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Here is some detailed
information about what it is like to stay at a ryokan.
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Check-in Time
Check-in time is usually from 15:00 (3:00pm). If you are having dinner please make sure to check in before 17:30 pm. If
you check-in after this time there is a very good chance that the ryokan
will not be able to serve you dinner. However, you will be charged for the
dinner. The reason is the
ryokans serve fresh, seasonal food to their guests. If the dinner is
already prepared but sits there for several hours there is a good
chance the dinner will be spoiled (and in the hot and humid Japanese
summer it can be quite dangerous to serve food which has been
sitting for a few hours). As a result, the ryokans serve dinner as
soon as it is cooked and no later. Again, please be sure to check-in
before 17:30. If you check-in early, you may also leave your luggage
at the ryokan and go sightseeing before returning for dinner.
Check-out time is usually before 10:00 am.
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Checking In After Your Flight
If you are flying to Japan and staying at a ryokan on your
first night, please make sure to properly rest and recover from your flight.
Do do not worry about rushing to your ryokan to be in time for
dinner - after sitting in an airplane for 12 hours and eating the
entire time the last thing you will want to do is have more to
eat when you land. Unpack, unwind, take a bath and enjoy your first
night in Japan! Please choose the "breakfast only" or "no meals"
option on your first night stay at a ryokan.
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Communicating with the Ryokan Staff
Most of the staff at the ryokans we represent do not speak English.
However, most are experienced in dealing with foreign guests and
they will try their best to communicate with you during your stay
(hand gestures and other body language goes a long way, believe
me!). Please do not be discourage by a lack of English language
communication. In fact, we truly believe this kind of communication
is a genuine and important part of your contact with Japanese
culture. In addition, we provide the ryokans with a translated list
of "ryokan rules" (written in English and Japanese) which they will
give to you upon arrival. This list should answer any of your
questions about your stay at the ryokan. If there is an emergency
and you cannot make yourself understood to the staff, we will also
provide an emergency phone number which you can use to call us
directly.
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Japanese-style Baths
The most important thing to remember is a Japanese bath is for
relaxing, not for getting clean. A bath is for warming your body and
relaxing your tired and aching muscles. Wash and scrub your body
outside of the bath so when you enter the bath you are already nice
and clean. In order to clean your body you sit on a small stool,
draw water from a tap into a plastic bowl, and then wash and scrub
your body. Once you have finished you enter the bath and relax. You
can climb in and out of the bath and clean your body as many times
as you like. However, before you climb into the bath your body must
be as clean as possible (don't forget to rinse off the soap too).
The bath water is not changed for each bather so please keep the
water as clean as possible.
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Meals Served at a Ryokan
"Kaiseki" (traditional, multi-course dinner) - This is
usually an 6 to 15 course dinner beginning with appetizers. The
appetizers are followed by "sashimi" or sliced, raw fish (dip the raw
seafood in the dish of soy sauce and season it with green
horseradish). Next is a clear soup, grilled meat or fish, steamed
vegetables, a hot-pot (a light stew), and a salad with dressing. Rice, miso soup, and Japanese pickles are served at the end of the meal,
and fruit or jelly is served for dessert. For more about kaiseki,
please see Japanese "Kaiseki".
Country-style Dinner - Country-style meals are often
centered around whole grilled river fish; "sashimi" or raw seafood;
fresh vegetables served boiled or as tempura; vegetable soup; pork,
beef, chicken, or even wild boar hot-pots (a light stew).
Japanese Breakfast - A typical Japanese-style
breakfast is rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and Japanese pickles.
Breakfast also comes with "nori" or dried seaweed to eat with your
rice (lay a sheet of nori on your rice and bring the ends together
with your chopsticks to trap the rice inside). A small, salty plum
is sometimes served as well as "natto" or sticky fermented soy beans
and a raw egg (crack the egg into a small bowl; add a dash of soy
sauce and beat it with your chopsticks; pour it over your rice).
Some ryokans serve their own special breakfasts featuring local
delicacies.
"Osechi" (New Year's Food) - During the New Year's
period you may be served Japanese "osechi" during your stay. Osechi
had its earliest origins in a year end ceremony introduced to the
Imperial Court from China during the Nara Period (710-793). Today it
is a tradition to eat osechi during "Oshogatsu" which is the first 3
days of the New Year. The food is prepared before New Year's Eve,
and they are stored in a refrigerator during the three day holiday
period. The food is packed into 3 or 4 layers of lacquered boxes
called "jubako." Osechi represents happiness, good health, and a
bountiful harvest. The different kinds of osechi dishes have special
meaning too. For example, "tai" (sea bream) symbolizes a happy or
important occasion; "kazunoko"
(herring roe) represents having many children, and so on. Here is a photo of osechi.
Many ryokans take tremendous pride in serving their guests the best
of the local cuisine in the area. In Gifu Prefecture, for example,
expect a meal of Hida beef, river trout, and freshly-picked mountain
vegetables. Along the seacoast, guests will usually dine on
freshly-caught fish and other seafood delights. Meals are served
either in the privacy of your room or in a large dining area.
Alcoholic beverages such as beer or Japanese sake are not included
with your dinner and must be ordered separately. Tipping is not
necessary but if you want to leave a tip, put 1,000 or 2,000 yen in
a small envelope or wrap it with white paper and give it to the maid
when your final dinner is served. If dinner is being served in your
room, the ryokan staff will set up everything on the low table in
your room. Dinner time is usually around 18:00 (6:00 pm). This will
give you time to check-in, get settled, and (if available) relax in
the ryokan's baths. Breakfast is usually served from around 7:00 am. If you request Western meals, you may receive meals
which are not completely Western. In many cases, the Japanese
definition of a "Western meal" will be different from what you are
normally used to - please be flexible!
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Last Minute Meal Changes - During your stay, ryokans in general cannot make any changes to
your meals or where you are dining. For example, if you suddenly
decide you do not want breakfast or if you want fish instead of meat
the ryokans will generally not be able to make these changes. Please
tell us while you are making your reservation if you have any
special meal requests or if you wish to have meals in your room or
with another group of guests. Ryokans are often small, family run
businesses and they are simply not equipped to quickly cater to any
last minute meal or dining changes.
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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