Many of my articles focus on modern aspects of Japanese culture as being particularly cool. This is all well and good, but there is more to Japan than the modern culture. Japan’s traditional culture is also incredibly unique, and, yes, incredibly cool, if for no other reason than that it has lasted in Japan for an extremely long time and looks as though it will continue to be in existence for a long while yet. In the interest of highlighting some of the traditional aspects of Japanese culture I find particularly note-worthy, I have written several articles on them (see also my articles on New Years' Celebrations and Penis festivals, as well as the articles on traditional culture some of the other writers have submitted).
This article is about ryokan, which are something like the traditional Japanese version of a hotel. Ryokan are a great way to experience traditional Japan, and to me they feel almost like an out-of-world experience – everything about them is so different to what we are used to in Western countries. Ryokan originated in the Edo period (1603-1868), and they originally housed travellers along Japanese highways. They still do, technically, even though said travellers are more likely to arrive by car or train than on foot. But people also go to ryokan that are quite near their homes for rest and relaxation, which is not something that really happens in western hotels.
Above is the outside of a ryokan. Below is an artistic shot of a ryokan entrance hall.
This is probably because ryokan offer a relaxing sort of experience that western-style hotels are ill-equipped to offer. Your standard ryokan contains a large wooden-floored communal entrance hall, with chairs, couches, and maybe TVs if the ryokan has had recent updates. There are also several floors of guest rooms, which are constructed using traditional Japanese methods. The floor is tatami, and the doors are sliding doors, or hinged wooden doors with small entrance ways along which to put your shoes, and a smaller sliding door leading into the main room. Many rooms have balconies, also separated by sliding doors.
Some photos of the inside of a ryokan guest room. As well as cushions, some ryokan provide the low chairs with backs that you can see in these photos. The sliding doors are usually made from a type of waxed paper.
Generally, your one-night experience in a ryokan starts with you getting there, relinquishing your shoes for the special indoor slippers, and toddling up to your room. After milling around in there for a moment, maybe drinking tea made using the exquisite tea set left in the room, it is dinner time. Ryokan normally have dinner and breakfast included, and both meals are either served in a large communal tatami room that serves as a dining room, or in the guest’s rooms separately. Either way, food is laid out on low tables, and you sit on cushions to consume it. The food normally consists of a variety of Japanese dishes, although some ryokan will offer a choice of western foods if westerners visit the ryokan in question often.
Above is a view of a ryokan dining room, with all of the dinner foods laid out. Below is a close-up of a ryokan meal. These meals are always beautifully presented. It is not difficult to feel like royalty, even if you are sitting on the floor.
After dinner you can do an array of evening activities. If your ryokan is in the city you can go out and explore. If it is in the country, as many of them are, you can also explore but the chances are that you will not see much with no natural light available. Most ryokan also offer parlour game-type activities, like table tennis. Some will have little karaoke rooms. But the generally preferred activity is taking a bath in the communal bathing areas, called ofuro. These areas are normally separated by gender, and the baths are filled with hot water that comes from local onsen (hot springs) if there are any nearby. Donned in a yukata (Japanese-style bathrobe) and carrying a trusty towel, you approach the bathroom, shed your clothing, wash yourself in an adjacent shower room, then get into an enormous communal bathtub. It is potentially simultaneously one of the most relaxing experiences you will ever have, if you enjoy having baths, and one of the most intense and embarrassing experiences you will ever have, if you are noticeably foreign and are uncomfortable with having a bunch of Japanese people looking at your naked form.
A few photos of ofuro in ryokan. The upper picture is of a more done-up, indoor-looking ofuro, while the ofuro in the lower picture has evidently gone for a more natural look.
When bedtime comes, it is time to roll out the futon. These are thick, soft bed mats that are laid out on the tatami floor of your room next to each other, with pillows and appropriate bed sheets. Futon exist in Western countries too, but in Japan futon are more comfortable, and more bed-like. Futon are widely used in many Japanese homes as well. Personally, since I am firmly of the belief that the Japanese specifically design western-style beds to be as hard as possible (beds are one way in which Japan is diametrically UNCOOL), Japanese futon are the most comfortable surface for sleeping that you will find in Japan. Sleeping on one is like sleeping on clouds.
Futon in a ryokan rolled up (above) and laid out (below).
Unfortunately, ryokan are hard to find in the big cities (apart from in Kyoto; a city that markets itself on its traditional culture), and more people go for the generally cheaper character-less western-style hotels these days. But, ryokan can be found. Some cost as little as $40US a night. So whether you choose to go to a city ryokan or a more scenery-heavy ryokan in the country, the ryokan experience is definitely one of the coolest traditional experiences you can have in Japan.
This article is about ryokan, which are something like the traditional Japanese version of a hotel. Ryokan are a great way to experience traditional Japan, and to me they feel almost like an out-of-world experience – everything about them is so different to what we are used to in Western countries. Ryokan originated in the Edo period (1603-1868), and they originally housed travellers along Japanese highways. They still do, technically, even though said travellers are more likely to arrive by car or train than on foot. But people also go to ryokan that are quite near their homes for rest and relaxation, which is not something that really happens in western hotels.
This is probably because ryokan offer a relaxing sort of experience that western-style hotels are ill-equipped to offer. Your standard ryokan contains a large wooden-floored communal entrance hall, with chairs, couches, and maybe TVs if the ryokan has had recent updates. There are also several floors of guest rooms, which are constructed using traditional Japanese methods. The floor is tatami, and the doors are sliding doors, or hinged wooden doors with small entrance ways along which to put your shoes, and a smaller sliding door leading into the main room. Many rooms have balconies, also separated by sliding doors.
Some photos of the inside of a ryokan guest room. As well as cushions, some ryokan provide the low chairs with backs that you can see in these photos. The sliding doors are usually made from a type of waxed paper.
Generally, your one-night experience in a ryokan starts with you getting there, relinquishing your shoes for the special indoor slippers, and toddling up to your room. After milling around in there for a moment, maybe drinking tea made using the exquisite tea set left in the room, it is dinner time. Ryokan normally have dinner and breakfast included, and both meals are either served in a large communal tatami room that serves as a dining room, or in the guest’s rooms separately. Either way, food is laid out on low tables, and you sit on cushions to consume it. The food normally consists of a variety of Japanese dishes, although some ryokan will offer a choice of western foods if westerners visit the ryokan in question often.
Above is a view of a ryokan dining room, with all of the dinner foods laid out. Below is a close-up of a ryokan meal. These meals are always beautifully presented. It is not difficult to feel like royalty, even if you are sitting on the floor.
After dinner you can do an array of evening activities. If your ryokan is in the city you can go out and explore. If it is in the country, as many of them are, you can also explore but the chances are that you will not see much with no natural light available. Most ryokan also offer parlour game-type activities, like table tennis. Some will have little karaoke rooms. But the generally preferred activity is taking a bath in the communal bathing areas, called ofuro. These areas are normally separated by gender, and the baths are filled with hot water that comes from local onsen (hot springs) if there are any nearby. Donned in a yukata (Japanese-style bathrobe) and carrying a trusty towel, you approach the bathroom, shed your clothing, wash yourself in an adjacent shower room, then get into an enormous communal bathtub. It is potentially simultaneously one of the most relaxing experiences you will ever have, if you enjoy having baths, and one of the most intense and embarrassing experiences you will ever have, if you are noticeably foreign and are uncomfortable with having a bunch of Japanese people looking at your naked form.
A few photos of ofuro in ryokan. The upper picture is of a more done-up, indoor-looking ofuro, while the ofuro in the lower picture has evidently gone for a more natural look.
When bedtime comes, it is time to roll out the futon. These are thick, soft bed mats that are laid out on the tatami floor of your room next to each other, with pillows and appropriate bed sheets. Futon exist in Western countries too, but in Japan futon are more comfortable, and more bed-like. Futon are widely used in many Japanese homes as well. Personally, since I am firmly of the belief that the Japanese specifically design western-style beds to be as hard as possible (beds are one way in which Japan is diametrically UNCOOL), Japanese futon are the most comfortable surface for sleeping that you will find in Japan. Sleeping on one is like sleeping on clouds.
Futon in a ryokan rolled up (above) and laid out (below).
Unfortunately, ryokan are hard to find in the big cities (apart from in Kyoto; a city that markets itself on its traditional culture), and more people go for the generally cheaper character-less western-style hotels these days. But, ryokan can be found. Some cost as little as $40US a night. So whether you choose to go to a city ryokan or a more scenery-heavy ryokan in the country, the ryokan experience is definitely one of the coolest traditional experiences you can have in Japan.
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