Rather than spending your vacation in Japan in a hotel, why not try a Ryokan? But it is proven to be more challenging to a book a Ryokan than a hotel. Like hotels, there are cheap and expensive ryokan. It is a broad category for lodging which is loosely translated to a traditional inn. You can find ryokans who did not have any foreign guests since the year 1962 while others are exclusively serving for foreign tourists. You can find both rustic and modern ryokans and also quiet ones and the places worth to bring down the party.
But ryokans may not be for every tourists. You might want to consider other kind of lodging after you have read a few things below.
- Staying in a ryokan is already an attraction in itself. They traditionally run on tight schedules. Expect your breakfast early and your dinner as well. Most of the residents of Japan book ryokans simply to spend their entire day there. They can go out for leisure but do not plan to have a busy schedule. One of the things that really makes ryokan lovely is that you can relax and the place itself is quaint. Their breakfast and dinner are stylishly elaborated in which you can consume them to your heart's content. For most guests, they spend the rest of their time either relaxing or drinking beer inside their rooms.
- The most attractive part of being in a ryokan is their elaborated meals and this comes with a price, depending on which ryokan you have booked into. Their meals are called kaiseki meals that costs between 15,000 and 40,000 yen per person (roughly around $150 - $400).
- There are ryokans that have private shower and bath while others do not. In some bathtubs are present too. In ryokans where private shower and bath are not offered, you will need to cleanse yourself first before dipping into the common bathing areas. The locals are used to public bath so this is not an issue to them.
- For pricey ryokans, you get to enjoy your own onsen. True it is really expensive but it is worth the experience. There are other ryokans that let you rent their private onsens on per hour basis.
- The charming point of ryokans is that it is located near historical buildings.
Most tourists are too fixated on ryokans located in busy routes. All of the ryokans in Japan have excellent quality and service.