A ryokan (旅館) is a type of traditional Japanese inn dating from the Edo Era (1603–1868), when they served travellers along Japan's highways. They typically feature tatami rooms, a communal bath, and other shared areas where visitors can wear yukata and talk with the owner. Inns are establishments where travellers can procure food, drink, and lodging. ... History of Japan Paleolithic Jomon Yayoi Yamato period ---Kofun period ---Asuka period Nara period Heian period Kamakura period Muromachi period Azuchi-Momoyama period ---Nanban period Edo period Meiji period Taisho period Showa period ---Japanese expansionism ---Occupied Japan ---Post-Occupation Japan Heisei The Edo period (江戸時代) is a... King James I of England/VII of Scotland, the first monarch to rule the Kingdoms of England and Scotland at the same time Events March - Samuel de Champlain, French explorer, sails to Canada March 24 - Elizabeth I of England dies and is succeeded by her cousin King James I of... 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Tatami mats (畳) (originally meant folded and piled) are a traditional Japanese flooring. ... Young woman in yukata in Kyoto, Japan CGI image of yukata-clad woman Yukata (Japanese: æµ´è¡£) is a Japanese summer garment. ...

Ryokan are difficult to find in large cities such as Tokyo because many of them are expensive compared to Western-style hotels, and the Japanese increasingly incline toward Western-style hotels for urban tourism. There are a few in Tokyo and other major cities that have very reasonable prices, with some charging around $40.00. However, most ryokan are located in scenic areas, often in the mountains. In this way they are similar to bed-and-breakfasts. Tokyo , literally Eastern capital)   is the capital of Japan. ... The 4-star Manor House Hotel at Castle Combe, Wiltshire, England. ... Tourists of various nationalities chatting over breakfast at a B&B in Quebec City. ...

Features

A room in the Matsukaze Ryokan in Matsumoto.

A typical ryokan might feature a relatively large entrance hall, with couches and chairs where guests can sit and talk; modernized ryokan would probably have a television in the hall as well. A room in a ryokan is constructed using traditional Japanese materials; flooring is tatami, and doors are sliding rice-paper (washi) doors. Even if a ryokan uses Western-style doors for security, they usually open into a small entranceway where guests can take off their shoes before stepping onto the tatami floor, which would be separated by a sliding door. A room in a ryokan might also feature a porch or balcony, also set off with a sliding door. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1200x1792, 297 KB) The Matsukaze Ryokan in Matsumoto, Japan is really more of a minshuku in terms of services provided, but is spacious, low cost, and run by a sweet family. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1200x1792, 297 KB) The Matsukaze Ryokan in Matsumoto, Japan is really more of a minshuku in terms of services provided, but is spacious, low cost, and run by a sweet family. ... Matsumoto (松本, base of the pine tree) is the 16th most common Japanese surname and the name of a city (Matsumoto-shi) in Nagano Prefecture. ... Tatami mats (畳) (originally meant folded and piled) are a traditional Japanese flooring. ... The Sugiharagami (杉原紙), a kind of Washi Washi (和紙) or Wagami is a type of paper made in Japan. ... A porch is an architectural feature relating to a floor-like platform structure attached to the front or back entrance of a residence. ... A balcony comprising a balustrade supported at either end by plinths. ...

A ryokan will usually also feature a common bathing area, often using hot spring water if in an onsen area. (High-end ryokan may also provide private bathing facilities.) Typically a ryokan will also provide guests with yukata to wear; it might have games such as table tennis, and ryokan in scenic locations might have geta visitors can borrow to walk outside. Outdoor pool, Naruko Outdoor Onsen on Nakanoshima island in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture Old onsen in Hakone An private outdoor rotenburo in Gorakadan Guidebook to Hakone from 1811 This rotenburo at Jigokudani Onsen is for Japanese Macaques. ... Young woman in yukata in Kyoto, Japan CGI image of yukata-clad woman Yukata (Japanese: æµ´è¡£) is a Japanese summer garment. ... Jan-Ove Waldner at the 2004 Olympics Table tennis (also known affectionately as Ping Pong) is a sport where two or four players hit a ball back and forth to each other. ... Geta (下駄) is a pair of Japanese raised wooden clogs worn with traditional Japanese garments, such as the kimono. ...

Sleeping arrangements are a futon on the tatami floor. When a guest first enters their room, there is usually a table, and frequently some supplies for making tea. While the guests are out, staff (usually called "Nakai" in Japan) will come and move the table aside, and set out futon. A futon in Japan A futon in the U.S. A futon ) is a type of mattress that makes up a Japanese bed. ... Tea leaves in a Chinese gaiwan. ...

Many ryokan offer dinner and breakfast as optional meals. Typically the meals available consist mostly of Japanese foods, although ryokan which are likely to serve Westerners may have a selection of Western dishes.

Minshuku

Minshuku (民宿) are the budget version of ryokan, roughly equivalent to the British boarding house. The facilities may be consist simply of spare rooms in a family home, and minshuku often serve as the only type of accommodation in towns or villages too small to warrant a dedicated hotel or ryokan. The overall experience is much the same, but the food is simpler, dining is communal at dinner, bathrooms are shared and guests are expected to lay out their own futon. Boarding House is a privately owned house,in which individuals or families on vaccation, holidays, deputition,transfered on temporary duties, on some particular training,short&mediun tenure visitors,working professionals & lodgers,rent one or more rooms sets for one or more nights,sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and...

External links

• Japan Ryokan Association
• Ryokan reservations through the International Tourism Center of Japan