Kichi Narao

The house

Kichi Narao is our largest house: around 150 square metres across two floors, joined by an internal staircase, above the harbour in Narao, a working port town on the Goto Islands off the west coast of Nagasaki. On a month-long stay, space is what you end up grateful for. Somewhere to cook, somewhere to work, somewhere for the children to disappear to, and room for everyone to sit down at the same table afterwards.

We are preparing the house for its first guests now, furnished simply in a way that suits the island, so the exact layout and sleeping arrangements are confirmed when you enquire. What is already settled is the scale, the setting and the price.

• Around 150 m² over two floors
• Room for a family or a group of friends
• Parking at the building
• Minutes from quiet, clear-water beaches
• In a working fishing community
• Leased directly by the operator

The island

Narao lives by the sea. The harbour still works to the rhythm of the fishing boats, and the East China Sea is effectively the front garden. Minutes from the house are beaches with clear water and remarkably few visitors. On a weekday in June you may well have one entirely to yourselves. The fishing, as you would expect of a town built on it, is superb.

We will be straight with you: this is a remote island. Life runs on ferry and tide timetables, a car helps enormously, and nobody is coming past with a breakfast trolley. That is precisely the appeal. A month here is the real thing: swimming before lunch, watching the boats come in, learning which neighbour waves first. It is the kind of month children remember for the rest of their lives.

The island is at its best from May to September, when the beaches and the fishing are in full swing. Shoulder-season stays are possible too. Quieter still, and the sea keeps its colour.

Good to know

• A tenancy, not a hotel. Your stay is a fixed-term residential lease under Japanese tenancy law. Your name on a lease, a tenant's privacy, no front desk.
• Leased directly with us. Property Pilot Japan, Kichi's operator, owns this house, so your lease is signed directly with us. No agent needed, and every question answered by the people who hold the keys.
• One payment, by Wise. One secure prepayment before move-in, from your own bank account in your own currency, at the mid-market rate. For stays beyond three months we agree a payment schedule with you directly.
• No hotel services. No daily housekeeping and no reception. Optional paid extras such as cleaning and linen changes can be arranged.
• Island practicalities, discussed openly. Getting here is part of the adventure: fly into Nagasaki, then a bus and a ferry bring you to Narao's harbour. Ferries, shopping, getting around, what to do when the weather turns: we walk you through all of it honestly at enquiry, before you commit to anything.
• Three weeks' notice, minimum. The house is set up fresh for each lease, so please enquire at least three weeks before your move-in date.