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Japanese-style Hotel "Ryokan"
What's is a Ryokan? > Sleep on FUTON placed over the TATAMI Mats!
Japanese-style Hotel "Ryokan"
What is a Ryokan?
  Various Encounters with the Unknown  
  Difference between a Western-style hotel and a Japanese Ryokan  
  Feel Reluctant to bathe in the Presence of Others ? - Guestrooms with an Open-air Bath Available  
  Sleep on FUTON placed over the TATAMI Mats!  
How to choose a Ryokan
Okami, the Landlady
The Fee System & Prices  
Photo Gallery  
  Origins and History of the Japanese Ryokan (PDF)  
  The wonders of Japanese Architecture & the Japanese Garden (PDF)  
  An Invitation to the Profound Taste of Japanese Cuisine (PDF)  

Now You Stay in a Ryokan
Receiving Guests
Prelude to Relaxation  
To Your Guestroom  
Guestrooms of the Ryokan  
After Settled Down in Guestroom  
Japanese-style Garden  
Onsen, Hot Springs  
Open-air Hot Spring Bath  
Private Open-air Hot Spring Bath  
Yukata  
Dinner  
Massage & Esthetic Treatment  
Comfortable Slumber  
Breakfast  
Checking-out  
  How to use Chopsticks (PDF)  
  The four Seasons and the Seasonal Calendar of the Japanese Ryokan (PDF)  
  Glossary of Terms Related to the Japanese Ryokan (PDF)  
How to enjoy staying at a RYOKAN  
Ryokan Experience by Expatriates  

  What is Ryokan?

Sleep on FUTON placed over the TATAMI Mats!

In Japan, people sleep on mattresses and bedclothes called 'futon' placed over the tatami mats. The word 'futon' is also used as a general term for the entire set of bedding consisting of the 'kake-buton' (quilt) and the 'shiki-buton' (mattress), as well as blankets, hada-kake (thin and soft blankets used during hot weather) and pillows, and these are changed according to each season. Similar forms of the 'futon' used by the Japanese today can be found in the ukiyo-e paintings depicted in the Edo Period, but the materials used and the quality of the futon have been greatly improved over the years. At some ryokans, down-feather 'futon' are provided. There are, of course, some ryokans which offer guestrooms fitted out with Western-style beds, but we recommend you to sleep on the futon for a most comfortable and memorable experience.

Origins and History of the Japanese Ryokan (PDF: 0.9 MB)
'Futon' spread over the 'tatami' mats

Japanese-style bedding 'futon'

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