SAITAMA

Machidaya Ryokan

A centuries-old inn where hospitality reflects modern history and innovation

Machidaya Ryokan offers travelers an authentic stay inside a living remnant of Japan’s Meiji period (1868-1912), where tradition and modernization once unfolded side by side. With its preserved architecture and rich history, the inn offers an experience that extends far beyond overnight lodging.

Experience & Activities Onsen & Stay

Access

Stay at Machidaya Ryokan and experience the Meiji period not as an exhibit, but as a place you can walk into, sleep within, and feel through everyday hospitality.

Approaching Machidaya Ryokan feels like crossing a quiet threshold into the past. To the left of the entrance stands a tobaguchi—a traditional pocket door fashioned from a thousand-year-old cedar—its worn grain bearing silent witness to centuries gone by. This sense of continuity defines the ryokan itself.
A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn, emphasizing tatami rooms, seasonal meals, and a deeply personal style of hospitality. In keeping with tradition, all rooms feature karakami shoji sliding doors and do not have locks, a detail unchanged since the inn’s founding and one that speaks to a slower, more trusting era of travel.

All rooms at Machidaya are priced equally per person, allowing guests to focus on the experience rather than room categories. Lodging options include a full stay with two meals (¥13,500 before tax), dinner only (¥11,500), breakfast only (¥8,500), or room-only accommodation (¥6,500). Guests seeking privacy may reserve the entire inn for an additional ¥30,000. Extended stays or full-family bookings can be arranged upon request.
What truly distinguishes Machidaya is its atmosphere. Meals are home-style and thoughtfully prepared using self-grown vegetables, reflecting a sincere, family-run approach rather than formal luxury.

Machidaya Ryokan was founded by Machida Tōkō (1879–1940), a descendant of the fifth lord of the Nihonmatsu domain in Fukushima Prefecture. Educated at Keio University alongside peers learning from modern educator Fukuzawa Yukichi, Machida embodied the Meiji ideal of balancing heritage with progress. Alongside running the inn, he imported the Model T Ford and operated a bus company, actively embracing the technologies reshaping Japan. Before World War II, the inn served as a hunting lodge for Baron Iwasaki of the Mitsubishi business conglomerate, and in the 1950s, it welcomed the legendary sumo wrestler Wakanohana during regional tours.

The Meiji era was a time of profound modernization and innovation, when tradition and progress coexisted in a delicate balance. Staying at Machidaya Ryokan offers a rare chance to experience that tension firsthand, not through exhibitions or explanations, but through daily life shaped by meals and rest.

©Toshiko Sakurai

Address

Machidaya Ryokan

1482-1 Tamagawa, Tokigawa-machi, Hiki-gun, Saitama Prefecture

Phone number

+81-493-65-0271

Business hours

Check-in: 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. / Check-out: by 10:00 a.m.

WEB site

https://machidaya-ryokan.jp/

Digital Map