When in Japan, be Japanese.
Well, if not all the time, at least for a day. This is what took us to Asamushi Onsen for a night at a Japanese Ryokan.
What is a Ryokan?
A Ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn that gives you dinner and breakfast, both meals being beautifully presented and colourful, with seasonal specialties on the menu. You can enjoy an onsen (hot bath), fed by natural hot springs. Warning, very specific guidelines are laid down for everything about your stay.
To start with, NO English – only sign language and a lot of smiles and bows. NO shoes, only sandals – outside sandals, room sandals, and even loo sandals, each pair to be used in the specified area. NO furniture in the room – no bed, no sofa, just a low table in the center of the room and perhaps two chairs in the balcony. Pristine white usually, and very comfortable yukatas or kimonos are provided for wearing indoors.
We wouldn’t miss the onsen, of course! Off with your clothes (no swim-suits, please ), wash under a shower, then step into the steaming bath. Shhh…… no talking, this is not a chatty place. The soak is definitely relaxing and fun too. Your face and head will sweat, and you get a small towel to wipe. No, you can’t keep it on the edge of the bath, it must be on your head, not touching anything except you. Just follow the rules (hope you have read them up) and it will be a great experience.
Dinner – Kaiseki Ryori – was served in the room! It started in a rather disappointing way. Two large, flat boxes arrived, accompanied by little bowls of rice and small lamps to heat them. Where was the food? – we wondered! Then with a flourish, and several bows, the kimono-clad gracious serving lady revealed the contents of the box – no less than 12 little bowls, arranged picturesquely, each containing a different coloured dish. We tried sign language to ask for a bottle of water. A pantomime followed. Evidently, water bottle is “not possible”- bathroom tap provides water! Of course, there were a lot of apologetic bows at this “failure” of service, and we didn’t know what to “say” except bow right back!!
Dinner was an adventure. We had no idea what the little bowls contained. We figured out that one is supposed to put a little bit of the contents of each bowl on to the bowl of rice, taste it, have some more if we liked it, and if not move on to the next bowl. Perhaps there is a particular method or order for the eating ritual, but never mind, we tasted bowl after bowl with gusto. One of us liked 8 out of 12, the other only 5, but overall there was more than enough to eat, and very tasty too.
Oh yes, the loo! It was a marvel in space management.
A small but deep bathtub shared a tap with the adjoining wash basin, and the multi-buttoned toilet was tucked in along the same wall. The whole bathroom was about 15 square feet in all. But there was a place for everything, and everything was in its place, and needless to say, squeaky clean!
Breakfast was served in the dining room. It was an elaborate ritual, too. We sat on the floor before a low table, with a little heating lamp. Multiple items arrived regularly and we ate very well.
Lots of bows, smiles and Japanese chatter when we left after 24 hours of being Japanese. An truly unique experience not to be missed!
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Thanks. Beautifully written with great pics. Felt like i was going through the whole experience. 😍
I love this description!!! Definitely will have to enjoy this experience when we go to Japan!
This sounds amazing although some of the rules are hilarious (especially keeping the towel on your head while you swim!) I love how it’s written – beautiful and totally immersive. Can’t wait to try it ourselves!
Wow, what an adventure! You two are certainly not afraid of trying something totally different. I loved it. Not sure I would be brave enough for the no-swimsuit onsen with my towel on my head. 🙂
I love ryokan but I think Kaiseki is not for me. It’s really fun to try once but after that, I’d much rather just pick 100% of the food I like. Yukata are so relaxing though!
I really enjoyed your description. I would love to experience the same if ever I got a chance. A very unique one.
What a wonderful experience this must have been, and relaxing once you go beyond all the coding and decoding details that are usually part of a very different culture. I really enjoyed reading! Thanks for sharing
I’ve always been interested in visiting a Ryokan in Japan. Such a unique and local experience. Thanks for sharing your experience–looks like you enjoyed yourselves.
Thank you, Wendy! Yes, it is indeed a unique experience. You should try it sometime.
Wow what a unique experience! The food looks amazing! And the no talking rule sounds really relaxing
What a great way to enjoy an authentic experience!
I am spending time in Japan in 2020 and want to have as many authentic experiences as possible, just added a ryokan visit to my list. Thank you for the review
I love Japan! I have not tried staying at a ryokan and experience onsen but it is one of my goals when I visit Japan again
It was lovely reading your adventure. I enjoyed the laughs here and there. Different cultures fascinate me and the Japanese one us certainly unique. Thank you for sharing this well written post.
Darina
http://daramiblog.com
I love the Japanese ryokan. For me, I love it when no English is spoken and you survive by sign language and charades. My American partner always goes into a panic lol. First time I stayed in a ryokan, I was concerned about where the bed was lol. Actually, the first time using an onsen is a bit weird too. Love Japanese food.
I would love to experience unique type of experience which is Asamushi Onsen for a night at a Japanese Ryokan. The onsen (hot bath), fed by natural hot springs looks interesting. This place looks perfect to witness all Japanese culture and traditions.
This is an experience I would really love to take one day. Japan has been on my list of places to visit for a while now and if I ever get there I will definitely try out something similar. It’s good to know that even though the beds were on the floor they were comfortable. No bad backs in the morning!
We are sorry we did not get to experience a Japanese Ryokan when we visited. We were in Tokyo first and then did a cruise for 10 days. I like the idea of being immersed in a local atmosphere. And am sure my hand signals would get me past “no English”. Bowls of unknown food would challenge me. But David would love it!