Otsu · Shiga
Kichi Otsu
A furnished 1970s timber house on a quiet residential street in Otsu, near the southern shore of Lake Biwa. Kyoto Station is about twenty minutes away by rail. The lake is closer still.
Otsu, not the house. Photography of Kichi Otsu goes up when the house opens.
The house
This is a timber house from the 1970s, the kind of home Japan built by the hundred thousand and is now quietly letting go. It has the warmth that only real wood and fifty years can give: rooms that soften the light, a house that creaks companionably rather than hums. At 57 m² it is a comfortable size for a couple, with room for a third.
It comes fully furnished and set up, so you arrive to a home rather than a project. A kitchen you will actually cook in, laundry of your own, space to work and space to do nothing at all. We prepare the house fresh before every lease, and we walk you through the details, from layout to bedding to equipment, before you book.
- 1970s timber construction
- 57 m² · sleeps 2-3
- Fully furnished, available now
- Kitchen and laundry at home
- Quiet residential street
- Year-round stays
The neighbourhood
Otsu sits on the southern shore of Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, and keeps the unhurried feel of an old sento town: residential streets, local shops, water never far away. In summer the lake earns its keep. People swim from its beaches and cycle the shoreline; the rest of the year it is there for morning walks and long evening light.
And then there is Kyoto. The train into the Kyoto Station area takes about twenty minutes, so you can spend the day among the temples and markets and still be home for dinner by the lake. Kyoto's best without Kyoto's crowds or Kyoto's prices. Osaka works as a day trip too, which makes this house a natural base for a month in Kansai, in any season.
Good to know
- 30 days minimum. A firm booking condition on every Kichi. Stays cannot be booked or shortened below 30 days, and leaving early never converts your lease into a shorter booking or triggers a refund below that floor.
- A real lease. This is a partner-owned house, so your fixed-term residential lease is prepared and executed by a licensed Japanese real-estate agent, including the statutory explanation required by law, with plain-English support throughout.
- One payment. You pay once, securely, by Wise before move-in: your own bank account, your own currency, the mid-market rate. For stays beyond about three months we agree a payment schedule with you directly.
- Your house, not a hotel. No daily housekeeping and no front desk. Optional paid cleaning and linen changes can be arranged if you would like them.
- Utilities, sorted. Utilities are arranged for the house and explained clearly before you sign. No surprises later.
- Three weeks' notice. Please enquire at least three weeks before your move-in date; the house is set up fresh for every lease.
Every booking of Kichi Otsu is a genuine fixed-term residential lease of at least 30 days, under Japanese tenancy law. Not a hotel, minpaku or lodging arrangement. Stays cannot be made or shortened below 30 days, before or after signing, and early departure never turns a stay into a shorter booking or a refund below the 30-day floor. Read the terms of stay.