Interview with the staff of Denim Lodge & Nest
We spoke with Nakano, Nakaniwa, and Kuroaki, who run Denim Lodge & Nest, about what inspired them to open and their plans for the future.
The desire to create a place to rest on Kojima Jeans Street
What inspired you to start Denim Lodge & Nest?
Nakano (surname only)
It started with the thought that we wanted to create a place to rest on Kojima Jeans Street.
The area where Denim Lodge & Nest is located was the first part of Kojima Jeans Street to be established.
The area with the Kojima Jeans Street sign has flourished, with more cafes and restaurants opening, but there were no cafes or places to take a break around here.
We wanted to create a place to rest in this area too, so we first opened Denim Lodge as a rest stop and tourist information center.
Had you been thinking about opening accommodation from the beginning?
Nakano
Yes.
However, when we first opened, it was difficult to start offering accommodation right away because of things like the facilities.
Once we were ready and able to open the accommodation, I felt that we had finally completed what we set out to do.
So it was a long-awaited opening. Nakaniwa, how did you come to become the proprietress of Nest?
Nakaniwa (surname only)
I grew up in Kojima until I graduated from high school.
Nakano and I have been childhood friends, and even before we had any particular ideas, I used to say, “I love traveling, so someday I’d like to run a guesthouse or something.”
I heard from Nakano about adding lodging services to Denim Lodge in the summer of 2024.
At the time, I was living between Tokyo and Okayama. I wanted to return to Okayama someday, but I didn’t have any particular reason to do so.
Then Nakano invited me, saying, “There’s a space available right now, so why don’t you try running the guesthouse we talked about back then?” I moved back to Kojima in January 2025.
Denim Lodge & Nest is a wonderful space centered around denim colors. Who came up with the concept?
Kuroaki (surname only)
I was involved from the very beginning.
I came up with not only the concept, but also the name Denim Lodge and what to renovate.
Nakano
Kuroaki joined the company when we started the renovation. In fact, his first assignment on his first day was a presentation related to a Kurashiki City subsidy.
Kuroaki
I had already been involved as a part-time worker for two months before joining, so it was just a coincidence that my first day and the presentation fell on the same day (laughs).
Nakano entrusted it to me, thinking it would be good to have an opportunity to take on a challenge.
Services that make the most of multilingual support
Nakaniwa, you speak English and Spanish, right?
Nakaniwa
Yes. And it’s not just me—all the staff here can assist guests in English.
Of course, we can’t accommodate every language, but we do our best to ensure guests feel neither inconvenienced nor anxious.
What kinds of services do you offer specifically?
Nakaniwa
One common difficulty is the lack of information in English.
Where can you buy denim for children? Is there public transportation to Washuzan Hill? Even when there’s a tourist information center, many guests ask questions like these.
Another strength of ours is that we can provide local information.
We communicate with guests when they make a reservation, ask what they’d like to do during their stay, and can recommend events and facilities in Kojima.
It’s very difficult to find local information abroad, so that kind of service must be reassuring. Do you have any specific stories?
Kuroaki
We once had a guest stay for about a month.
They came from overseas to learn about denim, visited the shops on Kojima Jeans Street one by one, and made denim garments using sewing machines borrowed from two shops that kindly welcomed them.
You could call it a “denim study-abroad experience.” In fact, the jeans I’m wearing today were given to me by that guest.
They wanted to climb a mountain they’d seen during their stay, so we climbed it together and ate onigiri at the summit.
We’ve also helped a guest from overseas who wanted to intern at a sewing factory by asking friends and relatives and finding them an internship placement.
A place to find information and enjoy experiences available nowhere else
What are your plans for the future?
Nakaniwa
We’d like guests to fully enjoy everything Kojima has to offer by suggesting enriching and relaxing experiences amid the world of denim and the laid-back atmosphere of the Seto Inland Sea.
For example, we could hold workshops at the lodge where guests make denim accessories, or recommend jeans-making and indigo-dyeing experiences hosted by local denim manufacturers.
We’re also considering a plan that lets guests enjoy home-cooked meals prepared by local residents. It’s a rare experience to eat a local resident’s home cooking while traveling.
It’s not something you can easily do even if you pay for it. We want to offer experiences that can only be enjoyed here.
Kuroaki
We want to help more people learn not only about jeans, but also about Kojima’s history.
When we share information with visitors to Denim Lodge & Nest that they wouldn’t discover just by shopping on Kojima Jeans Street, they’re delighted and say, “I’m glad I learned that!”
For example, when we tell them that Kojima originally prospered through salt production, and that salt-making and jeans are actually connected, some tell us they found the history even more interesting.
Many visitors from overseas are especially interested in history, and we hope to make Kojima’s history an added value of their trip.
Nakano
One more thing: we want staying in Kojima to become a more common option. There aren’t many places to stay in Kojima, and most people who visit the area stay somewhere else.
We hope that staying at Nest will encourage people to spend more time in Kojima.
From the Writer
Through the interview, I was deeply struck by Nakano, Nakaniwa, and Kuroaki’s strong desire for guests staying at Denim Lodge & Nest to meet people they could only encounter in Kojima and enjoy experiences available nowhere else.
When choosing where to stay on a trip, one important factor for me is the kind of people I’ll meet there.
As I spoke with Nakano, Nakaniwa, and Kuroaki, I felt their friendly, warm personalities would make you think, “I want to stay here because I want to meet these people.”
Why not enjoy connecting with people at Denim Lodge & Nest, and feel as though you’re living on Kojima Jeans Street?
Denim Lodge & Nest details
| Name | Denim Lodge & Nest |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-9-27 Ajino, Kojima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 070-5566-2447 |
| Check-in | 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. |
| Check-out | 10:00 a.m. |
| Payment methods |
|
| Facility information | ・Room only; no meals ・Guests may bring food and cook in the kitchenette. Meals may be eaten in the room, but cooking is only permitted in the kitchen ・No smoking anywhere in the building. No smoking rooms. Shared spaces available ・Only Room A, Kaze-no-Ma, on the first floor accepts guests from 0 years old. Guests aged 12 and under are not permitted in the other rooms ・Pajamas are not provided; please bring your own 【Room amenities】 Bedding, table, air conditioner, hair dryer, slippers, Wi-Fi 【Facilities】 Bathroom (shower only), toilet, kitchenette (refrigerator, electric kettle, microwave, toaster, dishes, and cutlery) ※Cooking utensils and basic seasonings are available to borrow free of charge if you plan to cook 【Paid amenities】 Toothbrush, razor (¥100 each), towel (¥300), bath towel (¥500), basic skincare products (¥300) |
| Bath | Shared by guests. Shower only. Shampoo, conditioner, and body wash provided. |
| Wi-Fi | Available |
| Parking | None No parking at the accommodation. Use the Kojima Jeans Street parking lot or a municipal parking lot. |
| Website | Denim Lodge & Nest - Denim Lodge & Denim Lodge & Nest |
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