Japan’s 1,300-year-old inn Houshi Ryokan is a marvel of resilience and tradition

Founded in 718, Houshi Ryokan is one of the longest running businesses in the world. Astonishingly, the traditional Japanese inn – built on a hot spring near the city of Awazu – has always been owned by the same family. Houshi introduces us to the current family of the legendary ryokan as they face a period of uncertainty. Their only son, next in line to take over Houshi Ryokan, recently passed away, and their daughter, a somewhat reluctant participant in the family business, is yet to take a husband. This leaves them with a challenging question: is it time to break tradition and make their daughter the 47th owner?

The filmmaker requests that no images from this video be used without his permission, which can be obtained by contacting him through his website.