Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan (西山温泉慶雲館) is a hot spring hotel in Hayakawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Founded in 705 AD by Fujiwara Mahito, it is the oldest hotel and one of the oldest companies in operation. In 2011, the hotel was officially recognised by the Guinness World Records as the oldest hotel in the world. It has been continuously operated by 52 generations of the same family (including adopted heirs) for over 1,300 years. The Keiunkan lies at the foot of the Akaishi Mountains. Since its foundation the hotel has had all its hot water sourced directly from the
Onsen Onsen An onsen is a Japanese hot spring; the term also extends to cover the bathing facilities and traditional inns frequently situated around a hot spring. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsens scattered throughout all of its major islands. Onsens come in many types and shapes, including and indoor baths. Baths may be either publicly run by a municipality or , often as part of a hotel, "ryokan", or . The presence of an onsen is often indicated on signs and maps by the symbol ♨ or the kanji ("yu", meaning "hot water"). Sometimes the simpler