NIPPONIA Sawara Merchant Town Hotel

Step back into the Edo period just 80 minutes from Tokyo. A nostalgic yet new journey where you stay with history.

A historic merchant town in Sawara, a waterside district that flourished since the Edo period as a key hub for boat transport linking Tohoku and Edo. With 600 years of history, its Edo-era streetscape offers a nostalgic escape from the city’s bustle. Our 8 buildings with 14 guest rooms are scattered throughout the townscape, lovingly restored from former ryotei restaurants and storehouses—an exceptional stay where traditional Japanese architecture and the spirit of the Edo period live on. For dinner, enjoy local sake, fresh Chiba ingredients, and cuisine inspired by Sawara’s fermentation culture—Boso/Sawara flavors served in French style. We also offer authentic town travel found only here, including visits to Katori Shrine, one of Japan’s three greatest shrines.

Introducing VMG HOTELS & UNIQUE VENUES

VMG HOTELS & UNIQUE VENUES is a group brand operating 20 Accommodations across the whole country, utilizing unique venues of high historical and cultural value scattered throughout towns. By viewing entire atmospheric towns—such as Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings—as a Hotel, we primarily develop decentralized Hotels nationwide. Our philosophy is to pass these valuable buildings on to future generations by enabling guests not only to admire historic architecture while traveling, but to actually stay in it. As small-scale decentralized Hotels with a limited number of guest rooms—and with staff who blend into the town and help carry its history forward—we promise one-of-a-kind travel proposals and attentive hospitality.