AKITA, Japan -- Inns located in a former samurai stronghold in northwestern Japan opened their gates on Monday, allowing lodgers to feel as if they were transported back to the era of the daimyo, or feudal warlords.
The inns are fashioned from three vintage storehouses in the town of Kakunodate, known among tourists for housing dozens of samurai clans. Rail operator East Japan Railway, known as JR East, developed the property.
