I Stayed In the World”s Oldest Hotel
In the heart of Japan, hidden deep in the mountains of Yamanashi, sits the oldest hotel in the world. This hotel is older than Notterdam, windmills, the invention of clocks, and even the painting of Mona Lisa. So, how old is this hotel? Well, it was built in 705 AD, which makes it 1,300 years old. Now, what I want to know is how. How has this hotel survived for over,000 years? Is it the hospitality? Is it the location? the onen or is there something in the food? So, the plan is I’ll be staying in this hotel for 24 hours and during this time I will be exploring every corner of this hotel. I’ll be tasting their food, trying their onen, and checking out the surroundings. And if I have the chance, I will even talk with some of the people working there. I just got so embarrassed. And by the end of the stay, I will have an answer. And if I don’t, then I guess I’m not leaving until I do. And this was my face when I saw the room that I’ll be staying in. But hold up, let’s rewind because getting to this hotel. Yeah, that wasn’t exactly easy. First, I started with a 14-hour flight to Tokyo. From Tokyo, I took the bullet train to a smaller town near Mount Fuji. And before I knew it, I was at the next train station. First thing I spot, a guy with a vacuum cleaner cleaning every part of this small train station. Now it’s the time to wait and wait. And yep, still waiting. Okay, we’re on the train. I got some time to admire the nature and then I fell asleep. So I have arrived at this small remote station where a bus is supposed to take us to the hotel. only. There is no us. It’s just me. No other tourist. No sign of the bus either. Am I the only one heading there? Okay, the bus is here. It’s still just me. And we are moving now. I’m really starting to wonder where this hotel is because I just lost my phone signal. And we are here. And this is the most beautiful and unique room that I’ve ever stayed in. There were even a few gifts waiting for me. First is this drink, which I’m not exactly sure what it is. I’m not sure what this is, but it’s really, really good. Then there were this shiitake mushrooms, I think, in soy sauce. And finally, something that looked sweet. I think I will need to use Google Translate. I’m not sure what this is. [Music] Okay, so far the hospitality seems great. Now it’s time to explore the surroundings. [Music] So, the landscape around the hotel seems to be stunning, but I still need to taste the food and of course the famous Onson. I’m back in the hotel and it’s time to change into something more comfortable. Now I’m fully dressed up for dinner, but I’m a bit too early. [Music] They took me to a private room where I will be dining all alone. There is a menu listing all the courses, but it’s entirely in Japanese, so I have no idea what I’m about to eat. The first course looks like a selection of appetizers. I think in the first bowl, I have some root vegetables. Then I have like a sushi roll. In the next bowl, I have some kind of tofu. Then a slice of some meat. And I really don’t know what this last thing is. There are also some condiments like wasabi, mustard, and I think some soy sauce. a bowl of sashimi and I also think there is some tofu inside. And in the center I have this interesting plate on which there is a fig with some meat and edamami. I think this is a miso soup with some dumpling and of course some warm plum wine. Okay, let’s just try everything. [Music] Okay, the next dish is here and it looks like it’s a carved turnip filled with some kind of meat sauce. Let’s try. That beef sauce is so good. It’s kind of like a bolognese but better. Next dish has arrived and I have some sort of salt grilled fish. And I’m not sure if these are walnuts. They look like it, but let’s try. Yes, it is walnuts. They have some kind of salty and smoky flavor. And that fish tastes also really good. Then I have a bowl of noodles on ice. And I think in the other bowl I have soy sauce. And I think I need to dip the noodles to this other bowl. Okay, let’s just try. These noodles have the most perfect al dente texture. I’m not sure if the ice is responsible for that, but they are amazing. The next dish is Vagu beef and some veggies. I need to grill them myself, so I really hope I don’t burn them. The veggies are nice, but I’m more curious about the beef. In this moment, I realized that this is the best piece of meat that I’ve eaten in my entire life. But the dinner is still not over. Now I got some pickled veggies, dashy soup, and a bowl of rice with corn. If they have served this much food for 1,300 years, no wonder they’re still around. I think these are cucumbers. They look kind of strange though. Yeah, taste is pretty similar to pickles. Maybe slightly more bitter. And finally, it’s time for dessert. I got jelly, green powder, syrup, fruit, and the mystery white tea. They said to mix the green powder and syrup into the jelly. If the Google translation is right, then this is onen water jelly. Onson water normally smells like sulfur, so I’m a bit concerned. It tastes really good, but still no clue what exactly I’m eating. At least I know that these are grapes, and they are some of the juiciest grapes that I’ve ever had. And with this, my dinner came to an end. This dinner was outstanding. But I will wait for breakfast before I give the final verdict of the food. Time to head back to my room. But first, I will look around because remember, I will be exploring every corner of this hotel. [Music] But then I found and I had to get something. Okay, I just got some water. They even have this nice sitting area, but then again, no one else is here. And before this day is over, there is one more place that I need to check out. I think I just want to live in this onen. Okay, so the onen was absolutely fantastic. All right, I’m back in my room and they have made up my bed. But before I go to bed, I have a story to tell you. I just got so embarrassed. So, the people here in Japan are so nice and so polite. And sometimes, especially when the conversation is coming to an end, I feel a bit confused and I feel like I don’t know what to say. But then today, my brain really froze. And so the woman who was helping me with my things to carry my things to to the room and who was showing me around and explaining about the hotel, she was just so sweet and so nice. And she was about to leave. I said to her like, “Thank you very much and have a nice day.” And I realized what I said and she looked at me a bit confused, but she had a few more things to say about the the place. Then the second time as she was about to leave, I said again, “Have a nice day.” twice. And she she was kind of confused again and she she looked at me strange and then she said to me, “Have a nice day as well.” Oh my god. And that was so awkward. Has anyone experienced something similar in Japan or is this just me being awkward? So unfortunately, no further conversation happened with any of the people working there. And if I have the chance, I will even talk with some of the people working there. Well, maybe I will get a chance tomorrow. [Music] For breakfast, I didn’t get any menu. Not like I was able to read the one I got last night for dinner anyway. So, I guess I will just continue guessing. Okay, so there are a lot of small dishes. They told me that I need to watch these two pots that are cooking. One of them is covered and I’m supposed to open it after a while, but the lid on top is burning hot, so I don’t really know what to do. I tried using the hand sanitizing towel to protect my hands from getting burnt, but that didn’t really work well. Okay, and now I just smile for the camera to look like I know what I’m doing. I finally opened that and it looks like a soup. It smells really nice. Let’s just try. The taste is also quite interesting, but I don’t know exactly what it is made of. They said that I need to add the sauce to the other pot and mix. It looks like silken tofu, but I don’t really know if that’s what it is. Let’s give it a try. I don’t really like this one. Okay, on to the next dish. They told me to mix this thing with the rice. And once again, I have no idea what I’m mixing. Here I have some kind of a roll with a mushroom. Let’s just try. Okay. And finally, I have this yogurt with fruit. The only thing that I actually know what it is on this table. So with this, I can confirm that the food was amazing. But maybe they should include an English menu. [Music] Just as I reached my room, the reception called me to let me know that the last bus pass for today is leaving in 20 minutes. But can I actually leave? And did I get my answer? Well, I did made it back unfortunately. And I think I have my answer even though I didn’t get the chance to speak with some of the people working there. I mean, technically I did, but instead of asking them about the hotel, I just told them to have a nice stay. Anyway, so what do I think was the main reason for this hotel’s long existence? Was it the outstanding hospitality, the remote mountains, the healing waters, or was it the food? I think all played the role. But maybe there was one thing that made all the difference. This hotel has been passed through one family for 50 generations. So, it wasn’t just a business, but a legacy. And maybe this was the answer and the real secret.
I stayed at the world’s oldest hotel — a Japanese ryokan that has been welcoming guests since the year 705 AD. Hidden deep in the mountains of Yamanashi, Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan has over 1,300 years of history and is still run by the same family after 52 generations.
In this video, I take you inside the ryokan to show what it’s like to experience this piece of living history: from the hot spring baths and tatami rooms, to the traditional meals that connect guests to centuries of Japanese culture.
✨ If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to step back in time while still enjoying modern comfort, this is it.
What you’ll see in this video:
🍵 Tour of the ryokan (the world’s oldest hotel)
🍱 Kaiseki-style dinner & traditional Japanese breakfast
♨️ Natural hot springs (onsen)
📖 Stories of history and culture woven into the experience
If you enjoyed this video, don’t forget to subscribe for more food, travel, and cultural adventures around the world. 🌍
#NishiyamaOnsenKeiunkan #WorldsOldestHotel #OldestHotelInTheWorld #JapanTravel
#TraditionalRyokan #TravelVlog #UniqueHotels
AloJapan.com