2 days ago
In preserving Japanese hospitality, ‘details are everything'
When I arrive at Beniya Mukayu , a traditional ryokan inn on the outskirts of Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture, Sachiko Nakamichi leads me from the airy lounge to a quiet room where co-owner and husband, Kazunari, dressed in a traditional yukata kimono and black haori jacket, welcomes me with an abbreviated tea ceremony experience.
After a stroll through the garden, I experience the property's spa treatment (a therapeutic massage followed by a personalized herbal therapy based on traditional herbal medicine and a constitutional questionnaire determining which herbs were bundled into a heated compress) before a kaiseki (haute Japanese cuisine) dinner of local specialties prepared by chef Hiroaki Kaku.
Yet beneath this luxurious and serene surface lies a more complex mission. Sachiko sees ryokan — both Beniya Mukayu in particular and Japan's traditional inns as a whole — as a vessel for sustaining an entire cultural ecosystem.
"At ryokan, which are the heart of onsen towns, local residents, farmers, fishermen, sake brewers and artisans collaborate to create a culture where the entire area welcomes travelers," says Sachiko, 66, of Japan's traditional omotenashi (hospitality). "We see it as our responsibility to pass these traditions to the next generation.'
As international hospitality chains expand across Japan at record pace, with recently opened properties including the country's first Waldorf Astoria in Osaka and an outpost of the Banyan Tree brand in Kyoto, some of the country's most resilient independent inns and restaurants are proving that a counterintuitive strategy can work: deepening local roots rather than abandoning them. This approach has caught the attention of UNESCO and the Relais & Chateaux hotel group.
The Relais & Chateaux group highlighted Beniya Mukayu as a "ryokan" inn uniquely positioned to champion sustainable business practices as part of a new UNESCO program. |
BENIYA MUKAYU
Announced last November, the UNESCO-Relais & Chateaux partnership centers on three major missions: 'preserving the world's hospitality and culinary traditions, contributing to the protection and development of biodiversity, and taking daily action for a more humane world.' Though still in the early stages of planning, the collaboration aims to translate these ideals into action with pilot projects, aiming 'to promote UNESCO Sites and traditional knowledge by encouraging sustainable biodiversity conservation and use while respecting local cultures and preserving natural and cultural heritage,' with details set to be revealed this November.
"The goal that we have ... is to prevent any greenwashing,' says Relais & Chateaux President Laurent Gardinier, referring to similar programs that struggle to make progress years after getting off the ground. "The idea is to implement initiatives little by little, with each property contributing in its own way."
In Japan, where family-run businesses face mounting pressure from global consolidation, Relais & Chateaux counts 13 independently owned properties as members. However, Gardinier emphasized that two — Beniya Mukayu and Otowa , a French restaurant in Tochigi Prefecture — are uniquely positioned to champion the new initiative's values at the grassroots level.
Founded in 1928 along the road from Kyoto to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shirakawa-go , Beniya Mukayu represents what Gardinier calls "the very image of Japanese perfection": minimalist architecture, exceptional local cuisine and impeccable hospitality.
In 1996, third-generation owners Kazunari and Sachiko Nakamichi began working with architect Kiyoshi Sei Takeyama to transform the property into a luxury retreat that pays homage to its venerable heritage. The inn stands on the site of a temple where, 1,300 years ago, Buddhist monks used hot springs and herbal medicine for healing. Each of the 16 rooms (averaging around ¥100,000 [about $678] per night) are elegantly appointed with wood, bamboo, tatami-mat flooring and traditional clay walls that overlook the lush forest garden, where the Nakamichis have planted dozens of varieties of moss and flowers surrounding a majestic 300-year-old pine tree.
Beniya Mukayu is currently run by third-generation owners Kazunari (middle left) and Sachiko Nakamichi (middle right), who intend to pass their business onto their sons. |
BENIYA MUKAYU
However, preservation requires innovation. In 2023, the ryokan launched Mukayu Days, a two-night forum connecting local artisans, producers, architects, academics and media to address preservation and succession challenges facing onsen culture.
Perhaps most radical is Mukayu's staffing model: Over 30% of its core team is made up of international hires recruited from top hospitality schools such as Switzerland's Glion. Today, staff hail from France, Italy, Paraguay, Korea and beyond, and though the ryokan doesn't require fluency in Japanese, the unique makeup of staff means the team must find other ways to communicate the needs and desires of guests.
'What's interesting is that this international atmosphere actually makes the workplace more appealing to young Japanese staff,' Sachiko says.
This shift addresses a growing challenge: the decline of generational succession in Japan's ryokan industry. While Sachiko and Kazunari's sons, Daisuke and Kosuke, are poised to become the fourth-generation owners of Beniya Mukayu, fewer young people across the country are entering hospitality — discouraged by rigid hierarchies and limited training .
Some 100 kilometers north of Tokyo in Tochigi Prefecture, Otowa offers a different interpretation of what it means to be rooted in place — one shaped by a forward-looking vision of regional hospitality as a family endeavor.
Led by founder Kazunori Otowa (far left), the team at Otowa have managed to uphold stringent culinary standards while emphasizing a level of work-life balance rarely seen in fine dining. |
OTOWA RESTAURANT
Founded in 1981 and relocated to a larger venue in 2007, Otowa was once a modest French restaurant in central Utsunomiya. Today, it has evolved into one of Japan's most celebrated destination-dining restaurants. Father and founder Kazunori Otowa, 77, originally envisioned a space where multiple generations could work side by side — though few others shared his belief at the time.
'When we built this place, people thought we were crazy,' he recalls. 'But I wanted something sustainable — something our children could come back to, if they wanted to.'
They did — all three. Today, eldest son Hajime, 44, leads the kitchen, second son So, 42, a trained chef who ran restaurant Ciel et Sol in Tokyo for four years, returned to manage service and operations, and daughter Kana, 40, oversees weddings and special events. The timing of the family's reunion that coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic created a rare opportunity for the Otowas to recalibrate the business together.
Each sibling naturally fell into a distinct role — what So describes as an 'unconscious division of responsibilities.'
'For my brother, being able to focus completely on cooking was important,' he says. 'And it helped that someone who understands him as a chef was standing right beside him.'
Dishes at Otowa marry classical French technique with ingredients from the surrounding Tochigi Prefecture landscape. |
OTOWA RESTAURANT
The restaurant's culinary philosophy — marrying classical French technique with ingredients from the surrounding landscape — reflects the family's ability to look outward while staying firmly rooted in place.
'Otowa represents a beautiful dialogue between France, where (chef Kazunori) trained, and his Japanese roots,' says Gardinier.
As Otowa's reputation has grown, so, too, has its impact on the local area. Increased visibility has helped bring more visitors to the region, but the family has deliberately kept prices moderate to remain accessible to local diners, and families who once brought their young children to Otowa return decades later to celebrate graduations and anniversaries.
'These aren't just repeat customers,' So says. 'We feel that they have grown together with us.'
The sense of belonging extends to the staff. The Otowas also see their restaurant as a training ground for local talent interested in hospitality. Employees are drawn by the warm, familial atmosphere — something the Otowas consciously cultivate. Two of the wait staff, for example, are brothers.
Today, founder Kazunori Otowa's son leads the kitchen, his second son manages service and operations, and his daughter oversees weddings and special events. |
OTOWA RESTAURANT
'People ask how we siblings work so well together,' So says. 'But it's not just us — even our staff work that way.'
'We want our team to feel psychologically safe here,' Kana explains.
After every staff meeting, each employee takes two minutes to speak on any topic — a book they've read, a skill they've learned or something more personal.
'A lot of young people in Japan don't feel that kind of emotional safety at school or work,' she says. 'Some don't even feel it at home.'
This commitment to redefining workplace culture extends beyond the family's restaurant. In 2022, Kana became the first Japanese member elected to the executive committee of Relais & Chateaux, where she advocates for sustainable practices in the industry, often leading by example.
"I make a point of going home before 8 p.m. to spend time with my family," says the mother of three. "We want to show young people who might be debating whether or not to go into the family business that it's possible to achieve a work-life balance.'
Both Otowa and Beniya Mukayu demonstrate that in an era of accelerating globalization, the path to sustainability may lie not in standardization but in the courage to deepen local identity while remaining open to the world.
As Gardinier observes: 'The rest of the world has something important to learn from Japanese hospitality. Details are not just details in Japan — they're everything.'
