Greetings.
I am a man in a suit who has fallen into the world of Minecraft.
With the castle work at a natural stopping point, I want to bring a little more daily life to the castle town.
This time, I build a two-story inn inspired by traditional Japanese lodgings on the grass below the castle!
Shaping an Inn on the Grass below the Castle
I stand in a flowered field and look up at the castle walls.
It would be lovely if visitors coming to see the keep could pause here for a rest.
At the east edge of town, there is still a patch of open grass.
With the castle walls and keep in view, it feels like the right place for this inn.
I level the ground and mark the building’s outline with stone.
Once a shape appears in the field, the place suddenly starts to feel like a future inn.
I raise dark oak posts at the front.
The castle keep peeks through them, placing the building naturally in the castle town.
Next, I fill the spaces between the posts with pale walls.
The dark wood and bright walls make the building feel calm and distinctly Japanese in style.
I add double lattice doors at the entrance.
Passing through them will feel like stepping into a place that welcomes travelers.
Above the first floor, I build a second floor for the guest rooms.
The row of pale shoji-style windows makes the outside of the inn look more settled.
With the deep slate roof in place, the front of the inn comes together!
White walls, wooden posts, and lattice doors now make a new lodging in the castle town.
Adding an Irori Hearth and Three Guest Rooms
Inside the lattice doors, I can see the earthen-floor entryway and reception counter.
This is where I imagine greeting travelers before showing them to the dining room or upstairs rooms.
Behind the counter, I make a small kitchen.
The smoker and cauldron make it easy to imagine a warm meal being prepared here.
I lower part of the wooden floor to make an irori hearth.
A pot hangs above the fire on a chain, giving the room a natural center.
With low seats around the hearth, the dining room is ready.
It feels like a place made for sharing stories from the road while watching the fire.
Upstairs, I arrange a guest room with tatami-style flooring.
A small desk and lantern are enough to make the room feel quiet and restful.
I lay out a white futon on the floor.
After walking around the castle town, a traveler should be able to rest well here.
Along the corridor, I add sliding fusuma doors and make three guest rooms upstairs.
Even inside one building, each doorway makes its room feel like a separate little world.
A Garden, a Stable, and a Welcoming Evening Scene
In front of the entrance, I make a small garden with a pond and stone lantern.
The blue noren curtains make the inn feel welcoming instead of leaving it as only a building.
I hang an Ojiya Inn sign and lanterns beneath the eaves.
From the road, they make a clear marker for anyone looking for a place to stay tonight.
In a grassy field farther away, several horses are quietly grazing.
An inn with a stable beside it should be a comfortable stop for horses as well.
In the stable stands Azuki, a gray horse.
Seeing Azuki near the hay and water bucket makes the inn feel as though it has gained a new companion.
At dusk, the lanterns in the garden begin to glow.
Below the castle walls, the inn takes on a gentler expression than it has during the day.
At night, the sign and noren curtains shine in their small pool of light.
If I saw that glow while walking the road, I would feel relieved to find a door to knock on.
In the morning, light comes through the shoji-style window of the guest room.
After enjoying the lights at night, this view feels exactly like a morning at an inn.
Fumi the villager is now in the earthen-floor entryway.
The wide entrance and reception counter make the inn feel naturally inhabited.
Fumi stands beside the ledger stand at the counter and looks every bit like the inn clerk.
When travelers arrive, I will ask Fumi to show them to their rooms—rather than hand out keys, of course.
Fumi is sleeping soundly on a futon in one of the guest rooms.
Seeing both the counter and a guest room in use makes me happy that the inn has become a place for everyday life.
One final picture in front of the completed inn.
With its hearth dining room, upstairs guest rooms, garden, and stable, the castle town now has one more reason to stay awhile.
Next, I would like to make the road leading to this inn into a more inviting scene for a post town.
That is all for this time.
Greetings.