“Tosenoie” in Hachinohe City is a warm accommodation facility where visitors can experience local charms. It is based on the concept of” a guesthouse where travelers and local people can interact.” The guesthouse, run by owner Suzuki Minori, is named after her great-grandmother Tose’s house, where many of her relatives used to gather during summer holidays.
The place, inspired by the cozy space full of smiling faces created by her grandmother Tose, who ran a confectionary shop and survived the harsh postwar period, is well known for its local culture and scenery.

The inn is a simple but nostalgic Japanese-style room with warmth, and the hanging scroll of Nanbu Hishisashi stitching displayed in the back room is magnificent. It is as if you have visited your grandmother’s house for a summer vacation, where you can relax and melt away the boundaries between you and others.

Amenities are charged for, albeit at a small fee. She says ‘Because I don’t want people to take it for granted that we use things up and throw them away. I would like to let everyone stop and think about environment for a moment.’

After having traveled to many countries around the world, including studying abroad in the U.S., interning in Italy, and traveling alone to India, Ms. Suzuki is committed to communicating the charms of her hometown, Hachinohe, and to providing tourists with more than just an accommodation experience. During your stay, you can interact with local people and enjoy a variety of activities that bring you in touch with Hachinohe’s nature and culture. Of course, the activities vary from day to day. Still, a visit to Miroku Yokocho, an essential part of the Hachinohe drinking scene, a handwritten map and guide in the room, breakfast with elderly locals at Cafe Hebana, and serving Senbei Jiru (rice cracker soup) are all part of the experience that will broaden the range of ways you can enjoy Hachinohe.

Tosenoie is where you can experience Hachinohe’s nature and culture firsthand, a true “live as you travel” experience.