# Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan > A hot-spring inn far up the Hayakawa valley that dates its spring to 705 and holds the Guinness record for the oldest hotel. Overnight guests only, no day bathing. The one road in, Prefectural Road 37, closes in heavy rain, and the inn's only shuttle leaves Minobu Station once a day at about 13:40, booked in advance. - Prefecture: Yamanashi - Type: Onsen - Address: Hayakawa, Yamanashi, Japan - Official site: https://www.keiunkan.co.jp/ Keiunkan says its spring was opened in 705 by Fujiwara no Mahito, and in 2011 Guinness World Records listed it as the oldest hotel: "a hot-spring hotel, which has been operating since 705 AD." What is old here is the spring and the business, not the building. The inn was renovated throughout in 1997, and it reopened on March 5, 2026 after another refit that added a cave bath, a ganbanyoku hot-stone bed of local Amehata inkstone and a small history room. It sits far up the Hayakawa valley in Hayakawa town, on the west side of Yamanashi below the Southern Alps, a few bus stops short of Narada Onsen, where the town bus ends. The water is the reason to come. Two sources, a natural spring and a well drilled in 2005, give 2,030 liters a minute at 52°C, alkaline at pH 9.36, and the inn says nothing is heated or watered down anywhere in the building, the taps in the rooms included. There are two outdoor baths that swap between men and women at 8:00 and 20:00, two indoor baths on the top floor, and two private outdoor baths that must be booked. You have to stay the night: the inn takes no day bathers. Getting here takes planning. The only road is Prefectural Road 37, which the town says closes once rainfall reaches 70 mm without a break. The inn's shuttle meets one train window at Minobu Station, and the town bus runs four times a day. ## FAQ ### Can I visit Keiunkan just for a bath? No. The inn's website, as it read in October 2026, says it does not accept day bathers, so the baths are for overnight guests only. ### How do I get to Keiunkan without a car? Take the JR Minobu Line to Minobu Station. The inn's shuttle leaves there at about 13:40, once a day, and must be booked ahead; the inn's JTB listing says it needs two or more guests and that the return leaves the inn at 9:50. If you miss it, the Hayakawa town bus leaves Minobu Station at 7:05, 11:25, 13:45 and 16:45 and takes about 85 minutes to the Nishiyama Onsen stop, on the timetable the town listed as current in April 2026. The fare is 1,000 yen, cash only. A taxi costs about 15,000 yen. ### Is Keiunkan really the oldest hotel in the world? Guinness World Records lists it under "Oldest hotel", describing it as a hot-spring hotel operating since 705 AD; the inn says it was recognised in 2011. The age belongs to the spring and the business. The buildings are modern: the inn was renovated throughout in 1997 and reopened after another refit on March 5, 2026. ### Can the road to Keiunkan close? Yes. Prefectural Road 37, the only route in, closes when rain or snow passes the set limit, which the town gives as 70 mm of continuous rainfall, and the town bus then stops or turns back. The Maruyama forest road from the Narada side was closed after rockfall and a slope collapse as of October 2026, so do not let a navigation app send you that way. Check Yamanashi Prefecture's road information before you set out in bad weather. --- Source: Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan — Japan Voyage