Hakutei Wakanoya

Wakanoya is a rare three-storey wooden ryokan in Hita’s Mameda district. Traditional joinery, transoms and shoji remain part of the living accommodation, while upper-floor rooms open views across the Hita basin.

The kitchen prepares seasonal Japanese courses using ingredients from the surrounding region. In this setting, dinner belongs to the same cultural landscape as the old merchant houses outside: a careful meal within a building that has retained its individual craft.

Private bathing is available, using ordinary heated water. The architecture and food are the principal reasons to stay. Wakanoya is particularly rewarding for travelers interested in historic Japanese rooms and the atmosphere of a merchant town, with the understanding that an old wooden inn offers a different kind of comfort from a newly built resort.