Hotel That’s Been Running Since 705 AD Is Still Open Today
Image via Boltor / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Relaxation seekers can get spirited away at this 1,300-year-old hot spring inn in Japan, named by Guinness World Records as the oldest hotel in the world.
Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, located in the Akaishi Mountains in rural Japan, served its first guests in 705 AD, welcoming the public to tap into the goodness of the spring waters. Famous occupants include samurai, military officials, and even the current emperor of Japan, according to a feature by CNN.
Video via CNN
Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan is situated three hours away from Tokyo, and two hours from Mount Fuji.
The venue is so historical that when it first opened, people were paying in commodities like rice, as legal tender was yet to be a thing, to seek refuge in its rooms. The hotel has relocated thrice due to damage from natural disasters, and it has stayed put in its current spot since 1983.
The inn houses 37 rooms, each fitted with traditional Japanese furniture, a private onsen or bath, futon beds, and tatami mat floors.
The world’s oldest hotel, Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, has been in business for over 1000 years. It’s been run by 52 generations of the same family! Here’s what it looks like today: https://t.co/rEtrEXRQNE
— Japan Embassy Canada (@JapaninCanada) July 15, 2018
Which historic hotels are near you? #Japan #history pic.twitter.com/j92WJs38IK
Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan’s now-modernized rooms feature pipes that draw the hot spring’s waters directly into their spaces.
But it’s not the only hotel that has seen it all. As per Scripps News, the next oldest hotel in the world, Houshi Ryokan, also resides in Japan. It was founded in the year 718.
[via CNN, Scripps News, Travel + Leisure, images via various sources]
