Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan (西山温泉慶雲館) is a hot spring hotel in Hayakawa,

Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 817,192 (1 January 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the ...

, Japan. Founded in 705 AD by Fujiwara Mahito, it is a long-established business ('' shinise'') as the oldest hotel and perhaps the oldest independent company in operation after

Kongō Gumi is a Japanese construction company. In January 2006, after falling on difficult times, it became a subsidiary of the Takamatsu Construction Group.

was acquired in 2006. In 2011, the hotel was recognized by

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

as the oldest hotel in the world.

History

The Keiunkan lies at the foot of the

Akaishi Mountains The are a mountain range in central Honshū, Japan, bordering Nagano, Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures. It is also called the , as it joins with the Hida Mountains ("Northern Alps") and the Kiso Mountains ("Central Alps") to form the Japane ...

. Since its foundation, the hotel has had all its hot water sourced directly from the local Hakuho Springs. It has been continuously operated by 52 generations of the same family (including adopted heirs) for over 1,300 years. The onsen was created by Fujiwara Mahito, son of an aide to the 38th Emperor of Japan,

Emperor Tenji , also known as Emperor Tenchi, was the 38th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')天智天皇 (38)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 52 ...

.Morris, Chris
The World's Oldest Hotel Has Been a Family Business for 1,300 Years
''Fortune''. 16 January 2016 Upon its creation, the healing waters of the springs became widely popular in Japan.

Takeda Shingen , of Kai Province, was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' in feudal Japan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyō with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period. Shingen was a warlord of great ...

and

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fello ...

were among the onsen's historic guests. The hotel underwent a major renovation in 1997 but preserved the traditional architectural style of the original onsen. In 2005, private, free-flowing hot spring baths were added to every room. Between 2000 and 2016, the hotel's reservations dropped by nearly 50%. In 2017, the inn's holding company Yushima created the company Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, transferred ownership of the inn to this company, and Yushima was dissolved the following year.

Description

The hotel has 37 rooms, a ''

kaiseki or is a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner. The term also refers to the collection of skills and techniques that allow the preparation of such meals and is analogous to Western haute cuisine. There are two kinds of traditional Japanese ...

'' restaurant, and a moon-viewing platform. As of 2019, all rooms and facilities of the hotel have password free Wi-Fi. Tatami mats and classic art furnish the rooms. The staff wear (two piece)

kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn left side wrapped over right, unless the wearer is deceased. The kimono ...

. The hot baths' machinery pumps 1,000 liters of naturally heated water per minute and there are plans to double that capacity. The hotel features public and private hot spring baths (

onsen In Japan, are the country's hot springs and the bathing facilities and traditional inns around them. As a volcanically active country, Japan has many onsens scattered throughout all of its major islands. There are approximately 25,000 hot ...

). Two private ones are on the first floor and two public ones are on the fourth floor. The entrance and lobby is on the third floor.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website in EnglishPhotos of Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan
Hotels in Japan Buildings and structures in Yamanashi Prefecture 8th-century establishments in Japan Companies established in the 8th century Buildings and structures completed in 705 Guinness World Records

History

Description

See also

References

External links