Suzuhiro Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture; representative director Hirotoshi Furuhashi) is opening a whole-building villa where guests can stay with their dogs, UMI&mikkabi, in Mikkabi-cho Tsuzuki, Hamana Ward, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, on October 1, 2026. It is the second property under the Lake Hamana retreat brand UMI&, following UMI&kanzanji in Kanzanji.
Alongside the opening, the company is also launching a support service aimed at owners of vacation homes around Lake Hamana that sit unused while still costing money to maintain. Suzuhiro will handle the conversion and operation of these properties as accommodations on the owners' behalf, turning empty vacation homes from a costly burden into an income-generating asset, while also increasing the number of overnight stays available around the lake.
Shizuoka Has Japan's Second-Highest Number of Vacation Homes — Many Sit Unused
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' 2023 Housing and Land Survey, Japan had 9,002,000 vacant homes nationwide, a vacancy rate of 13.8% — both record highs. Of these, Shizuoka Prefecture had 38,500 "secondary homes," including vacation houses, the second-highest number in the country after Nagano Prefecture.
The area around Lake Hamana is one where many vacation homes were built during the resort development boom of the Showa era. As owners age and properties pass to the next generation, however, more of these buildings are used only a few times a year, or not at all. The less a building is used, the more it deteriorates, leaving only management fees and property taxes behind. Such properties are also difficult to sell, and demolition costs fall on the owner.
At the same time, tourism around Lake Hamana has long centered on day trips and pass-through visits, and shifting toward overnight stays has been a long-standing challenge for the area. Suzuhiro sees an opportunity where these two issues overlap: an area that lacks places to stay sits alongside buildings that are going unused.
The First Villa, UMI&kanzanji, Began With an Owner's Request for Help
Suzuhiro started out as a real estate company rooted in the Hamamatsu community. In 2018, it entered the accommodation business by renovating a former company dormitory into 365BASE outdoor hostel (https://365base.jp/), and has been building up operating know-how ever since.
Combining that know-how with its branding experience, the company launched UMI&, a whole-building retreat brand. The first property, UMI&kanzanji, in Kanzanji-cho, Nishi Ward, Hamamatsu City, began when its owner — whose use of the vacation home had been declining — approached Suzuhiro, and the company redeveloped it into a whole-building rental villa.
Over the ten months from December 2025 to September 2026, the renovated property hosted 97 groups for a total of 105 nights, generating total sales of ¥11,675,180 with an average room rate of ¥111,192. A single vacation home that had sat mostly unused turned into a facility that brings visitors to the area and income to its owner.
Owner's Voice: Takeuchi, Owner of UMI&kanzanji
After my father passed away, we hardly used the house anymore. Even so, the utility bills and property taxes kept coming every year. I still had to go and clean it up from time to time, and whenever a typhoon came through, I'd worry whether the house was okay. It wasn't being used, yet it still cost time and worry.
Since it became an inn, the facilities have been updated and it looks almost unrecognizably better. Because of that, my family started saying things like, "Let's go stay there," and we began using it again. On top of that, on the days we're not using it ourselves, guests stay there and it brings in income. I never imagined it could turn out this way without giving up the house.
Turning the property into an inn led to the building and its facilities being renewed, and it actually brought the owner's own family back to using it. Rather than "renting it out" meaning "giving it up," this is a way to keep using the property while also earning income from it.
Features of UMI&mikkabi
Located on a hilltop overlooking Lake Hamana, about a 5-minute drive from the Mikkabi Interchange, UMI&mikkabi is a whole-building villa that sleeps up to 8 guests.
Stay With Your Dog — Up to three dogs, including large breeds, may stay with guests, limited to the first-floor living room and the BBQ terrace, with some conditions. Whole-building villas that allow pets are still limited in number even within the Lake Hamana area.
BBQ Deck With a Projector Screen — Guests can watch movies or sports outdoors while barbecuing.
The Whole Building, All to Yourselves — With no other guests sharing the property, families, friends, and dogs can spend their time together privately.
Views of Lake Hamana — Set on a hilltop, the villa looks out over the lake and open sky.
Self Check-In — Guests check in without staff, using a tablet.
Built around the brand concept of a retreat on the shores of Lake Hamana, the villa offers a quiet, out-of-the-ordinary place to rest.
A New Support Program Helps Vacation Home Owners Put Their Properties to Use
Alongside the opening, Suzuhiro is launching a support service for owners of vacation homes around Lake Hamana, helping them operate their properties as accommodations. Owners can earn income by renting out their property on the days they are not using it themselves, without having to give it up.
Plans (Projected)
| Plan | What's Included | Owner's Share |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Suzuhiro handles marketing, branding, and reservation management. The owner covers operating costs such as cleaning, linens, and utilities. | 50–60% of sales (before tax) |
| Full Support | Suzuhiro handles the full scope of operations, including cleaning, supplies, and utilities. | 20–30% of sales (before tax) |
Based on the performance of the existing property, projected annual sales per building are estimated at ¥13 million to ¥15 million, though this will vary with occupancy.
Suzuhiro also handles the administrative side on the owner's behalf, including filing notifications under the Private Lodging Business Act (minpaku), fire code compliance, and coordination with public health authorities. The goal is to remove the two biggest barriers owners face: not knowing the required procedures, and not being able to operate the property themselves.
Turning Hamamatsu From a City People Pass Through Into a City People Visit
Hamamatsu sits roughly halfway between Tokyo and Osaka. The Tokaido Shinkansen stops there, and the Tomei and Shin-Tomei Expressways run through it, carrying an enormous number of people through the city every day. Yet most of them pass through without stopping.
Eel, mandarin oranges, Lake Hamana, and a long history as a manufacturing city — Hamamatsu has no shortage of appeal. What it lacks, in Suzuhiro's view, is enough reason and enough places for people to think, "Let's stay the night while we're here." Whether a visitor stays overnight or just passes through changes how much they spend locally and how they engage with the city.
"Hamamatsu is a city that sits along the route to everywhere else, so people have always passed through it. But if there's a reason to stay and a place to stay, a route becomes a destination. I think the vacation homes that are sitting unused are a resource for making that happen," says representative director Furuhashi.
Within fiscal 2026, the company is also preparing to open a third property, UMI&hamanako (tentative name), which will look out over Lake Hamana and include an infinity deck and a sauna with a lake view. Over the next three years, Suzuhiro aims to convert ten vacation homes around Lake Hamana into accommodations.
A Comment From the CEO
Hirotoshi Furuhashi, Representative Director, Suzuhiro Co., Ltd.
Our work is about rethinking the value of real estate. We don't see a transaction as the end point — we're always thinking about how a building needs to be used for it to hold value.
Giving an unused building a purpose, and turning it into something that generates income, raises the value of that one property.
And when one property's value rises, things start to move around it. People visit, money changes hands, nearby shops benefit, and the empty house next door finds a new use as well. Raising the value of real estate, I believe, raises the value of the town around it.
We want to turn Hamamatsu from a city people pass through into a city people visit. That starts with restoring value to one building at a time.
Facility Overview
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Facility Name | UMI&mikkabi (Umito Mikkabi) |
| Address | 623-14 Tsuzuki, Mikkabi-cho, Hamana Ward, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture |
| Access | About 5 minutes by car from the Mikkabi Interchange on the Tomei Expressway |
| Opening Date | October 1, 2026 |
| Capacity | 8 guests (whole-building rental) |
| Floor Area | 99.46 sqm |
| Check-in / Check-out | 3:00 PM / 11:00 AM |
| Pets | Dogs only, up to 3 including large breeds (conditions apply) |
| Parking | 3 standard vehicles |
| Rates | From ¥85,000 (up to 4 guests); ¥11,000 per additional guest from the 5th; ¥5,500 per dog |
| Reservations | Official website: https://umito.life/ |
| Business Type | Registered accommodation under Japan's Private Lodging Business Act (minpaku) |
