Too Cute to Handle! Staying at the Retro-Cute Hatoya Hotel from the Showa Era

“If you’re going to Ito, go to Hato~ya!” (Famous old jingle in Japan)
Originally opened in 1947, the Hatoya Hotel is now making waves as a super stylish and retro-cute destination!
It’s been featured in ads for HARUTA and recently appeared in BE:FIRST member Ryuhei’s “Loop” music video. ✨
In this post, I’ll be sharing all the adorable and nostalgic highlights of this one-of-a-kind hotel. 😍

So, What’s Hatoya Hotel?

Hatoya Hotel is a classic old-school Japanese hotel that’s been around since 1947, located in Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
My parents’ generation still remembers the super catchy jingle: “If you’re going to Ito, go to Hato~ya!”
I actually stayed there once about 10 years ago on a family trip, and all I remember is being obsessed with the cotton candy corner 😂
So now, 10 years later, I finally went back to see what it’s like again!

Heading to Hatoya Hotel

We made it to Ito City!
As we got closer, we started spotting Hatoya signs all around town — and they’re just too cute!!

Reunited after 10 years!The Hatoya logo font is just the cutest thing ever ☺✨

They even had a Hatoya Fire Department! Yep — and the license plate number was 4126, which in Japanese sounds like “Good Bath” (yo-i-fu-ro)!
Although… the plate was just laminated paper, so maybe it’s retired now? LOL

Is Hatoya Hotel run-down? Nope — it was actually super clean!

Hatoya Hotel is definitely old — and the signs are a bit faded, so at first glance, you might wonder, “Is it… a little shabby?”
But don’t worry! While the facilities are vintage, everything inside is well-maintained and spotlessly clean. It felt very comfortable!

Strolling Through the Retro-Cute Hotel

The gift shop was seriously amazing!

Meals at Hatoya Hotel are awesome, too!

The main dining style here is buffet — all-you-can-eat heaven!They even have live cooking stations for tempura and sushi. So fun to watch (and eat)!The dining hall is huge, so no worries about finding a seat.First things first — let’s kick off with a cold beer.The glass was frosty cold… Pure joy!! 🍺✨

When you’re done eating, you just flip a card to let them know you’re finished ↓

If you’re staying overnight, go for the “Hatoya Logo View”!

Normally, when booking a hotel, you’d probably want a room with an ocean view, right?
But at Hatoya Hotel, I highly recommend getting a room with a view of the iconic “HATOYA” sign—the so-called “Hatoya View”!。

Funny enough, if you book a sea-view room, you can’t see the famous Hatoya logo from there.
Sadly, you can’t pick your room in advance—so it’s a bit of a gamble.

So I took a chance and chose a plan without the ocean view…
…and I got lucky! I was assigned a room in the Theater Annex!

From the window—boom! A perfect view of the Hatoya sign in all its glory.

Hey BESTY! This is where Loop was filmed!!

To all the BESTY out there—yep, this is the exact location from the “Loop” music video!!!
The escalator scene? It’s just a few steps away from the lobby,and the hallway? That’s the path heading toward the Theater Hall.

The Hot Springs? Totally Awesome Too

Not only is the retro interior super charming, but the hot springs at Hotel HATOYA are also amazing.
Another cool thing? Even the bathtubs in your room have real hot spring water flowing in—yes, every room!💡✨

For all the details on the hot spring’s health benefits and more, check out the official HATOYA website here↓

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