Enjoying a Stay at a Ryokan:  Japanese Traditional inns

Japan offers many kinds of lodging facilities, but none leave guests with such happy memories as ryokan, traditional Japanese-style inns. Even if you're less than fluent in Japanese, you are  sure to find that a stay at a ryokan  will be a highlight of your visit to Japan.

Style
Found all over the country and especially numerous in and around popular tourist locales, the ryokan looks and feels really Japanese. Interiors, exteriors, cuisine and service are very different from what you find in Western-style hotels. Architecturally, ryokan may look like traditional Japanese homes, or they may be reinforced concrete. In size, they may have only 10 rooms or may be able to accommodate more than 200 people.

Guestrooms
No matter what the exterior is like, the guestrooms are patterned on rooms in classical Japanese houses. Though they differ considerably in size and decor, certain features are universal. A low table occupies the center of the tatami room. The partitions are sliding fusuma or shoji panels. In one wall, there is usually an ornamental alcove, called a tokonoma, graced with a hanging scroll and a floral arrangement. Guests sit on square cushions called zabuton and sleep on futon bedding spread directly on the tatami mats. The room is an all-purpose space for relaxing, eating and sleeping.

Meals
Ordinarily, room rates include two meals--dinner and breakfast. The menus and meal times are fixed. In keeping with the spirit of Japanese hospitality, courses are brought in fresh and at their best, just as they would be at home. In some ryokan, meals are served in the guestroom. In others, guests assemble to eat in a banquet room. The cuisine is traditional Japanese. Chopsticks are the order of the day, but for guests who find them unmanageable, ryokan personnel are always happy to supply Western tableware.

Cuisine
Meals--especially dinner--constitute one of the big treats of a stay at a ryokan. Each has its specialties, some of which are celebrated local delicacies. Featuring superior ingredients from land and sea, menus include braised and deep-fried foods, vegetables or seafood in vinegar sauce, sashimi and serve-yourself  casseroles. Tastefully arranged in small dishes, the spread is sometimes so extensive that the diner doesn't know where to start. 

Bathing
Now, as in times gone by, the Japanese people consider a long hot bath to wash away the  day's weariness a major ryokan  attraction. Bathtubs are deeper than in the West, so you can sink to your chin to warm yourself through and through and perk up your circulation.
  Men and women bathe separately. All guests may use the large ryokan bath. A door from the dressing room leads to the bething room, divided into washing and soaking areas. Swimsuits should not be worm, and it is considered good manners to rinse your body before getting into the tub. In many instances the same large bath is used by men and women, but at different times.
  In addition to the large baths, ryokan may also provide private baths for each guestroom. Luxurious establishments offer private outdoor baths. At check-in time, it is a good idea to ascertain whether the baths are available 24 hours a day. At spas, natural hot springs supply hot water for indoor and sometimes for outdoor baths.

Things to know
A maid assigned to each guestroom serves the meals and clears up afterwards. She also spreads and puts bedding away. Some guests returning from the bath are surprised to see that their futon have been laid out while they were away. This is just another example of traditional ryokan etiquette and another source of pleasant memories.
  Ryokan provides cotton robes (yukata) for lounging about and toiletries including face towels and tooth brushes. Bath towels are sometimes set out in the bath dressing rooms, though not always.
  Please note that ryokan normally do not provide non-smoking rooms.

Fees
Ryokan customarily charge per person for lodgings ant two meals. The fee usually includes service charges. In addition a five-percent consumption tax is levied. Food and beverages not on the set menu are extra. Hot-springs charge a bathing tax of about \150 per person. Rates are generally low on weekdays and from 20 to 40 percent higher on holidays and during busy tourist seasons (the May Golden Week holidays, the middle of August, and the end of the year and during New Year).
Recently some ryokan offer lodging without meals.
  More reasonable ryokan charge about \10,000 for one night and two meals. Accommodations at more expensive ryokan start at \20,000, and the most luxurious ryokan may cost from \30,000 to \70,000. Although decor and food are said to be more refined and service more meticulous at high-end establishments, all Japanese ryokan are proud of their hospitality, which varies little.

Pointers
Check-in. Usully from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. The lady-of-the inn (okami ) or the head clerk (banto ) greets you at the entrance hall, where you exchange your shoes for a pair of slippers. The okami  or a maid then escorts you to your room. Remove your slippers before entering the tatami-floored room. The ornamental tokonoma is considered an important place expressing the traditional spirit. Please don't put your luggage there. The maid informs you of the time for dinner and then serves green tea and traditional confections. Rest a while or enjoy a bath before dinner.

Dinner.  The meal generally begins between six and seven. If you are dining in your room, telephone to ask for extra orders or to say that you have finished.

Relaxation.  After dinner, you may rest in your room, take another bath or go for a walk. The maid comes to spread the futon. (She does this during dinner for people who take their meals in a banquet room.)

Smoking..  All guests are requested to refrain from smoking in their futon or bed.

Breakfast call.  When breakfast is ready, you are notified by telephone. The maid comes in to put the bedding away.

Breakfast. The meal begins between seven and eight.

Checkout.  Usually at about ten. The okami  or head clerk wishes you well at the entrance as you depart, taking your fond memories with you.