The oldest hotel in the world has been in the same family for the past 52 generations.
In the UK - a country which is not short of ancient relics and buildings dating back hundreds and thousands of years - the oldest company is the Royal Mint. For the past 1,150 years the firm has been pumping out coins and bank notes on behalf of the British people. Even ignoring the fact that it has somewhat of an advantage being owned by the state, the Mint comes across as a mere start-up compared to Japan and the world's oldest hotel - the Keiunkan Inn.
The hotel dates back a remarkable 1,300 years to 705AD, the 2nd year of the Keiun era, when Fujiwara Mahito founded the inn. Hot water from the local Hakuho Springs was directed down into the town of Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan where it has been warming and pleasing countless numbers of visitors year-after-year since it first became a tourist hotspot.
The hot spring - or onsen as they are known in Japan - was continually developed over its millennium of existence, with rudimentary pools in caves replaced with baths in wood huts before a hotel with private rooms and a restaurant was built. Today a private, free-flowing hot spring bath is available in every room of the Keiunkan Inn.
"The hot spring has flowed freely without interruption since (its founding) and is loved by many townsfolk, military commanders and cultured peoples as a secluded place deep in the mountains of the Kai region. Keiunkan, to this day, still embodies the unchanging hospitality of the heart of Japanese harmony for all of our guests," the hotel's website explains.
Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan’s long history includes a fair amount of drama. Large fires broke out in 1909 and 1916, before a massive rock smashed one of the buildings in 1925. A typhoon also hit in 1982, meaning the hotel's main building has had to move three times over the years.
In the Guinness World Records, Keiunkan is certified as the world's longest-standing inn and is, according to some metrics, the oldest company in the world. Age is not the only reason to visit. Keiunkan is located in Yamanashi Prefecture, the same region as the World Heritage-listed Mt. Fuji - a dramatic peak that should at least be viewed if not climbed.
The village itself is old fashioned and quiet. There are no major chains, just family businesses. One could be forgiven for thinking they've slipped back in time a few years to a different, simpler era.
Getting to Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan is not easy. After making it to Shizuka - a large city with an airport not directly connected to the UK - catch a bullet train eastward for an hour to Minobu, a small village. There a minibus will arrive to take guests of the hotel the rest of the way.
The hotel's most recent owners have resisted the urge to modernise too much. Where other family run hotels now allow guests to wear shoes inside, they have kept things sockless. However, they have futons custom-made in larger sizes to accommodate the new clientele of Western guests, who now flock to the village in significant numbers since Keiunkan shot to global fame in 2011 when it got the Guinness nod.
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