Experience the Rugby World Cup in style with Hoshino Resorts

Japan is very much in the spotlight over the next 18 months with The Rugby World Cup 2019 starting in September and Tokyo hosting the Summer Olympics in August 2020.

Hoshino Resorts, the leading Japan-based hospitality brand with a contemporary take on the traditional Japanese ryokan (inn), will be welcoming rugby fans from around the world this autumn. The Rugby World Cup 2019 officially kicks off at Tokyo Stadium on Friday 20th September, with Japan playing Russia. 

Many of the Hoshino Resorts properties boast onsen (hot spring baths), perfect for soothing aches and pains. Some – including KAI Sengokuhara – even have private in-room onsen for those who don’t like to bare all to strangers!

Hoshino Resorts has also led the way in addressing the increasing popularity of tattoos amongst its international guests by developing a range of skin-coloured stickers to cover up body art, which is traditionally forbidden in onsen because of its association with organised crime in Japan. The stickers come in various shades to match different skin tones – from light in colour to dark brown – and up to 8 cm x 10 cm in size (guests who can cover up their tattoos with four of the largest stickers are welcome to enter the public onsen areas). Says CEO Yoshiharu Hoshino, “It’s important that we welcome our international clientele warmly; we don’t want them to be embarrassed about their body art. Producing the stickers seemed to be a modest but sensible innovation.”

In total, 12 stadiums across Japan will be hosting matches. Here some authentic Japanese accommodation options within 90 minutes of the stadiums listed below:

Tokyo Stadium

Tokyo Stadium is located in the Chofu district, around 30 minutes west of central Tokyo.  The stadium will be hosting eight matches including Australia vs Wales on Sunday 29th September and England vs Argentina on Saturday 5th October.

Just 30 minutes from Tokyo Stadium is HOSHINOYA Tokyo, the city’s first luxury traditional ryokan inn. Set in a 17-storey skyscraper in the prestigious and centrally-located Otemachi district, the property combines contemporary design, traditional craftsmanship and high-tech touches. The restaurant is renowned for developing a new culinary style, Nippon Cuisine, which fuses French techniques and Japanese ingredients. The top floor is home to an impressive open-air onsen (natural hot-spring bath) fed by mineral-rich hot spring water pumped up from 1,500 metres below ground. There is also a spa offering Japanese-inspired treatments. An overnight stay costs from £498 per room per night (two sharing; room only). Contact HOSHINOYA Tokyo (www.hoshinoya.com/tokyo/en).

Alternatively, stay at Hoshino Resorts OMO5 Tokyo Otsuka, a stylish budget-friendly hotel centred around a spacious communal café / bar area and 125 traditionally-designed bedrooms featuring tatami mats, cypress wood and Japanese-style soaking tubs. OMO Ranger guided city tours start from £6 pp, taking guests to local gems such as sake bars, authentic local restaurants and live music venues. An overnight stay costs from £98 per room per night (two sharing; room only). Contact Hoshino Resorts OMO5 Tokyo Otsuka (www.omo-hotels.com/otsuka/en/).

Hanazono Stadium, Osaka and Misaki Stadium, Kobe

Hanazono Stadium, Osaka, and Misaki Stadium, Kobe, are both around 90 minutes south of Kyoto.

Osaka’s Hanazono Stadium will host four matches, the first being Italy vs Namibia on Sunday 22nd September. With a capacity of 30,132, Kobe Misaki Stadium is 30 minutes west of Osaka and the stadium will host five matches including England vs USA on Thursday 26th September, Scotland vs Samoa on Monday 30th September and Ireland vs Russia on Thursday 3rd October.

Located 90 minutes from Osaka, HOSHINO Kyoto is nestled in the peaceful Arashi Gorge on the banks of the beautiful Ôigawa River. The contemporary Japanese ryokan has 25 elegant pavilion-style bedrooms, a renowned restaurant serving seasonal Japanese cuisine and a range of complimentary activities including early morning stretching/breathing exercises, introductory tea-drinking ceremonies and incense burning appreciation. It is only accessible by boat and has one of the most unique hotel check-in experiences of the world – guests are met at a boat landing and transported down the river to be met by HOSHINOYA’s charming staff outside the hotel. An overnight stay costs from £555 per room, per night (two sharing; room only). Contact HOSHINOYA Kyoto (www.hoshinoya.com/kyoto/en).

Alternatively, stay at L’hotel de Hiei, close to the summit of Kyoto’s sacred mountain, with wonderful views of Lake Biwa. The French-in-style Auberge serves a fusion of French and Japanese cuisine and is a relaxing base from which to explore Kyoto’s many sights. An overnight stay costs from £170 per person (two sharing; includes dinner and breakfast). Contact Hoshino Resorts L’hotel de Hiei (https://www.hoshinoresorts.com/en/resortsandhotels/uniquehotels/hiei.html).

International Stadium, Yokohoma

Located 35 km south west of Tokyo, Yokohama International Stadium will host seven matches in total including England vs France on 12th October.

The closest Hoshino Resorts’ property  to Yokohama is KAI Hakone, just one hour from the stadium. The luxury hot spring ryokan is located on the banks of a peaceful mountain stream just off the Hakone Kyukaido hiking trail (a former highway connecting Kyoto and Tokyo during the feudal period). The Hakone area is known for its many hot springs (there are 20 in the volcanic caldera of Mount Hakone), all boasting picturesque mountain views. Try the hotel’s traditional Meiji Era cuisine (the main dish served is a ‘Meiji Gyunabe’ – beef hotpot), learn about the traditional craft of wood parquetry in artisan-led workshops, bathe in the hotel’s revitalising hot spring baths and explore the nearby sites of Lake Ashinoko and Mount Fuji. An overnight stay costs from £221 per person (two sharing; includes dinner and breakfast). Contact KAI Hakone (www.kai-ryokan.jp/en/hakone/).

Alternatively, KAI Sengokuhara is just 90 minutes from Yokohoma. The hot spring ryokan opened in July 2018 and is located near Hakone in a vast natural setting on the Sengokuhara plateau. The ryokan is adorned with artwork by local artists and it offers activities in which artists and staff inspire guests to explore their creativity. Each bedroom comes with its own private onsen bath with fantastic mountain views. Stay overnight from £264 per person (two sharing; includes dinner and breakfast). Contact KAI Sengokuhara (www.kai-ryokan.jp/en/sengokuhara/).

Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa and Toyota Satium, Aichi

Ninety minutes by bullet train from Tokyo, Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa will host four matches, kicking off on Saturday 28th September with Japan vs Ireland. Four matches will be held at the Toyota Stadium including Wales vs Georgia on Monday 23rd September.

Forty-five minutes from both match locations, KAI Enshu is a hot spring ryokan situated beside Lake Hamana. All rooms offer views of the lake and are decorated with traditional Japanese textiles; eel is a local speciality. Take part in traditional Japanese activities such as a regional tea tasting or relax in the hotel’s hot spring baths. Stay overnight from £178 per person (two sharing; includes dinner and breakfast). Contact KAI Enshu (www.hoshinoresorts.com/en/resortsandhotels/kai/enshu.html). 

Notes to Editors

The origins of the Hoshino hospitality brand started with the opening of the first hot spring resort in 1914. The company was rebranded as Hoshino Resorts by current CEO Yoshiharu Hoshino in 1995, and now includes four hospitality brands under its parent company:

• HOSHINOYA (Hoshino Resorts’ flagship luxury brand)
• KAI (authentic hot spring ryokan/inns)
• RISONARE (family friendly)
• OMO (urban-based mid-range hotels)

Hoshino Resorts operates 38 properties (35 in Japan, plus one each in Bali, Tahiti and, from June 2019, Taiwan), together with other unique lodgings.

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