Casual and relaxed, like staying with relatives.

Just after lunchtime, I arrived at one of the guest houses located on the beachfront. The landlady, who was gardening at the time, smiled and welcomed me in. Apparently, she takes care of all gardening and grows vegetables in a private field nearby.

She told me almost all the vegetables served to guests were homegrown.
Looking at her friendly smile, I found myself smiling back. She showed me my room, the bathroom and the toilet. In many guest houses the bathroom and toilet are shared, but they are always very clean. She said, “Just in case, please lock the door when you use them. Your room also has a lock on the door, of course.”;
Compared to some years ago, guest houses have become much more convenient. Some of them now provide towels and toothbrushes while at others you can rent sleepwear. There are also some you can stay at without taking hardly anything with you, just like at a hotel or Japanese inn.

No over-the-top luxury but plenty of quality time.

It was the first time I'd been here, so the first thing I did was go wondering in the neighborhood.
The guest house district still retains the atmosphere of the Showa era, so just walking around the area arouses feelings of nostalgia. There are hedges providing protection against the sea breeze, tile-roofed houses, laundry hung out to dry under the eaves of houses.... At a glance it's hard to tell which houses are guest houses and which are ordinary homes. Looking around, there's an alley just wide enough for a car to drive through, general stores that have been open for years, an offering of flowers at a small shrine.... Here, life goes on as it did years ago, something you hardly ever see in cities anymore.
When I returned to the guest house, this time I was greeted by a cat. Another cat cried out from somewhere else. Yet one more had made itself comfortable in a Styrofoam box that had probably once contained fish. I played with the cats for a while, something you'd never have time to do on a sightseeing tour with a tight schedule.
As I was playing with my new feline friends, I noticed the landlady's daughter, or perhaps she was her daughter-in-law, coming towards me. She told me about the cats' daily life while she fed them. Apparently, as they are pets of the guest house, they have to be well fed before dinnertime to make sure they don't set their sights on the guests' dinner.
Before the evening meal, I laid the futon out on the floor and had a lie down. You can do this anytime you like. This freedom to do as you please is another great thing about guest houses.
The breeze blowing in from the veranda was so pleasant I soon dozed off. When I awoke, it was time for dinner. On my way to the dining room I saw a man and a boy, probably father and son, looking intently at some ornaments. “I heard these dolls were made for the Girls' Festival during the Edo era (1603 – 1867). They're beautiful,” the father said. The three of us just gazed at the dolls for a while. It seemed my fellow guests planned to go on a fishing boat the following day. We were still talking about things like that when we entered the dining room.