When you are in Japan, we strongly recommend experiencing Japanese hospitality by staying at one of our recommended ryokans, Japanese-style hotel. You will be able to see unique architecture, gardens, traditional culture, and authentic cuisines.
Type of Ryokan
There is a wide variety of ryokans. For example, some focus on large groups of customers, while others cater to limited number of guests per nights for great hospitality.
Many of our recommended ryokans are in luxurious or deluxe categories, either authentic type or modern type which integrate Western comfort into Japanese style. Michi Travel Japan carefully selects only ryokans with warm hospitality, good food and atmosphere, which all help create your memorable stay.
Each room is different in design, space, view from the room, and price. Traditional rooms consist of tatami straw mat floor, fusuma sliding doors, shoji paper screens, and tokonoma alcove. Depending on the ryokan's location, enjoy a view from your room, such as Japanese garden, historical town, mountains, ocean, etc.
To sleep, futon mattresses will be spread out on the tatami mat floor after dinner by a ryokan staff. If you prefer sleeping on Western-style beds, we can recommend appropriate ryokan for you.
If you are looking for a "real" Japan, a ryokan in pastoral areas will give you a memorable experience. In countryside, there are not much to do after sunset except for soaking yourself in bath and enjoying local food. You can savor the luxury moment of doing nothing in your room.
Cuisine
Ryokans are proud of their exclusive full-course dinner and breakfast with carefully selected ingredients prepared by master chefs.
For example, in Hokkaido or area facing the Sea of Japan, guests can enjoy fresh seafood especially crabs grown in the cold sea. In the mountain side, guests can savor local beef, vegetables, mountain herbs, or gibier (game dish) etc. In Kyoto and Kanazawa, they serve elegantly decorated kaiseki cuisine.
These seasonal dishes will be served in your room or a dining room in the ryokan.
Bath/Hot Spring Bath
Japanese people truly appreciate taking baths at the ryokans. Almost every ryokan has large shared indoor baths, and some has shared outdoor baths. In hot spring areas, guests can relax in hot spring baths in the ryokan.
At luxury hot spring ryokans, guest rooms have private outdoor hot spring bath attached to your room. Also, some ryokans have chartered baths with a lock for private use.
Some ryokans offer spa menu such as shiatsu massage, aromatherapy, foot massage, etc.
Soak yourself in the large bath, and relieve your stress from your work.
Yukata- casual kimono at ryokan
Ryokans provide a yukata (casual kimono-type clothing) to wear for relaxing and sleeping. In some hot spring towns, people stroll the streets in their yukata. At ryokans you can wear a yukata for dinner time. Of course, you can wear your private clothes (dress code - preferably in country club casual).
