Nikko Kanaya Hotel, Nikko, Japan

Nikko Kanaya Hotel is Japan's oldest Western-style resort hotel, a beautiful wooden building on a hillside in Nikko, beside the UNESCO-listed shrines and temples of Toshogu. Founded in 1873, when the Kanaya family opened their home to foreign travellers, it has welcomed guests including the explorer Isabella Bird, the architect Frank Lloyd Wright and Albert Einstein, and it remains one of the most atmospheric places to stay in Japan, at a surprisingly reasonable price.

Location: Nikko, Japan

The hotel stands in central Nikko, in Tochigi Prefecture, about two hours north of Tokyo by Tobu Railway express train, close to the vermilion Shinkyo Bridge and a short walk from the Toshogu shrine complex, the mausoleum of the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The shrines and temples of Nikko are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for their elaborate carvings, including the three wise monkeys.

Above the town, the winding Irohazaka road climbs into the mountains of Nikko National Park, to Lake Chuzenji and the Kegon Falls, one of Japan's most famous waterfalls, and to the high marshlands of Senjogahara.

Nikko's shrines sit in a forest of towering cryptomeria cedars, some of them centuries old, and the Cedar Avenue of Nikko, lined with around 12,000 trees, is one of the longest tree-lined avenues in the world. The town is also known for yuba, a delicacy made from tofu skin, served in many local restaurants.

Rooms and suites at the Kanaya

The hotel's main building dates from 1893, with a new building from 1901 and an annex from 1935, and rooms vary in style and size across the different wings, blending Japanese and Western elements, with high ceilings, period furniture and wooden details. Some rooms have views over the Daiya River and the forested hills.

Rooms are comfortable and characterful rather than luxurious, and the hotel's charm lies in its history and atmosphere. Request a room in the historic main building for the most authentic experience.

The hotel's buildings are recognised for their historic value, and many original features have been carefully preserved, from carved wooden details and painted ceilings to period lighting and staircases. Some rooms have been modernised with Western-style bathrooms and contemporary comforts, so check the room type when booking.

Facilities at the Kanaya

The Main Dining Room, with its carved wooden pillars and ceiling, serves Western-style cuisine with a Japanese touch, including the hotel's famous curry, made to a recipe dating back more than a century, and rainbow trout prepared in the Kanaya style. There is also a bar, a coffee house and a bakery known for its bread and pastries.

The hotel's corridors and lounges are filled with historic photographs, furniture and memorabilia, and wandering through them is like stepping back into the early days of travel in Japan, when Nikko was one of the first places in the country to welcome foreign visitors.

The mountain moment

The defining moment is an early-morning visit to Toshogu, before the tour groups arrive, walking through the cedar forest to the gilded gates and carved halls of the shrine as mist drifts through the trees. Return to the hotel for breakfast in the historic dining room.

In autumn, the mountains above Nikko blaze with colour, and the drive up the Irohazaka road to Lake Chuzenji and the Kegon Falls, framed by red and gold maples, is one of the most beautiful in Japan.

Why the Kanaya is one of the best mountain hotels

Nikko Kanaya Hotel earns its place in our Affordable stays collection because it offers a genuinely historic, characterful stay beside one of Japan's great cultural sites, at a fair price, with weeknight rates often around $250 or less. It is not a ryokan, and rooms can feel dated. But for history lovers and anyone exploring Nikko's shrines and mountains, it is a unique experience.

Its history also tells a fascinating story about Japan's opening to the world: the hotel was founded at the suggestion of the American missionary and doctor James Curtis Hepburn, and for decades it was a gathering place for diplomats, scholars and travellers escaping the summer heat of Tokyo and Yokohama.

When to go to the Kanaya

Nikko is beautiful year-round. Autumn, from mid-October in the mountains to early November in town, is the most spectacular and busiest season. Spring brings cherry blossom and fresh greenery, and summer offers cooler air than Tokyo, with festivals at the shrines. Winter is quiet and often snowy, with the shrines especially atmospheric under a dusting of snow. Weekday stays are cheapest.