What Is A Ryokan?
A ryokan is a traditional-style Japanese Inn or guest house. They can vary greatly in look and feel, and range from the most basic accommodations to completely luxurious. Picture old wooden buildings, paper walls, sliding doors, tatami mats, ornate furnishings and Japanese gardens; there really is no better way to experience the essence of Omotenashi – Japanese hospitality.
We stayed in several ryokens when we travelling across Japan, they were all exceptional and had a homely feel to them.
Staying at a ryokan is as much about the experience as it is the accommodation, and many will include local Japanese meals for breakfast and dinner.
Dinner is usually Kaiseki, which is a traditional multi-course dinner featuring a variety of delicious dishes, each one carefully prepared with precision.
Ryokan Etiquette
- It is customary in Japan to remove your shoes in the foyer area of a ryokan and replace them with the provided slippers.
- It is important to remove your slippers and leave them just inside the door to your room upon entering as they can damage the tatami mats (flooring).
- Many ryokans will have a communal area where guests can relax and get to know each other.
- In your room you will find yukata (bathing robes). You are encouraged to wear these during your stay for comfort, and also when you intend to use the onsens or public baths.
- It is normal to wear a yukata outside when you are in an onsen town. However it is important to wrap them correctly as wrapping them incorrectly can represent death.
- The correct way to wrap a kimono or yukata is to wrap the left side over the right. The opposite way is only used for dressing the dead, for burial.
Arriving At Yamakyu Ryokan In Takayama
Arriving at our ryokan we were greeted by a small lady with a pleasant smile, and asked to stand outside the building whilst the lady took our picture. We didn’t know why at the time but upon checking out we were handed a photograph of us stood together outside the ryokan. A nice touch at the end of our stay!
At check-in we were given a very comfortable pair of slippers and shown around the building before being politely escorted to our room.
Sliding open the paper doors to our room we were greeted with a pot of fresh green tea and some red-bean cakes. The cakes were shaped in the form of a sarubobo – a red doll amulet, which are unique to the area and said to bring good luck and fortune. Delicious!
Inside The Ryokan
As we made our way around the inside of the ryokan, I could only describe it as what I imagine a Japanese grandparents house would look like! The old wooden-framed hallways were lined with antique style furnishings and Japanese art adorned the walls. There were places for guests to relax, a communal area, and a small but beautiful Japanese garden in the central courtyard of the ryokan.
Onsens
Onsens are hot-spring baths that contain a certain level of minerals, and many of these are above 42 Celsius.
Most ryokans are built around onsen towns or in the vicinity of onsens, but if they aren’t they usually have some sort of public bathing area.
There’s a whole etiquette of how to use these onsens properly and Japan onsen culture goes way deeper than just soaking in some hot water, even on a spiritual level!
The Yamakyu Ryokan has two separate bathing areas, one for men and one for women and these are usually rotated on a daily basis. The spa opening times are 5:30 am till 9:00 am and 5:30 pm till 9:00 pm.
Some things you should know
- Men and women bathe separately
- No clothing is to be worn whilst bathing
- You should shower first before bathing
- Tattoos are generally frowned upon because of there association with the Yakuza, and as such are not allowed in most public baths or onsens.
The Surroundings
Takayama is a small but beautiful town that’s full of history and culture, and the Yamakyu ryokan is a great place to stay for exploring the main town as well as the surrounding areas. It’s also nice to be able to retreat back away from the crowded streets to the quieter location, and homely feel of the ryoken.
Yamakyu Ryokan is conveniently positioned along the Higashiyama temple streets, a popular historical walking route around Takayama, and surrounded by dozens of shrines and temples.
The main tourist areas of Takayama are only a short ten minute walk away from the ryokan, but these can get a little crowded during the day, so if you are staying here we recommend visiting these areas early morning. Once you have visited the main tourist sites you can retreat back to the comfort of this little ryokan and take in the natural beauty of the surround areas, or enjoy exploring the Teramachi Temples just a stones throw away.
Dinner At Yamakyu Ryokan
We made our way down to dinner around 6:00 pm and were the first ones in there, but we couldn’t hold off our appetite any longer! Dinner was served in the form of Kaiseki – traditional Japanese multi-cuisine. We had some local sake and enjoyed miso soup, rice, noodles, various tempura, sushi, sashimi, sukiyaki and pickles, It was all delicious! We finished off the meal with small desert and a pot of green tea at the end.
Breakfast At Yamakyu Ryokan
As morning arrived a traditional breakfast was freshly prepared and brought out to our table. It consisted of soup, rice, salad, pickles, some fish, hoba miso, fresh eggs, bacon, a pastry and yogurt. This was served with some fresh coffee and tea.
The Cost Of Staying In A Traditional Ryokan
Ryokans generally aren’t cheap and costs can range anywhere from $120 per night all the way up to $600 per night.
In our opinion staying in a ryokan is an essential part of any trip to Japan and if you’re visiting Takayama we would recommend staying at least one night In Yamakyu Ryokan. The cost of our stay was $190 for two people for one night but this included breakfast and dinner, all in all not a bad price considering what you get.
