Hōshi (法師) is a ryokan (Japanese traditional inn) in the Awazu Onsen area of Ishikawa Prefecture. Founded in 718, it was once thought to be the oldest operating hotel in the world noted in the Guiness Book or Records. The Hoshi Ryokan has been operated by the same family for 46 generations.
The main purpose of company (as stated by its owner) is to preserve the spring for future generation!
The story of Hōshi ryokan is brilliantly depictured in a short documentary shot in 2014 by the German filmmaker Fritz Schumann.
