A ryokan (旅館) is a traditional Japanese inn. Guests sleep on futons laid out on tatami, wear a cotton yukata and often bathe in a hot spring. Dinner and breakfast are usually included, and they are a big part of the stay. A night in a ryokan is one of the best ways to see Japanese hospitality up close.
How a stay works
You take off your shoes at the entrance and put on slippers. A room attendant, the nakai, shows you to your room and brings green tea and a small sweet. Slippers stay at the door, because nobody walks on tatami in them. The room is almost empty: a low table, floor cushions and an alcove with a hanging scroll. You change into the yukata and go to the bath. Wash first at the taps, then soak. In the evening, dinner arrives as many small dishes, often in the kaiseki style. While you eat or bathe, the staff clear the table and lay out your futon. In the morning they fold it away again.
Old inns and their hosts
Ryokan grew from the inns on the old highways of the Edo period. Travellers and the processions of regional lords stopped there for the night. Some are very old. Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan in Yamanashi opened in 705, and Guinness lists it as the oldest hotel in the world. Many ryokan are still family businesses. The okami, or landlady, runs the house and greets every guest. Her care for small details is the heart of omotenashi. Prices vary a lot. A simple family inn may cost less than a city hotel, and a famous hot-spring ryokan far more.
Words & idioms to take away
Idioms & proverbs to carry away
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女将 (okami): the landlady of a ryokan or a traditional restaurant. She is the face of the house.
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仲居 (nakai): the room attendant who serves meals and looks after the guests.