In Onomichi, a port town in Hiroshima Prefecture known for its steep slopes and views of the Seto Inland Sea, a hillside renovation project has become an emerging hub for global collaboration and local revitalization.

About 150 steps above street level in the Higashitsuchidocho district sits a cluster of wooden houses more than a century old. The buildings have been undergoing extensive renovation for the past six years and are now rebranded as , ¡°a place where people eat, talk and make something together.¡±

The project to transform the akiya (abandoned homes) into a community center has developed in stages. Samuel Holden, a 36-year-old American urbanist and translator, got involved with the renovation in 2020 and has led the second phase of the project for the past four years.

Originally from Denver, Holden has long been interested in the relationship between architecture and daily life in Japan. In February, he spoke at Guggenheim House, a renovated Western-style building from the Meiji Era (1868-1912) in the seaside community of Shioya, Kobe, and described how his practice emerged from his previous work with ²õ±ğ²Ô³Ù¨­ (bathhouses) ¡ª places where private routines and public interaction overlap.

The idea for Labyrinth House was conceived in 2019 when Yu Ohtani, an urban management professor at Fukuyama City University, moved into an akiya in Onomichi. Ohtani, now 42, began renovating the home the following year with collaborators including Akihiro Yamamoto, 38, who oversaw much of the construction work.

Phase one began in 2020 and focused on restoring the main house as a residence and event venue. The second phase has entailed creating additional living quarters as well as a general store, cafe and gathering space. It is expected to be completed this year.

Onomichi has a rapidly aging population of around 124,000 residents, 37% of whom are 65 or older. The town is also home to around 4,000 foreign nationals ¡ª a small but growing demographic.

Labyrinth House is an example of community-led revitalization that leverages existing infrastructure for new uses. All of the houses in the facility were once residential properties. After torrential rains in 2018 damaged many homes on the hillside, the owners decided to give the properties away while they were still reparable rather than face the high cost of demolition.

Now in its sixth year, the project is an ongoing effort to repair physical structures while testing how shared space might support community life in Onomichi¡¯s graying neighborhoods.

¡°We want to create a place that can support the current community and bring new people and energy onto the hillside in the future,¡± Holden says.

Holden first came to Japan as a high school exchange student in Niigata through AFS...