A Walkway Between the Rooms
This covered walkway runs from the western part of the south walkway toward the main building, a slender link twenty-two metres long and just one metre wide. It is a timber structure with a gabled roof, finished in copper sheeting.
At Hanaya Hotel the buildings do not sit in a single block. They are scattered across a hillside plot in Bessho Onsen and tied together by roofed walkways that thread between interior gardens, so that moving from room to bath means passing through the open air under cover.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs places this walkway in the early Showa period. Slight in scale, it is one of the connective threads that make the Hanaya complex read as a single continuous experience rather than a set of separate buildings.
Two Framing Methods in One Span
Listed in 2006 as a structure contributing to the historic landscape, the walkway is valued for how much character it carries in so small a form. Its construction mixes two distinct framing methods along its length.
In one, beams rest on round log posts and are carried on short struts above. In the other, the beams are given a gentle upward curve, a mukuri, and a ridge piece rides along them. Handrails run in the bays between the posts.
The whole is a spare, sukiya-style design, the restrained aesthetic of the tea house applied to a purely functional passage. The listing recognises the walkway as an integral part of the garden picture rather than mere circulation.
What to Look For
Walk it slowly and watch the framing change overhead. Where log posts carry beams on struts, the structure is plainly expressed; where the beams curve upward under the ridge, the line softens. The two methods sit within a single short span.
The copper roof is worth noting for its colour, which shifts over the years toward a soft green as the metal weathers. Against the greens of the garden it settles the walkway quietly into its surroundings.
Because the walkways are how guests move through Hanaya, this one is experienced simply by staying and crossing between buildings. It rewards an unhurried pace, with the garden open on either side.
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Q&A
- How long is the walkway?
- It runs about 22 metres and is only one metre wide, linking the south walkway to the main building.
- What are the two framing methods?
- In one, beams rest on log posts carried by struts; in the other, gently upward-curved beams carry a ridge piece. Handrails run between the posts.
- What is sukiya style?
- It is the restrained, tea-house-derived aesthetic, applied here to a plain functional passage.
- How do I experience it?
- The walkways are how guests move through Hanaya, so you simply cross it when passing between buildings during a stay.
Basic Information
| Name | Hanaya Hotel East Covered Walkway |
|---|---|
| Location | 169 Bessho Onsen, Ueda, Nagano Prefecture |
| Category / Listing | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), listed 18 October 2006 |
| Registration No. | 20-0286 |
| Count | One structure |
| Structure | Timber, gabled copper-sheet roof; approx. 22 m long, 1 m wide; footprint approx. 18 sq m |
| Period | Early Showa period |
| Owner | Hanaya Hotel Co., Ltd. |
| Access | About 5 minutes on foot from Bessho Onsen Station (Ueda Electric Railway) |
| Note | Connecting walkway within a working ryokan |
References
- 国指定文化財等データベース — 花屋ホテル（管理対象ID 00005869）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005869
- 別所温泉旅館組合 — 別所温泉観光案内
- https://www.bessho-spa.jp/
- 旅館花屋 公式サイト — 館内・沿革のご案内
- https://www.hanaya.ne.jp/
Last verified: 2026.07.03