Sasaya Hotel is a historic Japanese ryokan located in Togura-Kamiyamada Onsen in Chikuma City, Nagano Prefecture. Founded in 1903, during the Meiji period, the inn has more than 120 years of history and has continued to welcome guests with traditional Japanese hospitality, elegant surroundings, and relaxing hot spring baths.
The extensive property covers approximately 3,000 tsubo, equivalent to nearly 10,000 square meters. Its beautiful Japanese garden features carp swimming in the ponds and offers changing scenery throughout the seasons. The peaceful garden, traditional architecture, and hot spring atmosphere create an environment where guests can step away from the pace of everyday life.
Sasaya Hotel is operated by Hakko Co., Ltd., part of the Hakko Group, a company widely known in Japan for manufacturing medical equipment. The hotel is managed as part of the group’s hotel business, combining professional corporate management with the traditional spirit of Japanese hospitality.
This approach allows the hotel to maintain consistent standards in service and facilities while preserving the character expected of a long-established ryokan. The combination of attentive service, traditional culture, and modern hospitality has made Sasaya Hotel a popular choice for travelers seeking a refined stay in Nagano.
One of Sasaya Hotel’s most distinctive features is Honenmushi, a beautiful building constructed in 1932. Designed in the traditional sukiya-zukuri style, it represents an elegant fusion of Japanese architectural aesthetics and the practical requirements of a modern hotel.
The architect was Arata Endo, a Japanese architect who studied under Frank Lloyd Wright, the renowned American architect famous for designing the former Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Endo’s experience with modern architecture was combined with a deep appreciation for traditional Japanese design, resulting in a building of unusual character.
Honenmushi is highly regarded as an early example of modern Japanese ryokan architecture. Rather than simply reproducing an older traditional style, it demonstrates how Japanese architectural principles could be adapted to the needs of a sophisticated hospitality facility in the early twentieth century.
Today, Honenmushi is designated as a Nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property. The building contains approximately eight authentic sukiya-style guest rooms, allowing visitors to experience traditional Japanese architectural details while staying in an actual historic building.
Natural materials, refined proportions, traditional craftsmanship, and carefully designed spaces are central to the character of Honenmushi. For travelers interested in Japanese architecture, staying here offers a rare opportunity to experience traditional design not as a museum exhibit, but as a living part of a hotel.
Sasaya Hotel is also known for its culinary tradition. Inside the hotel is Kyoen, a Chinese restaurant specializing in authentic Sichuan cuisine.
The restaurant was founded in 1967 by Kenmin Chen, the chef often called the “father of Chinese cuisine in Japan.” Chen played a major role in introducing and popularizing Sichuan cuisine in Japan, and his culinary philosophy established a distinctive tradition at Kyoen.
Bringing authentic Sichuan cooking to Nagano was an ambitious undertaking at the time, and the restaurant soon attracted the attention of food enthusiasts. Its history has become an important part of Sasaya Hotel’s identity.
The tradition was later continued by Chen’s son, Chen Kenichi, who was president of the renowned Akasaka Sichuan Restaurant. Building on his father’s legacy, he developed the restaurant’s cuisine further while preserving its Sichuan roots.
The dishes combine the deep aromas of spices with both delicate and boldly layered flavors. For guests staying at Sasaya Hotel, dinner at Kyoen can become one of the highlights of their visit, adding a memorable culinary experience to the traditional ryokan stay.
Sasaya Hotel has long been recognized for its refined atmosphere and high level of hospitality, and it has welcomed numerous distinguished guests over the decades.
Members of the Japanese Imperial Family, including Emperor Emeritus Akihito, the 125th Emperor of Japan, have stayed at the hotel. During the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, Juan Antonio Samaranch, who was then President of the International Olympic Committee, also visited the ryokan.
Such guests reflect the reputation that Sasaya Hotel has built through more than a century of hospitality. Its commitment to attentive service extends across every aspect of the stay, from guest reception and cuisine to the hot springs and carefully maintained spaces.
The hotel’s hospitality is rooted in omotenashi, the Japanese tradition of anticipating guests’ needs and offering thoughtful, sincere service. At Sasaya Hotel, this spirit is expressed through the combination of traditional surroundings and professional hospitality.
Rather than relying on luxury alone, the experience emphasizes comfort, attention to detail, good food, relaxing baths, and an atmosphere in which guests can feel genuinely cared for.
Sasaya Hotel offers a variety of guest rooms designed to accommodate different travel styles and budgets. Options range from standard Japanese-style rooms to rooms with private open-air baths and spacious special rooms.
A major attraction is that guests can enjoy the hot spring water directly from the source through free-flowing natural hot spring baths. The experience combines the comfort of a traditional ryokan with the pleasure of bathing in naturally sourced mineral water.
Among the most sought-after rooms are those located inside Honenmushi, the nationally registered cultural property.
These rooms combine the beauty of traditional sukiya architecture with the comforts expected by modern travelers. Looking out toward the quiet Japanese garden, guests can enjoy an atmosphere far removed from the noise and routines of everyday life.
The subtle details of the architecture, natural materials, carefully proportioned rooms, and garden views make a stay in Honenmushi particularly memorable for anyone interested in Japanese culture and design.
Sasaya Hotel stands in Togura-Kamiyamada Onsen, a historic hot spring resort with more than a century of bathing and hospitality traditions. The surrounding town provides an opportunity to experience the atmosphere of a classic Japanese onsen destination while exploring the wider attractions of Chikuma City.
Visitors can combine a stay at the ryokan with sightseeing in areas such as Obasute, famous for its terraced rice fields and moon-viewing scenery, or Inariyama-juku, a historic post town on the old Zenkoji Kaido. The surrounding countryside also offers beautiful seasonal scenery, from spring blossoms to autumn foliage.
Sasaya Hotel represents a distinctive meeting point between Japan’s traditional culture and modern hospitality. Founded in the Meiji period, the hotel has maintained its identity through more than a century of change while continuing to develop its culinary and accommodation experiences.
Its greatest appeal lies in the way several elements come together: a historic hot spring resort, a beautiful Japanese garden, a nationally registered cultural property, authentic Sichuan cuisine, natural hot spring baths, and the attentive service of a long-established ryokan.
For travelers looking to experience more than a conventional hotel stay, Sasaya Hotel offers a chance to sleep in a historic Japanese architectural setting, enjoy traditional hot spring culture, and discover a unique culinary tradition in the heart of Nagano.
A stay here is not simply an overnight visit. It is an opportunity to experience the layers of Japanese history, architecture, food, bathing culture, and hospitality that have been carefully preserved for more than 120 years.