Ryokan and Traditional Japanese-style accommodation

A "traditional accommodation" is every kind of non-modern lodging, namely:

• Ryokan inns, that are most of the time hospitality facilities built around onsen hot springs,
• Minshuku bed & breakfast,
• Shukubo temple stay to live like monks for a day,
• Minpaku home-sharing, especially when staying at a Japanese farm.

These accommodation solutions, typical of Japan, can be luxury housing where the hosts provide a high-end service to their guests. They are very appreciated in big cities like Tokyo, Kyoto and in very touristic areas such as Mount Fuji and Hakone. Ryokan inns can be much cheaper in the countryside.

Rooms are generally laid out in the Japanese style with a tatami flooring on which is unfolded a futon bedding. It is very comfortable and the experience is worth it, at least for one night.

Ryokan inns for a more local tourism

The Japanese by the way the ryokan’s main customers, especially when they visit rural or remote regions as tourists. As a matter of fact, these traditional lodgings allow for an immersion in the local life: when meeting the owners, or through the local specialties served at dinner, or with the discovery of craft activities that can be offered during the stay.

We do recommend trying such traditional accommodation when traveling in Japan to have a full taste of the country’s culture and way of life.