Posts Tagged ‘japanese hotel’
Ryokan – An experience not to be missed in Japan!
Ryokan are traditional Japanese-style inns which are to be found all over the country, from the busiest, most congested sections of the biggest cities right down to the smallest villages.
Generally speaking, following the traditional pattern, all the rooms in a Ryokan are likely to have floors covered with tatami mats (made of rice straw) and the staff will usually roll out futons at night (thin mattresses) on top of the tatami for you to sleep on.
It is accepted practice that all guests (Japanese or Western) are expected to wear yukata (cotton kimono, usually of blue and white in patern) in the room, in other areas of the ryokan and for sleeping.
There’s absolutely no doubt that staying at a ryokan is an absolute “must-do” when you are traveling in Japan, as it will give you a unique insight into Japanese culture and traditions that you can never enjoy whilst staying at your average five star hotel.
However, be aware that a ryokan is “different” to what you are used to, and that, whilst your stay will offer an extraordinary and unforgettable experience, not all Europeans or Americans will find a ryokan totally suited to their needs or requirements.
The following insights, information and observations might give you some idea of whether a ryokan is for you or not:
- Shoes must be removed and left at the entrance. Traditional “flip-flop” style sandals, called Zori, will be provided for usage inside the ryokan (do not go outside wearing Zori!). Another reminder: you must take off zori (flip-flop) when you enter your room (tatami mat).
- Ryokan usually have a nighttime curfew, often 11 p.m., at which time the doors are bolted for the night, whether you are inside or not. In larger, more cosmopolitan hotspots such as Tokyo or Osaka, this probably means that you will have to consider train times and so on and you may well have to leave somewhere early to get back in time.
- Many ryokan are established in older, traditional wooden Japanese houses. This creates a great atmosphere, but also means that there are no elevators, only stairs. It also means if there is a fire, a ryokan is probably not a good place to be (straw mats and wooden houses are pretty combustible!)
- Ryokan noramally serve some form of traditional Japanese breakfast, and it would be an extremely rare (and non-traditional) ryokan that carried anything as Western as a menu! So, whilst a Japanese breakfast will be delicious and stunningly prepared and presented, it will not be to everybody’s palate. Such a traditional breakfasts might include rice, grilled fish, omelette, law egg, miso soup, pickles and black paper (seaweed paper), etc. all to be eaten with chopsticks. And, if you are not very good with chopsticks, the last thing you will want to do is to have to try to use them first thing in the morning!
- Despite foreign tourists increasingly sampling ryokan style accommodation, 99.99% of the guests will be Japanese, and therefore English is often not spoken. Even when it is, it is likely that only one person of the staff will speak English and obviously, that person is not there all of the time. On the other hand, I have personally been amazed and touched by the number of ryokan proprietors who have press-ganged their high school aged child (or the next door neigbours child or, in one memorable experience, the child of the local restaurant owner!) into the translation job for the foreigner. Nevertheless, don’t rely on it, so it will certainly help you to have at least a few words of Japanese.
In the most traditional ryokan you might also find:
Public baths: Usually one bathroom with a gigantic bathtub for each sex. Most ryokan will usually fill these tubs for preset hours each evening, e.g., from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The etiquette of such situations could be the basis of a very sturdy novel, but suffice to say, just do as the locals do!
It is possible to reserve a room with attached bathroom, but to experience the true Japanese ryokan tradition, many westerners choose the public baths. Swimsuits are not worn.
Shared toilets: One toilet room, with both cubicles and urinals, is shared by both sexes in some places. You may also find a member of the opposite sex actually cleaning the toilet when you enter, and they will generally just carry on with their work whilst you “go”. Don’t worry about it – the locals don’t!
Rice-paper partitions (Paper sliding doors) or walls: The most rational of ryokan might sill enjoy rice-paper walls or partitions between the rooms, so you will have to be every bit as well mannered, considerate and quiet as the Japanese themselves whilst enjoying your ryokan stay.
My final personal observation would be that, having stayed in many different ryokan on many occasions; it is definitely an experience that I would recommend, as any down sides are far outweighed by the positives.
My best experiences have tended to be at ryokan outside the major cities, in smaller towns and the more rural areas, and, as a guideline, I would suggest using hotels whilst in the major cities, as city based ryokan are often somewhat disappointing, ad also often far more money orientated.
Here is a link to one of the top 10 ryokan. So You can check how they looks like….
Hiiragiya Ryokan – http://www.hiiragiya.co.jp/
You will find your destination and various price range of Ryokan (Typical rates are between 8,000 and 30,000 yen per night, per person includs breakfast and dinner) to search “Ryokan Booking”!
