The oldest ryokan in Japan is Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, founded in 705 AD and certified by Guinness as the oldest hotel in the world. It heads a small group of inns that have kept their hot springs and their doors open for a thousand years and more — all six here verified open in 2026.
Affiliate disclosure: when you book through links on this page we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We never accept payment for placement or rankings.
Japan holds a record no other country comes close to: the oldest continuously operating hotels on earth are not European grand dames but Japanese onsen ryokan, inns built around a single hot spring and handed down through dozens of generations. Three of them were founded in the early eighth century, when most of Europe had no inns at all, and they are still taking guests today.
The headline belongs to Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, which Guinness World Records certified in 2011 as the oldest hotel in the world, with a founding date of 705 AD. Just behind it sit two more early-eighth-century houses, Sennen no Yu Koman (717) and Hoshi Ryokan (718), each run by the same family for around two dozen and four dozen generations respectively. We have kept to verifiable founding years and resisted the tangle of competing "second oldest" claims, because the sources genuinely disagree on how to count.
Below the ancient three, we add three later but still deeply historic inns that suit a modern luxury trip: Asaba in Shuzenji (1489), the first Japanese ryokan to join Relais & Châteaux, and Kyoto's revered Tawaraya (1709) and Hiiragiya (1818). Together they trace more than eleven centuries of Japanese hospitality, and every one of them was open and taking guests when we checked in 2026.
| Ryokan | Founded | Where | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan | 705 AD | Hayakawa, Yamanashi | Guinness world's oldest hotel |
| Sennen no Yu Koman | 717 AD | Kinosaki Onsen, Hyogo | Same family ~22 generations |
| Hoshi Ryokan | 718 AD | Awazu Onsen, Ishikawa | Family-run ~46 generations |
| Asaba | 1489 | Shuzenji, Izu | First Japanese Relais & Châteaux |
| Tawaraya | 1709 | Kyoto | Celebrated luxury ryokan |
| Hiiragiya | 1818 | Kyoto | Michelin-listed, 200+ years |
This is the record-holder: founded in 705 AD and certified by Guinness World Records in 2011 as the oldest hotel on the planet, Keiunkan has been welcoming travellers to the same hot spring for more than 1,300 years. It sits deep in the mountains of Yamanashi, in the remote Hayakawa valley about three hours from Tokyo, and draws its baths from the spring that has fed the inn since the Nara period.
The honest note: this is an ancient onsen ryokan, not a polished resort. Rooms are limited, the setting is genuinely remote, and the appeal is the continuity and the spring rather than contemporary luxury. Reach it by car or arranged transfer, book well ahead, and come for the sense of staying somewhere that has outlasted empires.
Founded in 717, Koman is one of the very oldest inns in Japan and is repeatedly cited among the country's oldest companies of any kind. It stands in Kinosaki Onsen, a willow-lined hot-spring town on the Sea of Japan coast famous for its seven public bathhouses, which guests stroll between in yukata. The Hiuke family has run the house for around 22 generations.
The honest note: founding-date sources sometimes call Koman the "second oldest" onsen inn, but others give that to Hoshi, so we list it on its verified 717 date rather than on a contested ranking. Kinosaki is a charming, walkable base, though it is a traditional town experience rather than a secluded luxury retreat.
For a long time Hoshi, founded in 718 at Awazu Onsen, was believed to be the oldest hotel in the world, until Keiunkan's earlier 705 date was recognised. It remains astonishing on its own terms: the same family has run it for around 46 generations, making it one of the longest continuously family-operated businesses anywhere on earth. The inn is built around its hot spring in a garden setting near Komatsu in Ishikawa.
The honest note: like the other ancient houses, Hoshi is a traditional onsen ryokan rather than a contemporary luxury hotel, and its draw is heritage and hospitality rather than modern polish. It pairs naturally with a trip through Ishikawa and nearby Kanazawa.
For travellers who want age and luxury together, Asaba is the pick. Established in 1489 in the hot-spring town of Shuzenji on the Izu Peninsula, it was the first ryokan in Japan admitted to Relais & Châteaux, the association of the world's most prestigious inns and restaurants. Its centrepiece is a Noh stage set across a pond, where performances are still held, and the kaiseki dining and service are pitched at the very top of the ryokan world.
The honest note: Asaba is a genuine luxury stay with rates to match, and rooms are few, so it books out far ahead, especially around the Noh performances and autumn colour. It is the most refined house on this list with a history measured in centuries rather than decades.
Tawaraya, founded in 1709 and run by the same family for around eleven generations, is the inn other ryokan are measured against. Hidden behind a discreet entrance in central Kyoto, it has hosted writers, heads of state and royalty, and its reputation rests on near-invisible service, perfectly judged rooms and a deep sense of calm in the middle of the city. It is a short walk from the shopping streets yet feels sealed off from them.
The honest note: Tawaraya is small, expensive and famously hard to book, and its restraint is the point, so travellers expecting spa-resort facilities will be in the wrong place. For the connoisseur of traditional hospitality, it is close to definitive. Read our Tawaraya, Kyoto profile →
Founded in 1818, Hiiragiya has welcomed guests for more than two hundred years and sits, fittingly, almost opposite Tawaraya in central Kyoto. It blends antique rooms in its older wing with quietly updated ones, and is celebrated for kaiseki dinners served in-room and a warmth that has drawn artists and writers for generations. It now appears in the Michelin Guide's hotel selection.
The honest note: Hiiragiya is the youngest house on this list at "only" two centuries, and its two wings differ in character, so it is worth asking which room style you are booking. For first-time ryokan guests who want history without the most austere traditionalism, it is an ideal introduction. Read our Hiiragiya, Kyoto profile →
If the record itself is the draw, book Keiunkan, Koman or Hoshi for the eighth-century onsen experience; if you want that depth of history with modern luxury and fine kaiseki, choose Asaba, Tawaraya or Hiiragiya instead. For wider context, these Japanese inns also anchor the Asian and global record lists.
Subscriber only hotel offers, suite upgrade alerts, and one honest review every Sunday. Free, weekly, unsubscribe anytime.
Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan in Yamanashi Prefecture, founded in 705 AD. It has taken guests for more than 1,300 years and was certified by Guinness World Records in 2011 as the oldest hotel in the world. It draws on the same hot spring it has used since the Nara period, and it is still open and bookable today.
Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, founded in 705 AD, holds the Guinness World Records title for the oldest hotel. Hoshi Ryokan, founded in 718 AD, was long thought to be the oldest until Keiunkan's earlier date was recognised. Hoshi is still extraordinary in its own right: it has been run by the same family for around 46 generations, among the longest continuous family businesses on earth.
Yes. All six inns on this list were verified as operating and taking guests in 2026. Three date to the early eighth century (Keiunkan, Koman and Hoshi) and remain working onsen ryokan, while Asaba, Tawaraya and Hiiragiya are later but still historic houses, several of them among Japan's most celebrated luxury ryokan. Rooms at the famous ones book out far ahead, so reserve early.
A ryokan is the traditional Japanese inn: tatami-floored rooms, futon bedding, multi-course kaiseki dinners and, very often, a hot-spring bath. The English word inn is simply the closest translation. The oldest examples grew up around onsen, or natural hot springs, which is why Japan's most ancient lodgings, like Keiunkan and Hoshi, are onsen ryokan founded on a single enduring spring.
For a milestone stay, Asaba in Shuzenji (founded 1489) was the first Japanese ryokan to join Relais & Châteaux, and Kyoto's Tawaraya (1709) and Hiiragiya (1818) are revered for refined service and kaiseki dining. Keiunkan and Hoshi are older and more rustic onsen inns; the Kyoto houses and Asaba are the polished, high-end options with the deepest history.
Japan combines very old hot-spring lodging traditions with a culture of family businesses passed down across many generations, and a relative continuity that let some houses survive for over a millennium on the same site and spring. The result is that several of the planet's oldest continuously operating hotels, led by Keiunkan, are Japanese onsen ryokan rather than European grand hotels.
Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan sits deep in the mountains of Yamanashi, roughly three hours from Tokyo, and has only a small number of rooms, so it books up well in advance. Reserve directly or through a ryokan specialist, confirm transport to the remote Hayakawa valley, and expect a traditional half-board stay built around the hot spring rather than a modern resort.