Japanese Ryokan Japan

Staying at a Japanese Ryokan

The kaiseki dinner at a good ryokan takes two hours. Not because it needs to – the courses aren’t large – but because the pace is the point. Somewhere between the sashimi and the simmered dish, most Western guests stop expecting the next course to arrive quickly and start paying attention to what’s in front of them. This adjustment, from the speed of ordinary travel to the rhythm of a ryokan, is what people mean when they say the experience is different from staying at a hotel.

A ryokan is a specific form of Japanese inn: tatami floors, futon bedding laid out while you’re at dinner, yukata (cotton robe) provided, and almost always an onsen attached. Staff wear traditional dress. The experience is ritualised and the etiquette is real rather than decorative. Most ryokan used to foreign guests will walk you through what you need to know; arriving with basic knowledge makes the experience more comfortable for everyone.

Where to Find Ryokan

Hakone is the most accessible quality ryokan area from Tokyo, about 85 minutes by Romance Car limited express from Shinjuku. The draws are the onsen water quality and, weather permitting, views of Fuji from better rooms and outdoor baths. Prices range from around JPY 20,000 per person per night including two meals at the lower end, to well over JPY 100,000 at properties like Gora Kadan. Mid-range places like Tenseien or Yama no Chaya are solid and more accessible financially.

Kyoto has ryokan in the Gion and Higashiyama districts that let you walk to temples in the morning in your yukata. These are generally pricier than regional options for the same quality, but the combination of historic neighbourhood and traditional accommodation is hard to replicate. Hiiragiya is one of the oldest and most respected. Gion Hatanaka offers exceptional kaiseki.

Kinosaki Onsen in Hyogo Prefecture, about 2.5 hours from Kyoto by limited express, is probably the best single introduction to ryokan culture in Japan. The town has seven public bathhouses (sotoyu) and guests receive a free onsen pass (yumepa) at check-in that gives access to all seven. The custom is to wander between them in yukata and wooden geta sandals through the town’s willow-lined canal streets. It is genuinely unpretentious in a way that some more famous destinations are not.

The Onsen

The communal bath etiquette is consistent across Japan. Wash thoroughly at the shower station before entering the bath, sit rather than stand at the shower, and put nothing in the water except yourself. The small towel provided is for use at the shower station and on your head while in the bath; keep it out of the water. Onsens have been phone-free spaces by custom long before hotels started enforcing the policy.

Tattoos remain prohibited at most traditional onsen, though the policy is shifting in 2026 toward tattoo-friendly designations or private bath options. If you have visible tattoos, check before booking rather than assuming.

The Food

A typical ryokan dinner has 10 to 12 courses: sashimi, a soup, simmered dishes, a grilled fish or meat course, rice, pickles, and dessert. Everything is seasonal and usually locally sourced. Breakfast the next morning is equally involved: grilled fish, rice, miso soup, pickles, tofu, and several small dishes. It is a different relationship with food from what most international travel offers, which is either the point or an inconvenience depending on your appetite for ceremony.

Booking

Book directly with the ryokan, or use Rakuten Travel or Jalan (Japanese platforms with English interfaces that often have better rates and more inventory than international booking platforms). For Kyoto during cherry blossom season (late March to mid-April) or November foliage season, book three to six months ahead. Some highly regarded properties have waiting lists.

Practical Notes

Check-in is typically 15:00 to 16:00, dinner at 18:00 to 19:00, and breakfast at 08:00. These are schedules, not approximate times. Solo travellers sometimes pay a supplement over the per-person room rate. Pack lightly: storage in a tatami room is minimal, and a large rolling suitcase genuinely does not fit the context.