Vol. 35: FROM THE EDITOR

Ahotel that is so attractive it becomes an end in itself is known as a “destination hotel.” One type of hotel that certainly fits this bill is those that have been designated as Important Cultural Properties.

Japan’s most important architectural heritage is protected under one of three classifications: National Treasure, Important Cultural Property and Registered Tangible Cultural Property. It is the Registered Tangible Cultural Properties that are mostly likely to be available for use as accommodation, and there are about 100 such facilities located across Japan.

The best thing about staying in a cultural property is that you can sleep while being fully immersed in the history of a building. However, the maintenance of such buildings is not easy and often requires advanced technologies and significant costs. In 2013, a revision to the Act for Promotion of the Earthquake Proof Retrofit of Buildings made it mandatory for buildings of a certain size to conduct seismic diagnosis. As a result, some hotels were forced to undergo seismic strengthening work.

In this special feature, we explore the joys of hotels that have been designated as cultural properties — and also the challenges of maintaining them.