Taniya

A two-story wooden townhouse in Takayama's old town, rented out whole so the place is yours alone. Clay walls, earthen floors, shoji screens, tatami mats, and a cypress bath looking onto a quiet courtyard set the tone. The neighboring Kusakabe merchant house is a designated cultural property, and Taniya reads as its living annex, built by the same local craftsmen using the same old techniques. The tea room and artisan-furnished reading room come with the keys.

One honor, in evidence: