Staying at a Traditional Japanese Inn | Ryokan & Onsen Etiquette | japan-guide.com

One of the best ways to experience traditional Japanese lifestyle and hospitality is to stay at a ryokan or Japanese inn. Popular with both Japanese and foreign tourists, these places not only offer a place to sleep but also a window to Japanese culture as well as an opportunity to enjoy local cuisine and relaxing hot spring baths. Many different kinds of ryokan can be found around the country, from family-run small establishments to large hotel-like facilities with hundreds of rooms. Budgets for a night stay also varies depending on the place you stay at, ranging from 4,000 yen without meals to over 50,000 yen per person per night with glorious dinner and breakfasts. A typical rate for a night stay is around 15,000 yen per person, which includes dinner and breakfast. Because of their traditional style and atmosphere, staying at a ryokan can seem a bit intimidating for the first-time guests. However, they're a special and very relaxing experience that everyone should take the opportunity to try at least once during their travels. In order to set your mind at ease, here is a guide on how to enjoy your stay at a ryokan. Reservation. Ryokan can be found all across Japan, especially in hot spring resorts but also in the cities. The typical ryokan includes two meals, dinner and breakfast, but some ryokan also offer no meal plans. These days, ryokan are listed in most hotel reservation websites and can easily be booked online. Note that most ryokan charge by person rather than by room, and some ryokan do not accept single travelers. Keep also in mind that reservations for the same day are often not possible due to meal preparations that have to be made in advance before your arrival. Arrival. Staff at a ryokan will put great emphasis on your arrival and ensure that you will feel welcomed, taken care of and relaxed. The entryway of a ryokan called genkan is the physical boundary between the outside and inside world. There, outside shoes are to be removed and stored since they're not supposed to be worn inside. Once you've taken your shoes off, it is considered good manners to turn them to point towards the door. If a stone is present, it is considered part of the outside and therefore you're supposed to step on it with your shoes on. Do not step on the elevated area with your outdoor footwear, and likewise, make sure not to stand in the lower area with your socks. Preferably wear socks instead of being barefoot, and make sure your socks are In some ryokan, shoes do not need to be removed at the entrance but only in the room. Check-in occurs in one of three ways. Directly in your room, at the lobby lounge area or at the reception desk just like in a regular hotel. While filling the check-in form, tea and snacks are usually offered. In many ryokan, you will be attended to by one person during your entire stay who will take care of your check-in, serve your meals, prepare your room and bid farewell when you leave. We highly recommend checking in at least one to two hours before dinner which usually starts around 6 or 7 p.m. to allow time to be properly greeted. Settle in and enjoy a nice relaxing hot bath before your meal. Your room. Ryokan rooms can vary a lot depending on the size, style and price of the ryokan you're staying at. They typically can accommodate two to four occupants, have tatami floors with a low table at the center of the room and often have an adjacent smaller sitting room with western style table and chairs. Guests in a ryokan sleep on futon, Japanese mattresses which are stored in a cabinet inside your room during the day and prepared by the staff in the evening during your meal. Typical amenities in ryokan rooms include a sink, fridge, toothbrushes, a bathroom and western style toilet. However, in older establishments, toilets and sinks are sometimes shared in a common area outside of your room. It is important not to walk on tatami with shoes or slippers and to be careful not to dirty or damage it when carrying luggage. Slippers should be left neatly outside the tatami room. When using the restrooms, a different pair of slippers will be available for guests to use so they do not use the same ones used in the common areas. Guests will find bath towels and yukata which you can wear during your whole stay including meals, to the bath and to bed. Here is a quick explanation on how to wear a yukata. Put on your yukata over your underwear and the shirts and socks are optional. Fold the right hand side underneath the left hand side and hold it in place with your hand. Then fold the left hand side over the hand and hold it in place while you get your belt, also called an obi. Wrap the obi around your waist, cross it around your back and tie in the front. For men, it should rest fairly low on the hips. For women, the belt is tied at the waist. Finally, adjust the knot so it lies on your right hip. Optionally, in cooler weather, the outer jacket can be worn over the yukata like a coat. These coats may have a pocket for carrying small items such as your room key. Things to do. Staying at a ryokan is synonymous with relaxing. The inns often boast beautiful gardens, baths and other common areas for guests to enjoy. The most popular practice at a ryokan is to indulge in a hot bath, usually supplied by a hot spring. Although most ryokan have a whole range of gender segregated indoor and outdoor baths, some offer mixed gender baths or private baths as well. Called kashikiriburo, these private baths are made for families and couples who wish to bathe together and often require reservations before use. At high-end places, guests might also have a private hot spring bath in their guest room. Baths can be identified by the curtains that hang outside the changing room door. Blue is usually used for the men's bath and red for the women's bath. Many ryokan switch the gender of the baths at a certain time of the day so that guests can enjoy all the baths offered by the facility. Here are a few etiquette rules on how to enjoy a bath. At the bath, you will need two towels, a big one and a smaller one. The small towel is used inside the bathing area. The big one is left in the changing room and is used for drying your body completely. Baths are enjoyed naked, so make sure to leave all your clothes and large towel in the changing room, taking only your small body towel with you for washing, drying and enhancing privacy. Wash or rinse yourself well with water before entering the bath and be careful not to put your body towel in the water. Finally, dry yourself with your body towel before returning to the changing room so that the floor does not get wet and there you can use your large towel to dry your body completely. Another popular activity when staying at a ryokan is to enjoy the inn's garden and grounds while wearing yukata. In old-fashioned hot spring resorts, it is pretty common to stroll around the streets in yukata and enjoy some additional bath houses, shopping or playing at old-fashioned game arcades. Very large ryokan facilities often have karaoke rooms, restaurants, bars and game rooms which operate until late at night. Meals. One of the highlights of a ryokan stay is getting to enjoy traditional and local Japanese cuisine. Meals are often kaiseki-ryori or multi-course Japanese-style haute cuisine which starts with an appetizer followed by several dishes prepared using a variety of methods including raw dishes, a soup, a boiled dish, a grilled dish, a deep-fried dish, a steamed or dressed in vinegar dish and conclude with rice, miso soup and pickles followed by a dessert. Dinner often starts at around 6 or 7 pm and is served either in your room, in a separate private dining room or in a communal dining area. Guests traditionally eat their meal while wearing their yukata although regular clothing is acceptable. Note that if you have any food restrictions, it is important to notify the establishment prior to your arrival so modifications can be made to the menu. When it comes to breakfast, most ryokan serve Japanese-style breakfast consisting of rice, miso soup and multiple dishes of local and seasonal specialties. Some will offer a western-style option and some large ryokan may have a buffet-style breakfast which includes both Japanese and western dishes. Just like with dinner, it is totally acceptable to eat breakfast in your yukata or in regular clothing. Checkout. Last but not least is the which usually is at 10 or 11 am. Although many ryokan now accept major credit cards, smaller establishments may require you to pay the bill in cash. Once the bill is paid, the staff including the person who attended to you during your stay will help you into your shoes and wave and bow goodbye as you leave the premises. And there you have it, all the nuts and bolts of how to stay in a ryokan. Thanks for watching. Hopefully this video has given you the confidence to try out one of these traditional inns during your stay in Japan. For more information or to watch another video, click the links on the screen now or head over to japan-guide.com, your comprehensive, up-to-date travel guide firsthand from Japan. 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