It Matters
A genuinely rare concept: a hotel dispersed across a living artisan town where every building has been designed by the craftsperson whose work you'll sleep alongside. The optional 3-hour workshops are not curated tourist activities — they take place in the artisans' own studios. Tablet Hotels-listed, and the dining partner L'ensoleiller holds a Michelin star and Green Star.
Bed and Craft is a decentralized collection of eight individually restored historic buildings scattered across Inami, Japan's most prolific wood-carving town. Founded in 2016 by architect couple Tomotsugu and Satsuki Yamakawa, each villa is designed exclusively by a local artisan — woodcarvers, a lacquer artist, a potter, a landscape gardener, a Buddhist statue artist, and a craft designer — making every stay feel like sleeping inside a working gallery. The concept is part hotel, part cultural immersion: guests book an entire private villa and can apprentice under the same craftspeople whose work fills their walls.
Where You'll Stay
8 room types available
KIN-NAKA
A renovation of what was once the most prestigious of Inami's 15 traditional Japanese restaurants — a survivor of the town's many historic fires. Woodcarver Daichi Maekawa's most dramatic contribution is a hand-carved wooden chandelier that hangs over the living space. Two upstairs bedrooms keep separate families or couples comfortable. The history of the building is worn proudly.
King × 1 (2F bedroom A), semi-double × 2 (2F bedroom B), futon × 1 (1F living room) · 96.6 sqm
MITU
The smallest and arguably most coveted villa. Formerly the VIP entrance hall for the KIN-NAKA restaurant, it's now a two-story space built from straight-grained hinoki cypress, decked with the colorful ceramics of potter Wato Maekawa. The standout feature: a large goemonburo pottery bathtub with turquoise tilework that opens via bifold doors into a semi-open-air garden. Engawa terraces on both floors. Sleeps 3 but the experience is designed for 2.
Semi-double × 2 (2F bedroom), futon × 1 (2F tatami bedroom) · 91.16 sqm
OUKA
The newest and largest of the individual villas, opened March 2026. Set along the Daimon River beneath rows of cherry trees. Designed by craft designer Masanori Oji (founder of Oji & Design), the entire space is conceived for living with craft — vessels and tools made in collaboration with Hokuriku craftmakers are set out for guests to freely use. A tatami room reinterpreted in a contemporary way, hidden cherry blossom motifs to discover, and a bath that doubles as a foot soak for sociable soaking.
King × 1 (2F bedroom A), semi-double × 2 (2F bedroom B), futon × 2 (2F living room) · 139.35 sqm
RoKu
The former town clinic, now one of the most architecturally distinctive villas. The centrepiece is a central stone warehouse built from Nikkaseki stone — a famous Hokuriku regional stone — by the master shrine carpenters and stoneworkers of Inami. Landscape architect Arata Negishi designed the interior and garden as an experience of nature flowing through the space. A stone-built bath, a big-screen projector theater room, and a private garden round it out.
King × 1 (1F bedroom), futon × 1 (1F theater room), semi-double × 2 (2F bedroom) · 90.8 sqm
taë
A compact one-story renovation of a former sericulturist's residence, accented throughout with the dry lacquer artworks of Sanae Tanaka — created exclusively for this space. The name refers to the layering process common to both silkworm cocoons and lacquerwork. Small but smart: wood deck out front, lacquered chopsticks in the kitchen, and a comfortable layout ideal for 2–3 guests on longer stays.
Semi-double × 2 (1F bedroom), double × 1 (2F bedroom) · 71.75 sqm
TATEGU-YA
The founding villa — a former door carpenter's 50-year-old house, deliberately renovated to keep the feeling of a craftsman's workshop alive. The works of woodcarver Komei Tanaka are on display throughout. Five separate bedrooms make it the best option for groups. Big three-burner kitchen and a second-floor shower room in addition to the main bathroom.
Mixed: double bed × 1 (1F), semi-double × 2 (2F-A), single × 2 (2F-B), futon × 2 (2F-C), futon × 1 (2F-D) · 194 sqmTenNE
Once the most exuberant garden room at the old KIN-NAKA restaurant. The landscape architect Arata Negishi has designed the space around the garden's natural flow, while Buddhist statue artist Yoshisada Ishihara adds sculptural accents. The name references the tenne — the soft celestial garment worn by Bodhisattva figures. A dedicated meditation space sits adjacent to the upstairs bedroom. Ryukyu tatami mats from Okinawa cover the ground-floor living room.
Semi-double × 2 + futon × 1 (2F bedroom), futon × 2 (1F living room) · 89.8 sqmTOMOE
Not a separate building but a whole-complex booking: KIN-NAKA, TenNE, and MITU together, connected by internal corridors to two shared spaces — an underground hall with a simple kitchen for parties and a first-floor connection room. Catering available on request. For the group that wants the most space and the most artisanal variety simultaneously.
All beds across KIN-NAKA, TenNE, and MITU combined — 5 bedrooms · 274.56 sqmThe Property
Eat & Drink
4 venues on property
Restaurant
On Property
How you'll actually spend your days.
Work in a lacquer artist's studio kneading traditional Japanese lacquer colours — the most important stage of the lacquerwork process. Finish by designing and applying the lacquer to a pair of chopsticks you take home.
Create a personal fragrance using natural essential oils in a workshop themed around the wood-scented town of Inami. Three theme options — Awakening, Sleeping, or Bathing — with the entire group selecting one type. Participants take home original essential oils and aroma crafts packaged in hand-carved wooden containers.
Create a wooden bean dish in the shape of a lotus flower — a fundamental element in Buddhist art — under direct instruction in a Buddhist statue master's workshop. The lotus has been carved by Inami sculptors for centuries, and this workshop connects guests to that specific lineage.
Carve woodblocks directly under the guidance of a craftsman in a working artisan studio, then create original woodcut print designs. Seasonal options include summer greeting cards, Christmas or New Year's cards, or open-format artwork. Described as 'a sculptural experience that adults can get seriously absorbed in.'
Carve a spoon from cherry wood under direct supervision in a craftsman's studio using the Iwa carving technique. Three hours of hands-on work; guests take the finished spoon home. One of the most popular workshops, and the most tangibly wearable souvenir.
A chartered taxi plan to nearby attractions, introduced in 2025. Good for reaching Gokayama (World Heritage gassho-zukuri village), Kanazawa, Takayama, or other regional sights without needing a rental car.
The town itself is the amenity. Walking distance from every villa you'll find over 100 sculptors' workshops open to browse, a craft beer brewery making regionally-themed beers, a specialty coffee shop sourcing directly from Colombian plantations, a popular bakery with lines out the door, and Japan's largest specialty store of wood engraving tools (over 1,000 types of engraving knives). Bed and Craft also curates a Google Maps guide to the neighbourhood's best spots.
Amenities & Practical Info
The details that matter for planning.
Wood or gas stove available in all villas during winter months. Note: maintaining consistent temperatures throughout traditional old buildings can be challenging during extreme winter cold or summer heat.
Central check-in and concierge hub at 3-41 Honmachi, Nanto City — a separate address from the villas. English and Japanese-speaking staff. Also the location of the nomi restaurant. Office hours Wednesday–Monday, 10:00–21:00.
Complimentary wireless internet throughout all villas.
Available in TATEGU-YA, taë, TenNE, RoKu, and TOMOE villas.
Available in RoKu (full theater room), KIN-NAKA, and OUKA. Supports Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, YouTube, and TVer (personal account required for streaming services).
Free minibar items in all villas, with locally-sourced products from the Inami area.
In-villa washing machine in all villas. OUKA has a washer-dryer combination.
Instant/film camera available for rent at TATEGU-YA, taë, RoKu, OUKA, and TOMOE villas.
All villas are equipped with an IH cooking stove (2–3 burners), refrigerator, microwave, electric kettle, pots, frying pans, tongs, chopsticks, and tableware. Seasoning set available for a fee.
All villas are entirely smoke-free.
Bicycles available for rent at each villa. Good way to explore the Inami artisan streets.
Each villa has free parking nearby — at the property or within 50–100 metres. TATEGU-YA has parking for 4 cars on-site; OUKA has 2 spaces on-site.
BUILD YOUR BED AND CRAFT PLAN
Rooms, dining, spa, and resort experiences — organized into one trip plan.
Start Planning