The Shisui Hotel

This is the seventh entry in our multi-part series on marketing Japan to affluent foreign tourists.

In November 2023, we had the good fortune of having lunch at and touring the premises of the Shisui Hotel in Nara. The Shisui is one of Bonvoy Marriott’s Luxury Collection hotels. There are thirty-one of them. If there is a venue capable of attracting the highest of high-end travelers, the Shisui is it.

The hotel borders Nara Park, famed for its amiable deer with the insatiable appetites and occupies land that was once part of Kofuku-ji temple, which is included in the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara.” The press release on this recently opened hotel describes its garden as “enchanting,” which, considering the flaming crimson of the tree pictured below, is probably an understatement. The building is made of wood and was constructed a little over a hundred years ago. It was formerly where the Governor of Nara resided.

Lunch was served at a table facing the aforementioned “flaming” tree. The sushi was exquisitely prepared, but the most astounding aspect of the lunch experience was the fragrance of the tea (Roasted Tea and Yamato Toki [Angelica acutiloba]), placed initially on the other side of the table and, therefore, not near where we were seated, but whose aroma was nevertheless able to reach our nostrils: a better tea we have never had.

For those who are fond of hot springs—aren’t we all?—deluxe rooms feature onsen water and private outside baths. And if bathing leaves you a little hungry, there is an attractive sushi bar on the premises.

I also had an opportunity to check the wine list at one of the restaurants inside the hotel. It was short but contained high-quality wines from both Old World and New World producers. From my perspective, though, there were two omissions. Italy, a major and significant Old World producer—think ancient Rome here—was not represented on the list, but, more significantly, there were no Japanese wines. In recent years, many Japanese wineries have been releasing wines of high quality. Muscat Bailey A, a varietal closely associated with Japan and not very well known outside of the country, can compete with some of the best wines that heavy hitters like France and Italy have to offer. Adding Japanese wines of the highest caliber to the list should prove very popular with foreign guests, who may have never encountered varietals like Muscat Bailey A and Black Queen in the wine shops of their home countries.