Samurai Oyado – A Soothing Guesthouse in Odawara

10.April.2017 | Uncategorized

Odawara, a Town That Soothes Tired Travelers

富士山や箱根観光の拠点に。神奈川県小田原ゲストハウス「侍御宿」

It’s easy to go to Hakone and Mt. Fuji from Kanagawa prefecture’s Odawara city. Odawara has prospered as a town for travelers, especially those looking for lodgings, for over 300 years.

Samurai Oyado is a guesthouse near Odawara Castle and is a representation of those old style accommodations. This guesthouse is filled with the owners strong hopes of making it a place where travelers from abroad can re-energize themselves.

Consideration Is Key; Conveying the Spirit of Old Inns

staff

What’s most important when speaking to travelers from overseas is to see things from their perspective, and to be considerate of this.

This is what the owner Mr. Abe (on the left) and staff member Mr. Ozawa (on the right) say. Their thoughtful hospitality has led Samurai Oyado to have a high rating of 8.8 on Booking.com (as of March 2017).

The idea of starting the Samurai Oyado came from seeing the excitement travelers had at viewing historical or retro Japanese buildings while attending events in Japan. This led to the opening of Samura Oyado, with the revival of traditional inns as its concept.

Inns have existed in Japan for over 300 years and were once accommodations where samurai and other travelers stopped to spend the night in peace during long journeys. With this idea of a soothing stay in mind, Samurai Oyado has several key points to it that are sure to help its guests have a peaceful rest.

Soothing Point 1: Gorokichi Is Waiting to Greet You

Goro-kichi

When you enter the Samurai Oyado, you will be greeted by Gorokichi, the cat and mascot of this guesthouse. It’s the perfect surprise for cat lovers. Gorokichi has an affectionate personality and likes to meet new people, and will not hesitate to approach the guests to say hi, even if it is the first time they are staying there.

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