BUNAGAYA

Where a schoolhouse became a fable.

Listen, and you can almost still hear them — the laughter of children that once filled these halls.

BUNAGAYA was born from Kijoka-sho, reborn around a single theme: the fable. The building keeps the face it always wore, but the story inside has changed.

What is a bunagaya? A bunagaya is a woodland spirit from the folklore of northern Okinawa — a small, red-haired, childlike creature said to live in old trees, especially banyans. Mischievous but never malicious, bunagaya are believed to appear where forest and human life quietly overlap. To sense one nearby is to feel that the boundary between the everyday world and the world of spirits has grown thin. (Elsewhere in Okinawa, the same kind of spirit is known as a kijimuna.)

Step into the corridor and the wind of Yanbaru steps in with you. Yanbaru is the wild, subtropical north of Okinawa — a region of dense evergreen forest, home to creatures found nowhere else on earth, and recognized in 2021 as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.

The shared spaces here are hansoto — half-inside, half-outside — where light and air slip through the gaps in the timber. Standing there, neither quite inside nor outside but somewhere in between, you begin to notice things: the scent of grasses and flowers, the sound of the wind, the feel of the floor beneath your feet, the quiet breathing of living creatures.

"A little bit of an adventure. But somewhere you can truly feel at ease."

It is a place where the five senses wake.

The rooms are small and snug, each with a loft. The ceilings sit low — and somehow that is exactly what makes them comfortable. There is a safety that only a small space can give, like the burrow of a bunagaya himself.

And then —

On a night steeped deep in the air of Yanbaru, somewhere in the space between what is true and what is make-believe, you may quietly meet something.

Our humble wish is this: that your stay at Kijoka-sho becomes a journey of the heart — a fable of your own — and that your story goes on being told, vividly and freely. For it is within stories that the truth lives, and there, at last, we are free to be exactly as we wish to be.

We look forward to welcoming you.The Place

BUNAGAYA sits in Kijoka, a village in Ogimi — a community in northern Okinawa long known as a "village of longevity." Kijoka is also the home of bashofu, a cloth woven by hand from banana-plant fibers over a process of many months. With centuries of history behind it, bashofu is designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Japan, and Kijoka is its heartland.

Like many rural schools across Japan, Kijoka Elementary closed its doors as the surrounding population aged and shrank — after 127 years of history. In 2022, the building was given a new life. What began as just 3 tenants has since grown to 14: a sauna, a bookshop, a hammock atelier, ceramics and woodworking studios, a craft shop, a photography studio, a film studio, a watercolorist's atelier, a tourism office, a bashofu workshop. A wealth of creators now work here, and at present every space is full.

This is also a place rooted in its community, where local young people gather through the seasons for events and festivals — a setting for rediscovering local culture and bringing the generations together.

Making & Experiences

We offer special programs that bring you close to the handcrafts and culture unique to Yanbaru:

• Grass-weaving workshops using Yanbaru plants

• Trekking tours through the Yanbaru forest

• A sauna where you can savor Yanbaru herbs with all five senses

All experiences are by advance reservation only, so please book ahead. If anything catches your eye, simply send us an email and we'll be glad to help.

A Word from Akiko Yamagami, Director of Kijoka-sho

From the windows, a whole view of cherry blossoms. A golden chrysalis hangs in the branches; a family of owls keeps watch from the treetops. Children run through the garden, mouths full of the season's fruit, while the bunagaya play their little tricks. The Kijoka Elementary School my children once attended was like a place out of a fairy tale.

After 127 years of history, the village decided to close the school. In 2022, when I learned that proposals were being sought to give it new life, I found my hand already raised — with no plan at all. Now, in this place where spirits and people pass one another by, new stories are being born again.

At BUNAGAYA, will you come and feel the moment a spirit, too, comes to dwell in your heart?

Good to Know

Practical notes, so you can travel with an easy heart.

Getting here We are about two hours by car from Naha Airport, deep in the north of Okinawa. A rental car is the easiest and most rewarding way to reach us — the drive itself, along the coast and into the Yanbaru forest, is part of the journey. If you prefer to come by bus, the nearest stop is a 15-minute walk away, with roughly one bus per hour.

The rooms Each room welcomes up to two adults, plus up to two children sharing the same bedding. You'll sleep in the loft, futon-style — but on carefully chosen, high-quality mattresses, so even if your back needs a little extra care, you can rest easy.

Bath & facilities The bathrooms and washrooms are the original ones from the schoolhouse days, kept and shared among guests — a small, living piece of the building's history. Inside your room, you'll find Wi-Fi, air conditioning, a refrigerator, and basic amenities.

Meals Breakfast and dinner are available as optional add-ons. As dining options nearby are limited, we recommend arranging meals with us in advance.

A note on language We don't have English-speaking staff on site — but please don't let that hold you back. We'll meet you with translation tools and, above all, sincere hospitality. We promise to do our very best to make you feel at home.

Rates Please see the booking page for current room rates and availability.