ペンション
ぺんしょん
noun
pension; small Western-style guesthouse
1.
pension; small Western-style guesthouse or lodge
A small, family-run accommodation in a Western architectural style, typically found in resort or mountainous areas of Japan. Often includes home-cooked meals and has a cozy, personal atmosphere. Borrowed from French 'pension'.
高原のペンションに泊まった。
I stayed at a pension in the highlands.
このペンションは料理が美味しいと評判だ。
This pension has a reputation for great food.
スキー場の近くにある小さなペンションを予約した。
I booked a small pension near the ski resort.
USAGE:
Refers specifically to small, often family-run lodgings with Western-style architecture and furnishings, popular in mountain and resort areas from the 1970s-1990s. Unlike 旅館 (Japanese-style inn), a ペンション has beds rather than futons, and serves Western-style cuisine. The word comes from French 'pension' (boarding house), not English 'pension' (retirement fund).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ペンションに泊まる (to stay at a pension)
- ペンションのオーナー (pension owner)
- 高原のペンション (a highland pension)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 旅館: Japanese-style inn — traditional Japanese accommodations with tatami rooms
- 民宿: minshuku — a Japanese-style family-run inn, more affordable and casual than a 旅館
- ロッジ: lodge — similar concept but often simpler or more rustic