A 70-Year-Old Japanese-Style House Transformed into a Backpackers' Inn – Female Owner: We’re Collecting Discarded Vibes

▲Alleyway Little Old House (Photo / Reposted from Alleyway Little Old House’s official Facebook page)

ReporterYan Xintong/ Comprehensive Report

In a small alley in Hualien City Center stands a Japanese-style house over 70 years old. The owner, Ivy, said:Alleyway Little Old HouseThe actual age is unknown, but when we rented it, we only knew that the then 70-something landlord had grown up in this old house. Because we wanted to learn about the history of Hualien City during the Japanese colonial period, while searching for information, we actually found Alleyway Little Old House on a 1941–1945 map of Hualien Port City. It was a residence for Japanese people at the time, so Alleyway Little must be at least 70 years old.”

Annan and Ivy have always loved all things old, but moving to Hualien was an accident, and encountering Alleyway Little Old House was purely by chance. Ivy said that originally, they just wanted to find a quiet piece of farmland by the mountains and sea along Provincial Highway 11 to build their own kiln and house, but they couldn’t find anything suitable after a year of searching. Coincidentally, Annan took on a job designing a cement sculpture space in Hualien. While I was killing time browsing rental ads online, a simple house in a city alley caught my eye. Since it wasn’t far from the work site, we immediately set up a viewing with the landlord. Within just five minutes, from the front to the back of the house, we decided to rent it.”

▲Alleyway Little Old House (Photo / Reposted from Alleyway Little Old House’s official Facebook page)

During the renovation process of the old house, Ivy said that to restore it as authentically as possible, the most labor-intensive part was bringing back the original look of aged materials and fixtures. Removing rusted nails and old paint, sanding and repairing termite-damaged or broken areas, grinding layers of old varnish off the wood to reveal its original simplicity and the scent of Hinoki cypress, or piecing together scraps just to revive old windows and doors—when new materials had to be used, they were sanded and brushed to look old. Most craftsmen would rather tear down old items and make new ones than repair the old ones, so everything had to be done by themselves or with help from friends. Once, a guest asked Ivy, “How long has Alleyway Little been open?” Ivy answered, “Half a year,” and the guest was shocked, saying, “Then why does it look so old!? (Haha~)”

▲Doraemon Bunk Bed Room (Photo / Reposted from Alleyway Little Old House’s official Facebook page)

▲Vintage-Style Shared Dormitory (Photo / Reposted from Alleyway Little Old House’s official Facebook page)

▲A Table Made by Annan (Photo / Reposted from Alleyway Little Old House’s official Facebook page)

▲Salvaged driftwood and reused old items turned into handcrafted works, given new life. (Photo / Reposted from Alleyway Little Old House’s official Facebook page)

Regarding room designs, Ivy said that Alleyway Little has three guest rooms, which basically correspond to the three rooms of the original Japanese-style house. So two of the rooms still have traditional Japanese-style large closets, one of which was turned into the Doraemon bunk beds (Doraemon sleeps in the closet, you know).

Throughout the house, you can see items handcrafted or repurposed by the owner, Annan—from mosaic tiles and broken ceramic pieces turned into window grilles, to rotten old wooden utility poles and seashells from the shore made into lamps, locally sourced Hualien driftwood, Annan’s signature decorative brickwork and cement sculptures, plus Ivy’s love for hand-dyed fabrics. Additionally, every July they hostthe “Sea or Crazy Market,” attracting enthusiasts from all over. Ivy said: “The market is held from the first Monday to Sunday of July every year. This year marks the fifth edition. This year’s dates are July 6th to 12th, oh yeah!! And honestly, we never know if there’ll be another next year, haha!”

▲Ivy loves hand-dyeing fabrics, which are also available for purchase on their official Facebook page, and you can see Ivy’s creations at the annual July “Sea or Crazy Market.” (Photo / Reposted from Alleyway Little Old House’s official Facebook page)

A backpackers’ inn that combines lodging and markets, Ivy says Alleyway Little embraces a “discarded vibes” style. In terms of space design, the original concept for Alleyway Little Old House was not just a backpackers’ inn, but also a sharing space—hoping that friends, travelers, or even passersby would feel at ease, relaxed, or even lazily spaced-out upon entering. So some guests who stayed at Alleyway Little Old House said: “The chairs here are so comfy you don’t want to get up. The wooden high bed in the living room is so cozy you don’t want to leave it. And the little window bar, often mistaken by passersby as a late-night kitchen selling drinks and snacks—when night falls and the bottle-lamp lights up, it becomes a cozy izakaya where friends and travelers can unwind with a drink...”

Alleyway Little Old House
Address: No. 7, Lane 61, Xingang Street, Hualien City
Phone: 0953759000
Official Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/whatinn
Price: $600 NTD per person
Note: A separate Hinoki cypress old house is available for exclusive group bookings.