What's Ryokan?

Ryokan: A ryokan is a Japanese-style inn which incorporates a wide variety of facilities. In most cases, guests are served dinner on the day of their arrival and breakfast the following morning.
Rooms are usually Japanese-style, with straw tatami mats on the floor.
A ryokan is characterized by the high quality service that they offer and their diligence in maintaining an authentic Japanese atmosphere and Japanese style service.
Building: A ryokan is built in a traditional Japanese style and has an area at the entrance for visitors to leave their footwear.
The floor inside is slightly raised to create a clear distinction between the outer and inner areas.
Guest rooms: Guest rooms are designed in the traditional Japanese style, with tatami mats, Japanese style paintings, decorations and so on.
Guests sleep on futons (thin mattresses) which are laid out on the tatami at night, and stored in a closet during the day.
Onsen: A ryokan is usually located in hot spring resorts and has large outdoor baths called ROTENBURO.
There are separate rotenburos for men and women, although in some ryokans there are rotenburo which are open to both men and women.
They also have private baths for family and couples.
There are some well-established rules and guidelines to be observed when enjoying rotenburo, and it is highly recommended that you familiarize yourself with Japanese Bath Etiquette before sampling this quintessential part of Japanese culture.

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