Hoshi Ryokan, the World’s Oldest Hotel

Visitors who spend a night at Hoshi Ryokan get a little taste of history. This ryokan in the city of Komatsu in Ishikawa prefecture, which borders the Sea of Japan, is not only the oldest hotel on the archipelago, but also in the world, and is indeed listed as such in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Built in 718, it has remained in the hands of the same family ever since, being currently owned by the 46th generation. This therefore also makes it the oldest Japanese company.

Monk Taicho Daishi was far from imagining such records when, over 1,340 years ago, he created an onsen in this city 200 kilometres from Kyoto, to allow the residents to enjoy the benefits of the region’s hot springs. Following the success of this, the onsen was transformed into a sanatorium to cure the ills of the increasing number of visitors. The sanatorium was then taken over in 717 by Garyo Hoshi, first in the family line, and gave way to a ryokan to welcome travellers visiting the coast.

History therefore started to move on and, 1,300 years later, it’s possible to develop from the work of the multiple generations that followed to welcome travellers and allow the values of hospitality that the family hold so dear to live on. ‘The heritage of our old hotel has been cherished and cultivated to this day, and will continue with future generations’, promise Zengoro Hoshi and his wife, the current owners, on the ryokan’s website.

70 traditional rooms

As years have gone by, the ryokan has become gradually more modern, but has not lost the slightly old-fashioned charm that characterises these traditional Japanese hotels. Hoshi ryokan now has 70 bedrooms, some of which are suites, dispersed across the four wings of the building, each of which is named after one of the four seasons. The bedrooms remain true to the Japanese minimalist spirit, with tatami mats, shoji sliding doors made from wood and washi paper, and comfortable futons to sleep on – not forgetting the traditional pillows filled with grains of rice.

All of the rooms look out onto a beautiful Japanese garden with cedar and pine trees surrounded by bright green moss. As such, wherever you are in the ryokan, nature is never far away. It’s a way of paying homage to Toemon Sano. This master gardener from the 16th century created the Japanese garden during the Edo period, under the supervision of tea master Enshu Kobori, intended to give the impression of spending the night in the heart of a forest. You can also see the Enmeikaku pavilion, built during the Meiji period (1869-1912) from cypress wood and which has welcomed members of the imperial family.

Onsens both inside and outside

Of course, the ryokan has onsens, hot spring baths. There are two outside, one mixed and one for men only, both of which look out onto the garden, and two inside, one for women only and another for private hire, so visitors can enjoy a little bubble of Japanese comfort.

In a few years, Hisae, Zengoro Hoshi’s daughter, will take over the ryokan. This is a first, as she comes after a long line of male-only heirs. It marks a wind of change for Hoshi Ryokan as it continues to transmit Japanese traditions and culture.