In Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, a new whole-villa stay called Private Villa Yasui Bettei is opening on September 14, 2026, run by Ryotei Yasui, a kaiseki restaurant and inn that has welcomed guests since 1869. The official website launched on August 29, 2026, marking the start of a pre-open period in which reservations are being accepted while final preparations continue.
Private Villa Yasui Bettei is made up of two whole-building villas, Ichigoan and Ichiean, both within walking distance of Ryotei Yasui. Guests spend their days at their own pace in the villa, then walk over to Ryotei Yasui for dinner — a kaiseki course built around Omi beef, Lake Biwa's seasonal catch, and Omi vegetables — before returning to the privacy of the villa afterward.
Stay freely; eat properly. That is the idea behind the new offering from a ryotei that has spent more than 150 years on cooking and hospitality, proposing a different way to stay in Hikone than a conventional ryokan.
Private Villa Yasui Bettei official site: https://www.ryoutei-yasui.jp/yasui-bettei
Why a 150-Year-Old Ryotei Is Building a Villa
Ryotei Yasui stands close to Hikone Castle and has focused, since its founding in 1869, on letting guests feel the seasons through food and spend meaningful time with the people they care about.
Travel styles have diversified, though. Some travelers want quality food and service without being tied to a fixed schedule, preferring to spend their days at their own pace with family or a partner — and more travelers are choosing a whole-villa or villa-style stay over a hotel or ryokan room.
Yasui's answer was to combine the cooking it has built up over generations with the freedom of a whole-villa stay — not by bringing the food to the villa, but by having guests come to Ryotei Yasui for dinner, where each dish is served on its own dishware, at its own temperature, one course at a time. Once the meal is over, guests return to the villa for time on their own. Rather than choosing between a ryokan and a villa, guests get both within a single trip.
Private Villa Yasui Bettei grew out of that idea.
Food Worth Traveling For, Even for Villa Guests
Yasui's cooking starts with choosing whatever tastes best that day and that season — Omi beef, one of Japan's three great wagyu brands, along with Lake Biwa trout, ayu (sweetfish), and Omi vegetables, brought together course by course as kaiseki.
Hot dishes arrive hot, cold dishes cold — nothing is plated all at once, so the time spent enjoying each course matters as much as the food itself. That has not changed with the new villa.
Guests staying at Private Villa Yasui Bettei can reserve dinner and breakfast at Ryotei Yasui on request, for anyone who does not want to compromise on food just because they are staying in a villa.
Not every meal has to happen at Ryotei Yasui, though. Ichigoan's kitchen lets guests cook for themselves, or guests can head into Hikone to try a local restaurant — where and what to eat during the stay is left up to the day's mood and travel style, one of the pleasures unique to a whole-villa stay.
Whether the destination on a given day is Yasui's own cooking or a restaurant somewhere in Hikone, the idea is to let guests enjoy their time in the city freely, with food as the starting point.
One Group a Day: Two Villas, Two Ways to Stay
Private Villa Yasui Bettei has two whole-building villas, Ichigoan and Ichiean, each limited to one group per day. After check-in, guests have the space entirely to themselves.
Ichigoan — Up to 5 Guests
Suited to a family or group of friends, Ichigoan holds up to five guests. It has a living room with a high ceiling and exposed beams, a dining kitchen, and bedrooms. The kitchen is equipped with an induction cooktop, a fridge-freezer, a microwave, and basic cookware, while the living room has a projector and screen for watching something together or simply talking before and after meals.
Ichiean — Up to 3 Guests
Built for couples or small groups who want a quiet stay, Ichiean holds up to three guests. Like Ichigoan, its living room has a projector and screen. It is designed as a simple space for a couple or a family to slow down, talk, and do nothing in particular, away from their daily routine.
From Sightseeing in Hikone to Spending Time There
Hikone is home to the national treasure Hikone Castle and a wealth of historical and cultural sites. Private Villa Yasui Bettei is meant to be more than a base for visiting them: tasting Shiga's food, spending unhurried time at the villa before dinner, and walking through Hikone the next morning are all part of the stay.
By building in time to do nothing and time to enjoy a meal, the villa aims to make the time spent in Hikone itself part of the trip — a new reason to visit the city, offered by a ryotei that has welcomed guests here for more than 150 years.
Pre-Open Period Begins August 29
Ahead of the September 14 grand opening, the official website for Private Villa Yasui Bettei launched on August 29, 2026. The period leading up to the opening is being treated as a pre-open phase, with reservations now open alongside final preparations for operation. Beyond rooms and facilities, the new website walks through a typical day at the villa: time spent at the villa, a walk over to Ryotei Yasui for dinner, and a return to the villa afterward.
Private Villa Yasui Bettei Facility Overview
- Facility: Private Villa Yasui Bettei
- Grand opening: September 14, 2026
- Address: 320 Yasukiyo-cho, Hikone, Shiga Prefecture
- Buildings: 2 (one group per day, per building)
- Website: https://www.ryoutei-yasui.jp/yasui-bettei
- Ichigoan: up to 5 guests; from ¥72,000 per villa (tax included, meals not included)
- Ichiean: up to 3 guests; from ¥44,000 per villa (tax included, meals not included)
Rates vary by day of the week, season, and other factors.
- Check-in: 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM
- Check-out: 10:00 AM
Meals
Dinner and breakfast can be reserved in advance at Ryotei Yasui. Beyond the kaiseki course there, guests can cook in Ichigoan's kitchen or head out to a restaurant in Hikone — how and where to eat during the stay is left up to the day's mood and travel style.
Main services and amenities
Wi-Fi, projector and screen, in-room drink service, access to Ryotei Yasui's large communal bath, and shuttle service from Hikone Station.
Note: Ichigoan has a dining kitchen.
