A dispersed-style hotel built from restored old houses (kominka) in Mino, Gifu Prefecture, is getting a new name: NIPPONIA 美濃商家町 (NIPPONIA Mino Merchant Town), run by Minomachiya Co., Ltd. (Mino, Gifu Prefecture; President Okada 岡田岳史) since its 2019 opening, will be rebranded as NAE 美濃 (NAE Mino, pronounced "nae mino") from September 8, 2026.
Moving beyond its previous focus on "getting to know Mino through sightseeing," the hotel is introducing four new initiatives built around chance encounters with local residents, the everyday rhythms of the town, and quiet, unplanned moments — aiming to leave guests thinking "I want to see that person again" or "I want to come back to Mino." A brand unveiling ceremony will be held the same day at 11:00 AM at the NAE Mino YAMAJOU building.
The Meaning Behind "NAE"
Weaving the community and guests together
The name "NAE" comes from the Japanese word nae (綯え), rooted in the verb nau (綯う) — to twist strands of straw or thread together into a single rope or cord.
The hotel took this image as its guiding idea: weaving together the guests who visit Mino with the people, culture, and daily life of the area.
Travelers and locals. The hotel and the town. Sightseeing and everyday life.
Things that might seem separate at first can meet through a journey and become intertwined, giving rise to new relationships.
NAE Mino aims to be the place where those connections are woven together.
From "Sightseeing in Mino" to "Coming Back to See Familiar Faces"
Since opening in 2019, the hotel has made use of historic buildings to share Mino's history, nature, culture, and daily life with guests.
Mino has no shortage of appealing local resources that draw visitors, including its Edo-period townscape lined with udatsu firewalls, the Mino washi papermaking techniques recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the Nagara River, one of Japan's three great clear-water rivers.
At the same time, running the hotel led its team to think about what actually stays with guests after a trip. Beautiful streetscapes and well-known sights are wonderful, of course — but even more than that, the team noticed that what tended to linger in guests' memories was a conversation with staff, a chat with a shopkeeper in town, a chance meeting with a local resident, or time spent simply walking the streets without a set plan — unplanned encounters and quiet moments with people.
With that in mind, the hotel is taking its role a step further, beyond simply helping guests get to know Mino through sightseeing. Rather than just visiting tourist spots, guests can experience the scenery and daily life that only come into view by staying in Mino — and come away thinking "I want to see that person again," "I want to go back to that shop," or "I want to come back to Mino." At NAE Mino, a stay becomes the starting point for a connection with the community, one that can grow into another part of everyday life. Through the way it runs the hotel, the team aims to build a structure that makes that possible.
Four Initiatives at NAE Mino
With the rebrand, NAE Mino is introducing four initiatives designed to increase points of contact between guests and the local community.
1. Town Walks With Hotel Staff
The hotel's manager and staff walk through the town of Mino together with guests, introducing their own favorite spots and the kind of appeal that only comes from actually living in Mino. Because the route depends on which staff member is guiding and what's happening that day, the scenery and places guests encounter vary each time. It's a chance to experience the everyday side of Mino that doesn't appear in tourist guidebooks — a walk where who you go with matters as much as what you see.
2. An Official LINE Account Sharing "Today in Mino"
Guests are introduced to the hotel's official LINE account at check-in. Rather than just general hotel information, it shares what's happening in Mino that day — a nearby shop's grand opening, shaved ice starting up at a long-standing Japanese sweets shop, an event taking place around town, or a recommended spot for the season, for example. The idea is not to push tourist information one-way, but to give guests a reason to head out into town by letting them know what's happening in Mino "today." The account also continues sending updates after a guest's trip ends, keeping Mino's everyday life within reach even from far away.
3. "Mino Najimifu" — Becoming a Familiar Face in Mino
"Mino Najimifu" is a service where guests take a special map into town and receive a small gift or gesture at participating local shops. A butcher shop might offer a Hida beef croquette, for instance, while a washi paper goods store might give away a small washi item — the details vary from shop to shop.
The idea is that these small moments of goodwill lead to conversations with shopkeepers and more walking around town, gradually turning guests into familiar faces in Mino. That is the experience "Mino Najimifu" aims to create.
Rather than keeping guests inside the hotel, the initiative sends them out into town, creating new points of contact with local shops and residents, together with the participating stores.
4. Donating a Portion of Lodging Revenue Back to the Community
NAE Mino will also donate a portion of its lodging revenue to support local activities in Mino. Planned uses for the donations include preserving the town's streetscape, promoting Mino washi papermaking, and supporting the running of local festivals and community events. The aim is to create a cycle in which simply staying in Mino also supports the area's culture and community activities.
Turning a Visit to Mino Into "Another Everyday Life"
NAE Mino isn't aiming simply to increase the number of guests. The goal is for Mino to become a place people can return to whenever they feel like it — "I want to see that person again," "I want to go back to that shop," "I want to visit in a different season this time" — without any obligation to go, but always within reach when the desire arises.
That connection doesn't have to mean physically visiting Mino, either. Remembering the town from afar, coming across local news, mentioning Mino to someone else, or feeling a small moment of happiness spotting it on TV or social media — these are all ways the team hopes Mino can quietly remain part of guests' everyday lives. Separate from home or work, not strictly necessary, but something that makes daily life a little richer just by being there — that's what the hotel considers "another everyday life."
Through a stay as the starting point, NAE Mino aims to create a variety of touchpoints between Mino and its guests, with each person finding their own way of staying connected. A place visited as a destination can, over time, become somewhere people want to return to — staying loosely connected even during the time spent away. That is the kind of relationship the hotel hopes to weave between the community and its guests.
The Hotel's Journey So Far
Since opening in 2019, the hotel has grown by making use of historic buildings to share Mino's charm with guests.
Milestones
- September 2017 — Selected for a city-led proposal to make use of a municipally owned kominka
- April 2018 — Minomachiya Co., Ltd. established as the renovation and operating body
- July 2019 — NIPPONIA Mino Merchant Town YAMAJOU building opens (1st dispersed-hotel building)
- September 2020 — YAMASITI building opens (2nd dispersed-hotel building)
- May 2021 — Contemporary art gallery GALLERY COLLAGE opens inside the hotel
- July 2021 — Shared office WASITA MINO opens in town, co-invested with a major general printing company
- November 2021 — First Mino Machiya Market, a kominka-focused event, held (continued annually for the five years since)
- June 2024 — UMEYAMA building opens (3rd dispersed-hotel building)
Brand Unveiling Ceremony
To mark the start of the new NAE Mino brand, the hotel will hold a brand unveiling ceremony.
Date and time: Tuesday, September 8, 2026, 11:00 AM–11:30 AM
Venue: NAE Mino YAMAJOU building, 1912-1 Motozumi-cho, Mino, Gifu Prefecture
Program:
- Remarks from the president
- Introduction of the new brand
- Overview of the new services
- Unveiling of the new brand logo
The first 30 visitors who attend on the day will receive a hotel-original drip coffee pack as a gift.
Facility Overview
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | NAE Mino (formerly NIPPONIA Mino Merchant Town) |
| Rooms | 3 buildings, 11 rooms |
| Operating Company | Minomachiya Co., Ltd. |
| Main Building Address | 1912-1, Mino, Gifu Prefecture |
| Opened | 2019 |
| Website | Official site (the hotel name displayed on the site will change to "NAE Mino" starting September 8, 2026) |
