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If you are thinking about staying at a Japanese ryokan, here is a list
of questions and answers which may help you better plan your stay:
- Where
do you want to go and what do you want to see?
- When do you want to go?
- How many people are
in your group?
- What is your budget?
- What do you want to experience during your ryokan stay?
- Would
you prefer luxury or basic accommodation?
- Do you want to be in an urban or rural setting?
- Would you like to bathe in a hot spring at the ryokan?
- Do you want to dine on "kaiseki" (traditional, multi-course dinner) or standard Japanese cuisine?
- Check the dates and days
Where do
you want to go and what you do want to see?
This question will really detemine the locations you should visit. Do you want to see modern Japan like Tokyo and Osaka, cultural Japan like Kyoto and Nara, Old Japan like Tsumago/Magome or Shirakawa-go, spiritural Japan like Mt Koya or a combination of the above. Is visiting a Hot Spring (onsen in Japanese) important to you? You can also get off the beaten path and discover your own Japan. Whatever you want to do Japanese Guest Houses can help you find a ryokan for you in that area.
For more ideas on planning your trip, please see "First Time
Visitors," "Second or Third Time Visitors," and "Seasoned Visitors
or Foreign Residents".
When do you
want to go?
The peak tourist seasons in Japan are in the spring (March/April)
and in the fall (October/November). If you are planning to go in the
spring or fall, then you must book your ryokan room many
months in advance. Remember, there are 123 million people living in
Japan and you are also competing with them for ryokan
vacancies. In the most popular tourist destination, like Kyoto,
entire ryokans are booked years in advance by school trips in the
spring and fall and it is very difficult to find vacant
ryokans.
However, in other less popular destinations there are ryokans with
vacancies. If you are planning to go in the spring or fall, it may
be a
good idea to stay at a ryokan in a less popular destination and stay
in a hotel in a popular destination like Kyoto. Another idea is to
visit Japan in the off season. Compared to many places in North
America and Europe, the Pacific Coast in Japan has very mild winter
weather and December, January, (except for the very busy New Year
holiday season which runs from around December 28 to January 4) and
February are good months to visit Japan. From mid-May to June and
September are also good times to visit although the summer months of
July and August can be very hot and humid (except in Hokkaido which
is a very popular destination for Japanese during this time of
year). If you wish to stay at a ryokan in a popular destination,
then you would have a better chance of booking a room in the winter, late spring, early fall,
or else book many months in advance. [Top]
How many people are in your group?
If you are traveling in a group of 2, 3, or 4 people then you have a
better chance of making a ryokan reservation. Ryokans are reluctant
to accept single travelers for the simple reason that they charge on
a per person basis, not on a per room basis. They prefer having 2 or
more guests stay in a room than having only 1 guest in a room.
Indeed, many ryokans simply do not accept single travelers. Our
advice: if you plan to stay at a ryokan please try to stay with at least 1
more person. [Top]
What is your budget?
How much does it cost to stay at a ryokan? A better question is "how
much would you like to pay?" Our least expensive ryokans are the
Category D ryokans which charge between 7,000 and 10,000 yen per
person. The most expensive ryokans are
the Category A+++ ryokans which charge from 70,000 yen per person and more.
In other words, for 2 guests a 1 night stay in a Category D ryokan
would cost between 14,000 and 20,000 yen. For 2 guests in a Category
A+++ ryokan, the price would start from 140,000 yen per night. If
you are a single traveler, you will be paying more per person than
if you are traveling in a group of 2 or 3 people. [Top]
What do you want to experience during your ryokan stay?
There are many different kinds of ryokan accommodation available.
For example: minshukus, standard ryokans, modern ryokans,
traditional ryokans, luxurious ryokans, and ryokan hotels. There are
other types of traditional accommodation such as Buddhist temples
and "gassho-zukuri" (thatched gable roof houses). Please take a look
at the "Ryokan Styles" page for a detailed description of each type
of ryokan and traditional accommodation. [Top]
Would you
prefer luxury or basic accommodation?
If you are looking for luxury ryokan accommodation, then you should
consider such places as:
Shizuoka Prefecture or Hakone area If you are looking for less expensive accommodation, then there are many
Category D ryokans (7,000 to 10,000 yen per guest) available
throughout Japan. Some of the ryokans are very good while others
offer only the most basic facilities. The best way to judge the
quality of the ryokan is to read the "Guest Comments" and "Guest Rating"
at the top and bottom of many of the ryokan pages. The inexpensive,
rustic type of accommodation in such places as: Tsumago/Magome,
Shirakawa-go and
Mt Koya
are highly recommended for travelers looking for an authentic,
traditional Japanese cultural experience. [Top]
Do you want
to be in an urban or rural setting?
 If you have never been to Japan, then you may think this country is
simply one large urban sprawl. While there are many large Japanese
cities, there are also some very picturesque rural areas well worth
visiting. With the extensive and efficient train system it is also
very easy to explore rural Japan. From Tokyo, for example, it is
only a 2 to 3 hour train ride to such areas as Tochigi Prefecture or Gunma and Nagano Prefectures.
Another point worth mentioning is the city of Kyoto.
Although Kyoto is portrayed as being full of temples, shrines, gardens, and castles
(which is true)
Kyoto is also a very large, noisy, and busy city. If you are looking to stay
in a quiet area in Kyoto, then do not stay in central Kyoto but try
to stay in rural Kyoto instead. [Top]
Would you like to bathe in a hot spring at the ryokan?
Although there are many hot spring areas in Japan, not every major
tourist destination has hot spring facilities. The best hot spring are located in more rural settings where you can unwind and just relax.
[Top]
Do you want to dine on "kaiseki" (traditional,
multi-course dinner) or standard Japanese cuisine?
Many ryokans include both breakfast and dinner in their
per person price. However, some ryokans only offer breakfast and
others do not offer any meals at all. The quality of the cuisine
varies depending on the ryokan. In general, the more expensive the
ryokan the better the quality of food served. Many of the expensive
ryokans serve "kaiseki" which is
a traditional, multi-course dinner. However, there are so
many exceptions and previous guests have often raved about the high quality of the food
served at the cheaper ryokans. For a better idea of the quality of food, please read the
"Comments" by previous guests at the top and bottom of many of the
ryokan pages. If you would like to know more about ryokan cuisine,
please see "Meals Served at a Ryokan
and Japanese "Kaiseki" (traditional, multi-course dinner). [Top]
Check the dates and days
If you want to stay at a ryokan on the weekend but it is fully booked you might want to change dates to a weekday when ryokans often have vacancies. Also keep in mind that in Japan everyone has the same
holiday schedule, and if you can avoid these holiday periods then
you should have better luck.
The 3 major holiday seasons to are:
- New Year's Holiday Season - from late December until early January.
- Golden Week - a collection of 4 national holidays within a 7
day period (April 29 - Green Day; May 3 - Constitution Day; May 4 -
Between Day; May 5 - Children's Day).
- "Obon" (festival of the dead) - held in the middle of August,
this is a Buddhist event celebrating the return of one's ancestors
to Earth.
During these holiday seasons, ryokan accommodation prices increase and rooms have been booked well in advance.
Another busy season is School Trip Season, which occurs in Spring and Automn in popular tourist destinations such as Kyoto and Nara.
Thousands and thousands of school children arrive from all over
Japan to go sightseeing and learn first-hand about their cultural
heritage. During this period many of the ryokans are fully booked,
and it is often very difficult to find accommodation.
Here is a list of national public holidays in Japan:
- New Year - January 1
- Coming of Age Day - January 15
- National Foundation Day - Feb 11
- Vernal Equinox - March 21
- Green Day - April 29
- Constitution Memorial Day - May 3
- Children's Day - May 5
- Maritime Day - July 20
- Respect for the Aged Day - September 15
- Fall Equinox Day - September 23
- Health Sports Day - the 2nd Monday in October
- Culture Day - November 3
- Labor Day - November 23
- Emperor's Birthday - December 23
[Top]
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