Spotlight Japan
Japan's Onsen Ryokan Experience
The Japanese have a tried and true method for dealing with stress: After a healing soak in a steamy mineral bath, they don a soft cotton robe, sit back, and enjoy a superb repast laid out in their own private room. This is the inimitable onsen ryokan experience.
Visiting an onsen (hot springs) ryokan is one of this country's most enduring trends—it first became fashionable during the Heian Period (794-1185)—and is one of contemporary Japan's most popular holiday activities.
Inns known as ryokan have long been part of the Japanese culture, and began to truly flourish during the mid-Edo era (the eighteenth century) when tourism began to shift from a strictly upper-class pastime to be embraced by the common people. Ryokan—some simply homes with some extra room—accommodated samurai, traders and others as they traveled between Edo and local towns. Others were actual inns with a few luxuries—and wonderful cuisine.
Today, the term ryokan comprises a vast range of accommodations, with and without hot springs, that vary from very basic, no-frills lodgings to modern, comfortable inns. Rates are per person rather than per room and generally include supper and breakfast. Tour groups favor large, hotel-style ryokan that feature both Japanese- and Western-style rooms, huge party rooms and enormous public baths.
Onsen ryokan have their own onsen, whose mineral-rich waters claim to alleviate skin conditions, rheumatics, neuralgia and the like. Some onsen ryokan have been in existence for over 200 years; a special few have even been registered as prized Cultural Properties of Japan.
Traditional ryokan take pride in pampering their guests with the ultimate in classic Japanese hospitality: they are a flawless blend of long history and traditional atmosphere—with many modern conveniences. Japanese-style rooms and baths are comfortable, and delicious multi-course meals are served.
These ryokan usually retain the custom of kimono-clad staff who greet guests and escort them to their rooms. Fusuma doors open onto a tatami mat room furnished with low wooden tables, cushions for seating, and a closet where futon sleeping quilts are stored. There is usually a window-side relaxation space with comfortable chairs and a small table. In the tokonoma, an alcove built into the wall, decorative scrolls and flowers are displayed. Guests are immediately treated to tea and then left to their own devices . . . which usually involve a soak in a hot spring bath.
A typical visit starts with a soothing bath before dinner. And what a dinner it is! Ryokan meals are typically Japan's haute-cuisine: many small courses, gracefully served—and sometimes prepared—right in the guest's room. Local seasonal specialties are artfully arranged on special ceramic plates and lacquer ware, surrounded by seasonal touches such as spring cherry blossoms or autumn leaves. Sometimes up to a dozen courses are presented, including bite-sized appetizers, sashimi, grilled fish, small individual hot pots, miso soup, rice and dessert. The diminutive servings are designed to delight the eye, yet showcase the foods' natural flavors.
Ryokan menus vary both regionally and seasonally: a far-northern ryokan might heat up a hearty crab hot-pot for guests in winter; in the mountains north of Tokyo, fresh spring mountain greens may accompany freshwater fish, grilled over a tiny hibachi before the eyes. In western Japan, Kyoto's ryokan kaiseki is often more mannered and formal in presentation and preparation, with subtleties of taste that surpass definition. At Japan's ryokan, no appetite goes unsatisfied: this unique and tranquil dining experience can enchant the most jaded gourmet.
Finally, after the last dish is cleared away, it's time for yet another soak in the onsen while the futons are laid out. And then, who knows? Maybe another dip before breakfast . . .
