Akaokan

In 1955, the Gassho villages of Shirakawago and Gokayama were registered as World Heritage sites. 'Gassho' is one of the architectural styles that exists mainly in this area of Japan. Gokayama was awarded 3-stars by the Michelin Green Guide to Japan. They reviewed the site as 'worth visiting'. Akaokan is situated in Gokayama and has great access to World Heritage sites such as Shirakawago and Ainokura Gassho village ( 15 min drive ) as well as Suganuma Gassho village ( 3 min drive ). We offer a complimentary transport service to Suganuma Gassho village. In front of the Akaokan hotel you can see the Iwase residence, an Important Cultural Property which is one of the largest examples of Gassho architecture. The Iwase residence is a 5 story building built 300 years ago. People still live there as well as in the Gassho villages which are listed as World Heritage sites, but guests are free to look inside. These villages preserve the landscape of Japan's past. Enjoy the beautiful scenery of pure streams and green mountains which surrounds the area. The Akaokan hotel also features a natural hot spring bath open 24 hours a day. We offer a range of guest rooms including Japanese-Western fusion style twin rooms ( with bath and toilet ), 10-tatami mat size Japanese-style rooms and 8-tatami mat size Japanese-style rooms. For dinner, we prepare Gokayama's local cuisine handed down from the past. Especially for the enjoyment of our foreign guests, we serve our meals in a traditional Japanese style of tableware called Wajima nuri lacquerware ( wooden dishes painted with red Japanese lacquer ). We are looking forward to your visit, please accept our warm hospitality.