📜 Hotel Details
Nikko Kanaya Hotel, established in 1873, is the oldest resort hotel in Japan and is beloved by travelers from both domestic and international backgrounds. The hotel features a Western-style exterior, while the interior is adorned with vintage and elegant Japanese antique furniture, creating a perfect blend of Western culture and Japanese tradition. Many historical buildings have been registered as nationally designated tangible cultural properties. The hotel's founder, Kanaya Zenichiro, was a musician at Nikko Toshogu Shrine, which is reflected in the sculptural decorations influenced by the shrine's artistic carvings, such as the "Imaginary Elephant."
The guest rooms retain the classical atmosphere from the time of the hotel's opening, featuring scenic rooms with large windows on both sides and rooms characterized by arched ceilings. The hotel has hosted many historical figures, including Charles Lindbergh, Helen Keller, Albert Einstein, and the famous author Ikebata Shōtarō, making a stay at Kanaya Hotel feel like a brush with greatness through the corridors of history. In addition to the traditionally styled guest rooms, there are also modern-style rooms designed by the broadcasting writer Koyama Kundo.
The main restaurant boasts beautifully crafted beams and painted pillars, creating a luxurious atmosphere, with decorations that have been passed down since the Meiji era. The French cuisine offered is a delicious legacy handed down through generations of chefs. Guests can savor classic century-old recipes such as "Kanaya-style Pan-fried Nikko Rainbow Trout" and "Taisho Croquettes." After dining, visiting the elegantly decorated bar "DACITE" is highly recommended, where there are usually over 200 varieties of whiskey and other fine liquors available.
