Now this is family dedication – a hotel that has been passed down 52 generations of one Japanese family over more than 13 centuries! The hot spring Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan hotel in Japan’s Yamanashi prefecture first opened its doors in 705 AD and remains popular to this day.
The Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan hotel was founded by the son of an emperor’s aid by the name of Fujiwara Mahito and has remained in his family ever since. It was once popular amongst those of the military class, including samurai, military commanders and shoguns.
The hotel has six baths, which are fed by four separate hot springs. The springs have been used for centuries to relieve gastrointestinal disorders, muscle pain and constipation.
Apart from physical relaxation, the Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan hotel has also offered a place of retreat and mental relaxation for over a millennium. As the hotel is located in a remote area in the wilderness, its patrons were, and still are, able to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
While it was last renovated in 1997, the hotel has preserved the traditional architectural style of the original onsen. Much about the traditional way of life also remains – it has traditional mat flooring, staff and guests wear traditional robes and they must take off their shoes as they enter the building.
In 2011, the hotel received the Guinness World Record title for being the world’s oldest hotel.
Read more: The Hot Spring Hotel of Honshu is Still Open After 1,300 Years of Operation
Top image: Outside picture, taken in 2020, of Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan a hot spring hotel in Hayakawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan ( Boltor / CC by SA 4.0 )
By Wu Mingren
