Airbnb’s first communal lodging project – Yoshino Cedar House – is finally available to rent in Japan, just in time for the annual spring cherry blossom

The brand announced it was venturing into urban planning in August last year when it unveiled its innovation lab Samara, and teamed up with Japanese architect Go Hasegawa to create a pitched-roof community centre for the small town of Yoshino.

First displayed at House Vision Tokyo 2016, Yoshino Cedar House is now fully operational and taking bookings at its riverside spot in the Nara prefecture town.

‘The house explores how architecture can promote new relationships between hosts and guests beyond existing notions of domesticity and ownership,’ says the brand of the project.

Part community centre, part Airbnb accommodation, the dwelling is made from locally milled timber. It features a ground floor living and dining space for guests and locals to share, topped by a loft for overnight travellers – with one room facing sunrise and one facing sunset.

Guests can book the Yoshino Cedar House through Airbnb from £74 per night, where they’ll stay with local hosts who maintain the building. Revenue from the project meanwhile will be reinvested into the small rural town.

The project is said to be inspired by the ventures of an elderly lady living in the small town of Tsuyama Okayama in rural Japan. Her Airbnb dwelling proved so successful that she enlisted locals as tour guides and translators for guests, creating a micro tourism economy.

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