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.

After the dinner was cleared, the beds were made. Huge futons (mattresses) and pillows were extracted from the cupboards and laid out in precise symmetry on the “tatami” matted floor, with lovely soft quilts placed on top. The beds were very cosy and comfortable, and we slept well.

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!

A Ryokan in Japan
Kaiseki Ryori in Japanese Ryokan

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Leisurely Drives
Japanese Onsen
A Ryokan in Japan
Kaiseki Ryori in Japanese Ryokan
Kobe – The perfect base to explore Japan
Odaiba – Getaway from busy Tokyo
A Glimpse of Osaka – Japan
Mount Aso – Japan
Scenic Hokkaido – Japan’s North Island
A Day Trip to Shikoku – Japan
Kobe – The perfect base to explore Japan
Odaiba – Getaway from busy Tokyo
A Glimpse of Osaka – Japan
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