Japanese Rooms Japanese-style guest rooms are floored with tatami straw matting. Staying in a matted room at a ryokan is highly recommended if you have an interested in sampling the traditional Japanese lifestyle. A matted room serves multiple purposes as a sitting room, dining room and bedroom. One precaution for using tatami rooms is removing your slippers before you step on the matting.Shoes and slippers are never worn inside tatami rooms.
Futon Bedding Tatami rooms do not have beds. Instead, futons (thick mattresses), which are stored in closets during the daytime, are set down and rolled out by the ryokan employee. You don't have to worry about cleaning up the futon the next morning. The maid will put it back in the closet for you.
Japanese-style Toilet A Japanese-style toilet has a sanitary advantage because your skin doesn't touch the surface of the toilet. most hotels and ryokans are now equipped with the more familiar Western-style toilet. It will be to your benefit to know how to use a Japanese-style toilet, in case that you encounter one -- Do not sit on the toilet, but squat over it, facing the hooded end. In ryokan and most Japanese homes, special slippers for use only in the restroom are provided.
Taking a Bath The Japanese people are fond of bathing in piping hot water. Large ryokans and hot spring resorts have big communal baths for men and women. Even though guests may have private baths in their rooms,they tend to use the communal baths to enjoy bathing and chatting with other guests. Bathing Etiquette *First, rinse your whole body with some hot water before getting in the bathtub. Please remember that the hot water is used by other guests, so do not put your hand towel in the bath water. *Soak in the hot water as long as you like for warmth and relaxation. *Scrub with soap outside the bath,then rinse off all soapsuds before reentering the bath. *Enjoy another good soak in the hot water. *After bathing,dry off with a hand towel or other towel provided.
Dining When you stay in a ryokan (inn) that provides two meals, depending on the inn you choose to stay with, you may have the choice of dining either in your room (room service) or in the general dining room. Inns tend to only have preset menus available, leaving virtually no room to choose what you would like to eat.However,some inns may comply with special requests if you order well in advance for religious or vegetarian reasons. In general, dinners at inns feature Japanese dishes based on local specialties, or dishes made with local seasonal produce. It's a great opportunity for guests to savor a full-course Japanese meal.
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