RYOKAN

Ryokan (旅館) are traditional Japanese inns, and a visit to one is the highlight of many a trip to Japan. Since some knowledge of Japanese mores and etiquette is required to visit one, many will hesitate to take non-Japanese guests (especially ones who do not speak Japanese), but some cater specially to this group. A night at a ryokan for one with two meals starts at about ¥8000 and goes up into the stratosphere.

Ryokan usually operate on a fairly strict schedule and you will be expected to arrive by 5 PM. On entry take off your shoes and put on the slippers you will wear inside the house. After checking in you will be led to your room, which is invariably simply but elegantly decorated and covered in tatami matting. Be sure to take off your slippers before stepping on tatami.

Before dinner you will be encouraged to take a bath; depending on the size of the ryokan, baths may be communal or single-person, but they are nearly always segregated by gender. You will probably wish to change into your yukata (bathrobe) before bathing; it's a simple enough garment, just place the left lapel atop the right when closing it. On entry strip naked, wash yourself thoroughly in the shower, rinse off all suds and only then enter the bath.

Once you have bathed dinner will be served in your room. In most ryokan dinner is very elaborately prepared and presented from carefully chosen seasonal ingredients; by all means ask if you are not sure how to eat a given item.

After you have finished you are free to head out into town; in hot spring towns it is perfectly normal to head out dressed only in yukata and geta clogs, although doing so as a foreigner may attract even more attention than usual. (Hint: wear underwear underneath.) Many ryokan have curfews, so make sure you don't end up locked outside.

When you return you will find that futon bedding has been rolled out for you on the tatami. While slightly harder than a Western bed, most people find sleeping on a futon very pleasant. Note that a real Japanese futon is simply a mattress, not the low, flat bed often sold under the name in the West.

Breakfast in the morning is usually served communally in a dining hall at a fixed time.

Minshuku
Minshuku (民宿) are the budget version of ryokan: the overall experience is much the same but the food is simpler, dining is communal at dinner and guests are expected to lay out their own futon (although an exception is often made for foreigners). Consequently minshuku are also cheaper and rates hover around ¥5000 with two meals. Minshuku are more often found in the countryside than in cities.

(Article based on Wikitravel article by Based on work by Brian Kurkoski, Mitch Sako, Paul N. Richter, Rene Malenfant, Evan Prodromou, Ryan, Jose Ramos, Namgay Dorji, David Zentgraf, Bujdosó Attila, Niels, Richard Petersen, Craig Fryer, Sat.K, Ted O'Neill and Yann Forget and Wikitravel user(s) Nightingale, Jpatokal, WindHorse, Maj, Sekicho, Ravikiran r, Littleblackpistol, Cjensen, PierreAbbat, MMKK, Historian, Nzpcmad, KagakuyaSan, Mark, Bijee, InterLangBot, Chris j wood, Nils, Joi, MykReeve, Huttite, Dhum Dhum, Â?, Luke, Karen Johnson and CIAWorldFactbook2002. Article used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0.)