Hotel hospitality to travellers have been a feature of the earliest civilizations. In Greco-Roman culture and ancient Persia, hospitals for recuperation and rest were built at thermal baths. Japan's Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, founded in 705, was officially recognised by the Guinness World Records as the oldest hotel in the world. During the Middle Ages, various religious orders at monasteries and abbeys would offer accommodation for travellers on the road. The precursor to the modern hotel was the inn of medieval Europe, possibly dating back to the rule of Ancient Rome. These would provide for the needs of travellers, including food and
Yamashiro Onsen Yamashiro Onsen The "onsen" has one hotel and 31 "ryokan." Yamashiro Onsen has a very ancient history, and there are several myths about its foundation. One story attributes it to the wandering Buddhist monk Gyōki in the Nara period who discovered the springs while following an injured crow and seeing it bathe in the hot waters. During the Heian period it developed as part of a Buddhist temple called , dedicated to Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of medicine. It was patronised in the Sengoku period by Akechi Mitsuhide and was visited in the Meiji period by numerous literary personages. After