Hiramatsu Hotels is the hotel brand of Hiramatsu, Japan’s leading luxury restaurant group
Our logo is a combined elephant and moon motif. The elephant symbolises dedication, patience and truth, and is known for its intelligence. It bravely ventures into deep forests, opening up new paths. Its huge ears detect tiny sounds, and its trunk sniffs out and sweeps away obstacles. The moon is close to Japanese hearts. Farmers traditionally gauged when to plant their crops according to its phases. It was frequently mentioned in seasonal greetings, and was a symbol of spiritual richness, hardiness and security.
Hiramatsu Hotels is a chain of hotels centred on restaurants. We welcome you with heartfelt hospitality backed by more than 40 years of experience
Our story begins in 2016, when Hiroyuki Hiramatsu, culinary artist and founder of Hiramatsu, decided to harness the potential of the restaurant brand he had built up over the past 35 years to create a unique “restaurant with rooms”. Hiramatsu had always been fascinated by France, and at the age of 20 went there to train as a chef, working in various restaurants. During this time, he observed that France had many restaurants so good that people were prepared to drive long distances to reach them, and that most of these also offered overnight accommodation. To Hiramatsu, they seemed to embody perfection in restaurants, and he decided that, one day, he would import the concept to Japan.
In 1982 Hiramatsu and his wife Keiko opened a French restaurant in the Nishi-Azabu district of Tokyo; it seated 24 diners and was named Hiramatsu-tei. Very soon, the restaurant was fully booked every day, and gained an outstanding reputation. In 1988 its name changed to Restaurant Hiramatsu: the story of luxury French restaurant Hiramatsu had begun.
In 2001 Hiroyuki Hiramatsu opened a Restaurant Hiramatsu in Paris, and after only four months it was awarded a Michelin star. The opening of the Paris restaurant also led Hiramatsu to form friendships and partnerships with a host of great chefs from around the world, including the late Paul Bocuse, Marc Haeberlin, Jacques & Laurent Pourcel and Philippe Mille. Today, the Hiramatsu Group operates 25 restaurants and cafés around Japan, and has established an unrivalled reputation as a restaurant brand.
In 2016 Hiramatsu’s 40-year dream finally came true, when the Hiramatsu Group’s first directly managed hotel, The Hiramatsu Hotels & Resorts Kashikojima, opened at Kashikojima in Mie Prefecture, with a restaurant serving exquisite French cuisine that makes lavish use of the delicious seafood of the Ise-Shima area, and eight guest rooms, each with its own hot spring bath. Since then, the Hiramatsu Group has opened two more small luxury hotels based on the concept of a European inn, at Atami and Hakone. And in 2018 it opened a gourmet resort hotel with 19 guest rooms on the Japanese island of Okinawa.
In March 2020 Hiramatsu Hotels opened its first luxury city hotel on Kyoto’s Muromachi-dori. This unique space, occupying a converted 120-year-old machiya townhouse, has 29 guest rooms and two restaurants. With Italian restaurant Ristorante la Luce and Japanese kappo restaurant Izumi joining Restaurant Hiramatsu Kodaiji and our ryotei Kodaiji Jugyuan, we now have a total of four restaurants in Kyoto, which is now the only city in Japan where you can enjoy French, Italian and Japanese cuisine by Hiramatsu.
In March 2021 Hiramatsu Hotels opened its flagship hotel at Miyota in Nagano Prefecture. Set in grounds measuring over 60,000m2 in the southern foothills of Mt Asama, this “Grande Auberge in the Forest” has just 37 guest rooms including nine villas, and is the first of the Hiramatsu Hotels chain to offer Dog Villa Suites for guests travelling with their pets. It is also a true gourmet’s paradise, offering opportunities to enjoy the bounty of nature through a wide variety of dining experiences.
Hiramatsu’s hotels all centre on restaurants, yet each and every one is based on a different concept, and you will never find another quite like it, anywhere in the world. Staying at one of our hotels is a thrill you will never forget. During your stay, you will experience many special moments, moments that will become fond memories and make you want to return again and again. Our aim is that creating Hiramatsu Memories should be the purpose of your visit. We believe Hiramatsu Hotels will continue to surprise and delight you in the future.
To ensure that our guests will have wonderful memories of their Hiramatsu Hotel stay, we focus with a passion on five aspects of hospitality
The heart-warming, homely atmosphere of our hotel mirrors our staff’s personal and attentive approach to hospitality, developed in our restaurants. We take pleasure in seeing how many times we can make our guests smile during their stay, and that is why we put our hearts into the way we approach every aspect of our hospitality — our guests, our colleagues and our cuisine.
We pay special attention to our cuisine: you could say we are professional foodies. Through working at Hiramatsu Group restaurants, we have encountered the world’s finest foodstuffs and wines, met producers dedicated to their craft around Japan, and gained a deep and wide-ranging knowledge of good food. That is why we make a point of seeking out unique local delicacies. You won’t find a hotel anywhere in the world more particular about its cuisine than a Hiramatsu Hotel.
Hiramatsu has hotels in some of Japan’s most beautiful resorts and destinations with the richest food cultures. Since our guests have taken the time and trouble to come all this way, we would like them to enjoy the local attractions to the full, not just food, but also traditional crafts and techniques. We team up with local producers and craftsmen to share some of those attractions with you.
A journey is something extraordinary — an opportunity to experience something you don’t see every day or try activities you would not normally consider, a time to be just a little daring. One of the greatest pleasures a journey affords is the opportunity to try being the person you have always wanted to be, to discover an entirely new you. Why not let us help you?
Cuisine, service, facilities, furniture, scenery — we aim to offer the very best in everything our guests taste, touch, see or experience, never failing to polish the furniture and set out fresh flowers every day. Proudly yet humbly striving to exceed their expectations in every way, we seek to offer joys and discoveries that will make your stay become treasured Hiramatsu Memories.
Our staff are the heart and soul of Hiramatsu.
They are characterful, they love life, take pride in their work, and take pleasure in spending meaningful time with our guests. They are always encouraged to be themselves so as to welcome you with heartfelt hospitality.