The restored 130-year-old kura at Kura Retreat Daikokuten, Tōei
大黒天

Tōei, Aichi · Foot of Mt. Myojin

Where food, land,
and culture meet

A lovingly restored 130-year-old kura on five acres of permaculture gardens, tea fields, and sugi forest. Downstairs living room. Upstairs loft with four beds. Bilingual hosts who live here year-round.

Explore PackagesOur Story
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1894
Year Built
5+
Acres Permaculture
40+
Countries Represented
4.9★
Guest Rating
2
Dedicated Hosts

Why Kura Retreat

Not a hotel.
A lived experience.

Historic Kura

Thick earthen walls, original timber beams, and the warm scent of aged cedar — a real storehouse, made comfortable for tonight.

Bilingual Hosts

Mari's TOEIC 960 English fluency and 13 years in the UK means you get genuine cultural translation — not a performance of Japan, but a conversation with it.

Farm-to-Table

Every meal starts in the garden. Guests don't just eat what the land produces — they learn to tend it, harvest from it, and cook with it.

Intimate Scale

Maximum 6 guests. One party at a time. No lobby schedule. Shem and Mari sit down with you for dinner.

The Kura

Your home in the mountains

The original kura kept valuables behind thick earthen walls. Now it keeps something else: peace. Downstairs is the living room — cedar, a low table, calligraphy, the stove. Upstairs, under the rafters, four beds that can be singles or doubles.

Currently open for bookings — Summer and autumn dates fill first. Request yours today.

Downstairs living room with cedar walls, low table, and calligraphy

Ground floor

The living room

Cedar walls, original beams, a low table, and hanging calligraphy. This is where coffee and hojicha wait in the morning, and where the wood-burning stove is shared in the evening. Two extra futons can be laid here if the loft is full.

  • —Cedar interior & original beams
  • —Low table, tansu, calligraphy
  • —Shared wood-burning stove
  • —Two extra futons if needed
Upstairs sleeping loft with four beds under cedar rafters

Sleeping loft

Four beds under the rafters

Upstairs sleeps four — four singles, or two doubles for couples. Raised tatami platforms or made wooden beds, kimono at the window, paper lantern, cedar scent. Guests often say the kura itself is part of the rest: quiet, grounded, and surprisingly deep sleep.

  • —Four beds · singles or doubles
  • —Tatami platforms or wooden frames
  • —Cedar loft, paper lantern
  • —Private bathroom

Inside the loft

Sleeping loft

Upstairs: four beds under exposed cedar beams. Arranged as four singles or two doubles.

Living room

Downstairs: the hearth room. Cedar, a low table, evenings by the stove. Two extra futons if needed.

Bath & ofuro

A clean private bathroom in the kura, plus a half-price guest pass for Toei Onsen Hanamatsuri no Yu — many guests go every day.

The land

Five acres of permaculture gardens, tea fields, and ancient sugi forest. Trails start at the front door. The valley view is from the garden road.

Amenities included
Starlink Wi-Fi (low-impact)Heating & A/CShared kitchen & diningWood-burning stoveWashing machineFree parkingPrivate bath & showerLinens & towelsFarm mealsJR Toei station pickupToei Onsen guest passType A 100V outlets
Check Availability

Retreat Packages

Find your reason to come

Each package is built around a different kind of guest and a different kind of need. Browse by what you're looking for, or see everything.

Premium · Women's

Farm Harvest & Chef's Table

Ideal for: Women traveling solo or in small groups

From garden to plate — a culinary immersion led by Mari. Learn to harvest, prepare, and eat with the seasons. Private chef dinners, intimate group cooking, and evenings by the ofuro.

  • —Full farm-to-table cooking workshop series
  • —Private chef dinner with wine or sake pairing
  • —Traditional tea ceremony in the tea fields
  • —Firewood ofuro rituals each evening
  • —Mari's personal cultural facilitation
  • —All meals from the farm
¥120,000–160,000per person · 3–4 nights
Book
Premium · Wellness

Mountain Retreat: Nature & Wellness

Ideal for: Couples and solo travelers seeking renewal

Mornings hiking cedar trails. Afternoons in the garden. Evenings in the hot ofuro under the mountain sky. No agenda beyond slowing down.

  • —Guided forest bathing (shinrin-yoku)
  • —Yoga and morning meditation in the garden
  • —Mountain hike to waterfall or Mt. Chausu
  • —Natural hot spring (Toeionsen) day visit
  • —Farm-prepared wellness meals, all included
  • —Daily ofuro ritual
¥90,000–120,000per person · 3–4 nights
Book
Premium · Transformation

Ikigai Discovery Retreat

Ideal for: Women at a crossroads, seeking meaning

Ikigai — reason for being. Mari leads immersive workshops drawing on Japanese philosophy, cooking, and reflection. Many guests arrive uncertain. They leave different.

  • —3 × guided ikigai workshop sessions with Mari
  • —Journaling and reflection practices
  • —Cooking as meditation (daily)
  • —Silent morning walks
  • —Personal one-on-one time with Mari (bilingual)
  • —All meals, ceremonies, and ofuro
¥85,000–125,000per person · 3–4 nights
Book
Family Immersion

Farm to Table Family Experience

Ideal for: Families with children 8+ · Up to 6 guests

Kids pick vegetables from the garden, cook them, then eat them — and discover they like vegetables. Families come as tourists and leave feeling like they briefly lived somewhere real.

  • —Family cooking workshops (children participate fully)
  • —Garden harvesting and nature exploration
  • —Child-adapted tea ceremony
  • —Evening storytelling with Shem
  • —Safe 5-acre grounds for free play
  • —Flexible sleeping for large families
¥75,000–95,000adult · ¥45,000–60,000 child · 2–4 nights
Book
Corporate & Groups

Team Cohesion Retreat

Ideal for: Companies, HR teams · 4–6 guests

The setting that forces real conversation. Cook together, hike together, eat together — Mari facilitates workshops when structure helps. Fully customizable to your team's goals.

  • —Group cooking challenge (team collaboration)
  • —Facilitated ikigai / values workshop (Mari-led)
  • —Communal hiking and outdoor activities
  • —Evening reflection and sake / tea ceremony
  • —Customizable program to team goals
  • —All meals and accommodation
¥70,000–90,000per person · 4+ guests · 2–4 nights
Request Quote
Budget Stay

Backpacker's Kura Stay

Ideal for: Cyclists, hikers, solo travelers

You're passing through rural Aichi and want something memorable, not generic. Stay in a 130-year-old kura. Eat with the hosts. Leave with a story worth telling.

  • —Accommodation in the kura (shared or private)
  • —Farm breakfast + communal dinner included
  • —Tea ceremony experience
  • —Local cycling/hiking route tips from Shem
  • —Access to grounds and garden
¥18,000–28,000per person per night · 1–2 nights
Book

All packages are customizable. Tell us what you're looking for →

Enhance Your Stay

Add-ons & extras.

Every visit is different. Add what resonates, skip what doesn't. Book during your stay or at reservation.

Culinary
Premium Chef Dinner
+¥12,000 / person
Culinary
Sake or Wine Pairing
+¥5,000 / person
Culinary
Market Visit & Ingredients
+¥4,000 / person
Wellness
Massage (Partnered)
+¥10,000 / session
Wellness
Private Yoga Session
+¥6,000 / session
Wellness
Forest Bathing Guide
+¥4,000 / person
Culture
Pottery Workshop
+¥6,000 / person
Culture
Washi Paper Making
+¥3,500 / person
Adventure
Waterfall Hiking (Guided)
+¥5,000 / person
Adventure
Mt. Chausu Day Hike
+¥6,000 / person
Adventure
Hanamatsuri Festival Tour
+¥8,000 / person
Learning
English Conversation Circle
+¥3,000 / person

What You'll Do

More than a place to sleep.

The kura is just where you rest. The real experience is what happens outside of it — in the kitchen, on the trail, in the field, and at the table.

Farm-to-Table Workshop

Harvest seasonal produce from the garden, then cook it into a shared meal with Mari.

Private Chef Dinner

An intimate multi-course meal. Each dish reflects the season, the farm, and Mari's heritage.

Local Market Visit

Find the morning's ingredients, talk to the farmers, understand where rural Aichi's food comes from.

Japanese Recipe Sessions

Traditional dishes from scratch — technique and the cultural context behind each one.

When to Visit

Every season has its own truth.

Spring · 春
Haru
Cherry blossoms over the kura roof. Tea planting season — guests join the harvest. New growth in the garden. The farm waking up.
Summer · 夏
Natsu
Swimming holes in the mountain rivers. Long evenings, fireflies, community festivals. The garden at its most abundant.
Autumn · 秋
Aki
Harvest season. The hills burn red and gold. Hanamatsuri Festival preparation. Foraging at its richest. Most requested dates.
Winter · 冬
Fuyu
Snow on the mountains. The ofuro becomes essential. Hot springs trips. Cosy evenings by fire. Deeply restorative quiet.

Your Hosts

Two worlds,
one home.

Shem is British. Mari is Japanese. They lived in London, then came to Toei. They didn't build a business — they built a life, and they invite people into it.

S

Shem Booth-Spain

Artist · Musician · Permaculture Steward

Shem arrived in rural Japan carrying the restlessness of a creative person who hadn't yet found his right landscape. He found it here — in the mountains of Toei, in the slow work of a permaculture farm, and in sharing that work with guests who arrive needing something they can't quite name. He tends the land, leads hikes, facilitates art sessions, and plays music at dinner when the mood is right.

The farm teaches patience. Every guest who works with their hands here leaves a little lighter than they arrived.
BritishVisual ArtistMusicianPermacultureHiking Guide
M

Mari Booth-Spain

Cultural Facilitator · English Instructor · Host

Mari spent 13 years in the UK — London, Kent — as an English teacher before returning to Japan with Shem. What that gave her is rare: a genuine inhabitation of both worlds. She speaks English and Japanese fluently (TOEIC 960), leads ikigai workshops, facilitates cooking, runs the tea ceremony in the fields, and somehow makes every guest feel both culturally welcomed and personally seen.

Ikigai isn't found in a workshop. It arrives slowly, through the act of making food, tending something alive, connecting with people whose stories are different from yours.
JapaneseTOEIC 96013 Years UKCultural FacilitatorIkigai

Guest Stories

What people say
when they get home

Google review
★★★★★

This hidden retreat feels like a step back in time. Beautifully restored kura, serene, far from city hustle. The hosts shared their wood-burning stove and we finished the evening with great conversation. Ideal for a romantic getaway, solo reflection, or anyone seeking authentic rural Japan.

B
Bra-chan
Google · January 2026
BookRetreats
★★★★★

The best. I will be back. Shem and Mari offer the best welcome. They have a passion for the town that they want to share.

E
Edward
BookRetreats · November 2025
First kura stay
★★★★★

It was very good. It was my first experience staying overnight in a real storehouse. It's very amazing.

M
Miyoshi
BookRetreats · November 2025
Dawn over the Okumikawa valley, seen from the garden road

From the garden road, looking down the valley at first light.

Getting Here

Toei, Aichi —
intentionally remote.

Hidden at the foot of Mt. Myojin (1,016 m) in rural Tōei — Okumikawa, Aichi. Far enough from the highway to breathe. Complimentary pickup from JR Toei Station.

  • Mt. Myojin
    1,016 m — the mountain at our door
  • Hanamatsuri Festival
    700-year-old fire festival — national intangible cultural property
  • Toei Onsen · Hanamatsuri no Yu
    Local onsen with a half-price guest pass
  • Okumikawa Niagara (Tsuta no Fuchi)
    A waterfall in cedar forest, a short outing
  • Mt. Chausu
    Aichi's highest peak — hiking and views

Getting Here

JR Toei StationComplimentary pickup
From Nagoya (car)~2.5 hours
From Nagoya (train)~3–3.5 hours
Chubu Centrair (NGO)~3–3.5 hours
From Tokyo (Shinkansen + Iida Line)~4–5 hours

Address: 14 Okamori, Nakashitara, Tōei-chō, Aichi 449-0211. Arrive at Toei Station between 3pm and 6pm if you can. Airport transfers from NGO at petrol and toll cost. Shem will map the best route from where you are.

Address14 Okamori, Nakashitara, Tōei-chō, Kitashitara-gun, Aichi 449-0211, JapanInstagram@kuraretreatdaikokuten

Reserve Your Stay

Your kura
awaits.

No payment now. This is an enquiry. Mari or Shem reply within 24 hours. Cash on arrival after they confirm.

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Select your dates

The kura is reserved for one party at a time. Greyed dates are already held.

September 2026
guests2

Stories from the kura, in your inbox

Seasonal recipes, journal entries from the farm, early access to new packages, and return-guest offers. No noise. Just Toei.

Journal

Notes from the farm.

Recipes, philosophy, seasonal updates, and stories from guests who came and stayed longer than planned.

Permaculture

What a Regenerative Garden Actually Looks Like (And Why Ours Isn't "Neat")

Shem explains why the messy bits of the farm are the most important, and what permaculture means in practice on our five acres in Toei.

Culture & Wellness

Ikigai Isn't a Poster. It's a Practice.

Mari on the difference between ikigai as a concept and ikigai as something you actually feel — and why it tends to arrive in the kitchen.

Recipes

Autumn Harvest Soup: A Recipe That Changes Every Year

The soup we make in October looks different every time. That's the point. Here's the base recipe — the rest depends on your garden.

Travel & Nature

Why Rural Aichi Is the Japan Most Travellers Miss

Toei is not Kyoto. It has no temples marketed to tourists. What it has instead: 700-year-old fire festivals, the country's quietest hiking trails, and a pace of life that rewires something.

More stories coming. See all journal posts →