Are you obsessed with thinking about the good ol’ days? Do you yearn for a past that you never even experienced?

Boy, oh boy, do I have a hotel recommendation for you.

Hatoya Hotel Shizuoka in Ito.

Let me explain.

Japan’s Showa era (1926–89) produced an utterly fabulous aesthetic that I have since become obsessed with.

The Showa retro aesthetic is a magnificent blend of many things: traditional Japanese sensibilities infused with the emergence of pop culture, plus post-war social affluence and a beautiful hopefulness for the future. It’s extravagant, colorful, playful. Some say it’s bold, kitschy, charming. I think it’s all of those things. But what makes it extra special, in my mind at least, is its duality.

This tension between the past and the future creates this vision that is somehow nostalgic and futuristic at the same time. Two opposite things living together and complementing each other’s existence.

I first learned about Hatoya Hotel when I learned how to Google in Japanese. Coming off the back of learning about retro kissaten and having my mind blown wide open, I began to add the katakana for retro (レトロ) to all of my search terms. It wasn’t long before I came across the hotel’s iconic window-lined red breezeway that looked like something from a sci-fi movie. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Then the pandemic happened, then I couldn’t take time off work, and then I just forgot about going. Finally, I had the opportunity to visit in 2024 with my equally-as-retro-obsessed friends, Hillary and Alex. I took both my digital (Nikon Z6) and film (Nikon FA) cameras and had the weekend of my life.

Hatoya Hotel first opened in 1947 when a salaryman named Seiji Haraguchi (原口清二) took over an existing 14-room ryokan called “Hatoya Ryokan”. It is said that the original owner of Hatoya Ryokan was a magician who apparently did some pretty cool tricks with pigeons — the “Hato” in Hatoya means pigeon — so the name stayed.

Haraguchi-san expanded the hotel, and from around 1961 the hotel increased in popularity with their iconic TV commercial that became the soundtrack to the Showa era. On 1 April 1975, the third-generation owner of Hatoya Hotel founded sister hotel Sun Hatoya.

Anyway, here is that Hatoya ad. It’s particularly clever because the last 4 digits of the phone number is 4126. In Japanese this is pronounced normally like yon-ichi-ni-roku, but can also be pronounced like yo-i-fu-ro which sounds like you’re saying “good hot springs”. Genius level stuff.

We spent a lot of time free-roaming the empty red-carpeted hallways in our yukata and imagining that we weren’t in 2024. I think our absolute favourite part, though, was the onsite bar: Bar Hana. I really mean this when I say that I have never, ever, ever been somewhere as beautiful as this bar. The photos simply don’t do it justice.

The absolute power and aura that emanates from this bar is like nothing else. I would describe it as the waiting room between heaven and earth, the liminal space you chill in before you’re birthed into consciousness. It is simply incredible.

We also spent a significant amount of time (and money) in the games room, and had a very relaxing post-games-room onsen. We also checked out the indoor pool, but we heard some weird noises and promptly scrammed.

If you’re looking to experience a genuinely retro and faded hotel that once epitomised luxury in post-war Japan, you have to spend at least one night here. You make your own fun in hotels like this, but I’m sure you’ll have no problems doing that.

How do I get to Hatoya Hotel from Tokyo?

It’s really easy. You can get the local line (Tokaido), the special Odoriko or the super quick Shinkansen to Atami. Once you’re at Atami, swap to the JR Ito Line. Once in Ito you can get a shuttle bus directly from the station to the hotel. Alternatively, if you’d like to get a taxi, tell them it’s the mountain hatoya (“yama no Hatoya”) so that they don’t get confused with the sister hotel, Hotel Sun Hatoya, which is on the beach.

How to book Hatoya Hotel Ito

There are a few ways to book. We used Jalan. If you use Google Chrome, it’s quite easy to translate the page into English. Update: you can now book on Booking.com.

Hope you’re obsessed now! Here’s a dump of more photos from that weekend!

A Showa Retro Getaway at Hatoya Hotel Shizuoka, Ito

How do I get to Hatoya Hotel from Tokyo?

How to book Hatoya Hotel Ito

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