History of SUZUEI
The predecessor of Okitsu SUZUEI was a long-established guest house called “Minshuku Suzuei”, and it is a space that has been regenerated in 2021.
Minshuku Suzuei was started around 1967 by Minoru Suzuki and his wife Shizue.
At the time, the owner was running a fishing boat called Suzuei Maru No. 5, and the fishing industry at that time was booming and the economy was very good.
However, the catch of fishery is a big ups and downs on the day of the day.
Thinking about the future, I wanted to think about a job that would allow me to earn a more stable income.
The name "Minshuku Suzuei"
It comes from Mr. Suzuki's fishing boat "Suzuei Maru",
The name "Suzuei" was quickly decided because it was a fishing boat that I had a fondness for, and because I wanted it to prosper with a tailwind just like the Suzuei Maru.
In Okitsu at that time, there were two Hotel Seikairo Ryokans and three guest houses. One of them was "Suzuei".
The public health center didn't have the name "Minshuku" yet, so how about calling it "Tabiso Suzuei"? Originally operating under that name.
It's been about three years since then. The number of inns with a similar style increased rapidly in the area, and the name "minshuku" became common in the world.
A minshuku union was formed, and the era of minshuku flourished, and the name “Minshuku Suzuei” was born.
At Minshuku Suzuei, fresh fish caught by Suzueimaru was also served on the dining table, which was very popular with the guests.
For a long time since then, the guest house has been running smoothly. At the start, there were only 2 6-tatami rooms and 1 8-tatami room, but we couldn't keep up with the demand for lodging, so we added new rooms, and eventually the total number of rooms is 19, as it is today. The building has grown.
During the summer, 60 to 70 people came to stay, and it was so busy that the rooms were fully booked every day.
Minshuku Suzuei started when Shizue was 30 years old.
After the Showa era, when minshuku flourished, the economic bubble burst and the Heisei era began.
As the times changed, guests began to prefer the style of hotels over guest houses, and as the number of guest houses declined, the number of guest houses in Okitsu decreased by half.
Mr. Suzuki, who has continued to run the minshuku for a long time through the heyday and decline of the minshuku, has passed away, and Mr. Shizue is approaching the latter half of the 70s.
With the aging of both the people and the building, changes in consumer tastes, declining physical strength, and lack of successors, he made the decision to close the inn.
It was 2015.
Looking back on the 49 years that I have been running a guest house, there were many dramas.
Many people came to stay every day.
I see off the appearance of enjoying Okitsu and going home with a smile.
The summer when "Minshuku Suzuei" was lively with many smiles and voices of people.
The days were hectic, but they were very fulfilling. It was the time when Shizue felt most fulfilled in life, and Minshuku Suzuei was the history of Mr. and Mrs. Suzuki's life.
In the future, "Suzuei" will set sail in a new form different from the guest house.
He said, "I pray that many people will come here again and prosper in the future."
The first year of Reiwa is the Corona Vortex. Finally, he handed over the baton, saying, “In this time of the year, we are shrouded in a thick fog that makes it impossible to see the future.
The name "Okitsu SUZUEI" is a tribute to Suzuei, and expresses the desire to open up a new route for the new era while carrying on the history and thoughts of Suzuei. We will sail again in 2021 with the desire to move forward strongly while receiving the power of people as much as Minshuku Suzuei.