Staying at Miyajima, Hiroshima Prefecture
(Andrew Daniel, Ontario, Canada)
My parents and my aunt and uncle were visiting Japan for the first
time, and I thought the best way for them to experience Japan was
to stay at a ryokan.
On our trip to Hiroshima, we stayed at a ryokan on the island of
Miyajima. It was advertised as a minshuku but it was actually a
ryokan. The ryokan was beautiful, and it had a terrific view of
Miyajima's famous Torii gate.
 My aunt initially complained of the price because she thought it
was a bit too much for her budget. However, when she walked into
the room, looked out of the window, and saw the view of the Torii
gate she exclaimed, "Andrew, this place is gorgeous. I forgive you!"
Our room was huge - more than enough room for the five of us.
When we first arrived we were served tea, and we relaxed
and explored the ryokan. Next, they set up dinner for us in our
room and brought us our meals. Dinner was incredible. Usually, the
ryokan served either all Japanese food or all Western food in a
room but in our case they made an exception. I had a Japanese meal
and everyone else had a Western (French) meal. The dinner was huge,
and they brought us course after course after course.
After dinner, we went for a bath in the ryokan, and after bathing
we put on our Yukata (robe) and Geta (wooden
clogs) and walked around the ryokan. We had a lot of fun but the
geta took a bit of getting used to!
When we came back they prepared our futons, and we went to sleep.
In the morning, breakfast was served in our room and for breakfast,
as with dinner, we had both Japanese and Western style meals.
My parents and aunt and uncle had a wonderful time at the ryokan,
and they said it was one of the highlights of their trip to Japan.
Other Useful Ryokan Information
If you have never stayed at a ryokan, then Planning
Your Stay at a Japanese Ryokan will help you better plan
your stay.
Our Ryokan Styles page
will tell you about the various types of ryokans available
If it is your first time staying at a ryokan, you may want to
read our page on Ryokan Customs
Here is some more detailed information about Staying
at a Ryokan including ryokan cuisine
For more information about dining on Japanese "kaiseki," please
see Japanese "Kaiseki" (traditional,
multi-course dinner)
In A Ryokan Experience,
a guest describes his stay at a ryokan on Miyajima Island
Read Interviews with
Three
Kyoto Ryokan Owners and their experiences hosting foreign
guests
A step-by-step explanation of how to put on a Japanese "yukata" (robe)
Here is a description about the dos and don'ts of Japanese
Bathing Etiquette, and here is how to use a Japanese-style
toilet
How big is a tatami mat room? Go to this Tatami
Mat Conversion Table and find out.
Read David Paget's article "Japanese
Buddhist Temple Overnight" and a guest's article "A
Night on Mount Koya" about
their experiences staying overnight at Buddhist Temples on Mount
Koya in Wakayama Prefecture.
Read guest's Comments about
their ryokan stays
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