We convert the common room on the 1st floor into a cafe
and start “Pongyi Cafe” which cherishes the human connection. 

Scheduled to open in early June 2023

Amount of support wanted  :　1,000,000 yen
Period  :　May 31st 2023 　(started May 6)

Current Total Support As of May 30.

1,235,000 yen

Number of supporters

96 people

We decided to convert the common room on the 1st floor into a small cafe space.

It is the renovation for a really tiny space, but we are strongly committed to keeping Pongyi alive at all costs through this renovation.

The basement of our thought is to keep Pongyi a place where people can feel the joy of life and can think about how to live life with a full heart through the encounter and connection with others.

We hope not only the guests of inn but also the locals can easily visit Pongyi.

The renovation has already started by using the subsidy from the government.

However, the significant out-of-pocket expenses are incurred for the construction cost.
The little money that we have gradually saved will be used up for this renovation project.

That would be great if you support us so that we can continue operating Pongyi.

What kind of cafe ?

We convert the common room on the 1st floor into a cafe and make a small café space where about 10 people can sit together.

We are happy if our cafe would be a place where people including locals and travelers who do not stay with us can easily communicate each other by sitting around a big table on tatami mat.

Although we do not have many kinds of drinks when the opening, we are glad if a cup of coffee we made make you enjoy the slow time with someone who you encountered at the cafe.

Guest House Pongyi is a Japanese style house which was built more than 150 years ago.

It opened in 2009 as the first guesthouse in Kanazawa city.

Now, it is run by Masaki (representative) and Nina (manager).

Pongyi has always cherished the encounters and connections of people.

In line with the wishes of Masaki, who reset his life and experienced being a Buddhist monk in Myanmar, profits go to support the economically disadvantaged children in Asia as much as possible.

Therefore, Masaki and all staff who had worked in Pongyi keep the rewards they receive to the minimum necessary.

Thanks to a lot of reviews by our guests, Pongyi was chosen as “one of the most popular inns for foreign tourists in Japan” by Tripadvisor (one of the biggest travel review sites in the world) before.

We believe the fact that just an old and small Japanese hostel was chosen to join major foreign luxury hotels was one example that proves the warmth of people exceeds the facilities.

Your warm hearts are always our motivation.

However, Pongyi had a big damage due to the Corona disaster which started in 2020.

Almost all the travelers from abroad who were the high percentage of our guests could not come to Japan.

The number of domestic travelers also declined rapidly.

In addition, Masaki lost half of his heart because of the heart attack in 2021.

He can no longer move his body the same way he used to. Now, the Corona disaster seems to almost settle down and more and more people travel.

Even with the increasing number of new hotels in Kanazawa, Pongyi is on the brink of not being able to continue to operate in the future.

To be a place where people can look at themselves

We would like to let Pongyi be a place where people can look at themselves and can feel how to cherish themselves in the encounter with others.

We sincerely hope to continue Pongyi at all cost.

To overcome the current situation, we planned to convert the common room on the 1st floor (small Japanese style room) into a cafe in order that local people can also come.

This is because Masaki thought he can provide a cup of coffee even if he cannot do the work of the inn anymore.

We hope not only our guests of inn but also local people come to our “cafe which connects people.”

Fortunately, we were selected for the government subsidy we applied for last year.

About 18 years ago, when Masaki came back to Japan after finishing his Buddhist monk experience, he tried to open a cafe named “Pongyi Cafe.”

We hope to make it happen this time.

What we would like to do at the cafe

We would like to make a cafe where people can be relaxed.
In addition, what we would like to do at the cafe is as follows.

1. Make opportunities for people who are looking for their partner for marriage in the future.
   
   <Hold an event for those looking to get married>
   Guesthouses are the places where people can encounter.
   Pongyi is here to help those who wish to marry !
   
2. Make a place where people can think and talk about how to live with full heart.
   
   Masaki, who has many different experiences, including quitting his job and experiencing being a Buddhist monk in Myanmar, will talk with everyone about “how to live with full heart.”
   
3.  Make a place where people can experience Japanese culture and hobbies.
   
   In addition to the events Pongyi has held many workshops like paper folding, calligraphy, tea ceremony, Japanese sweet making and gold leaf chopsticks making, we are going to hold some more workshops of Japanese and Kanazawa culture.

During the Corona disaster, while many other guesthouses were crowdfunding more and more, Pongyi did not.

It was because we wanted to do the best by ourselves without the help from others.

However, Masaki’s illness made the situation all the more serious.

This call for support is intended to raise 1,000,000 yen of our own funds for renovation costs.

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　<Cost breakdown>

　

Total renovation cost  7,000,000 yen

（Breakdown）　
Government subsidy　　 4,500,000 yen
Money we have to pay at our own expense　2,500,000 yen

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The renovation has already started by using the subsidy from the government, but significant out-of-pocket expenses are incurred for the construction cost.

The little money that we have gradually saved will be used up for this renovation project.

Now, Pongyi is once again “starting from scratch” since its opening in 2009. We would appreciate if you could support us for our new challenge.

We accept 3,000yen, 5,000yen, 10,000yen, 30,000 yen per unit.

The purpose of the support is to help us to keep Pongyi continue, so it is basically in the form of a donation,

Free accommodation will be given to those who donate 10,000 yen or more.

Your support is greatly appreciated !

Click on the image below to go to the support page.

Your support would be greatly appreciated.