Episode 10 Japanese Inns (Japanese Podcast)

My Japanese Podcas Hello Welcome to my Japanese podcast This is Mai How are you all doing I'm doing great It's today and Korea experienced its first snowfall of the year—this year's initial snow Snowfall on the first day always makes my heart race no matter how many times I see it I grew up in a place where it doesn’t snow much so I still get thrilled—wow it’s snowing —whenever I see it Just a short while ago the autumn foliage was so beautiful— I was thinking wow it's really autumn now the leaves are stunning It's become thoroughly cold now winter has officially begun and I imagine some of you are living in places where it's especially chilly Please be sure to take good care of yourselves and stay healthy avoiding colds and the like Yes then today's podcast will be about I'd like to talk about Japanese inns Yes I think some people are considering a trip to Japan this winter so this could be helpful for those travelers too I think you'll find the story quite helpful so I'd truly appreciate it if you'd listen to the end Yes it's a ryokan you know Though I imagine quite a few of you are already familiar with it A ryokan is a traditional Japanese lodging establishment such as a wooden inn or one built with wood featuring tami mats and futons And then there's accommodations like traditional Japanese inns embodying the essence of Japan itself In fact last December I temporarily returned to Japan At that time my husband and I went on a trip together to Kanazawa City in Ishikawa Prefecture I went to Yagata Onsen located in Kanazawa and stayed at a ryokan there Yes the Yumegata hot spring area is about 50 minutes roughly an hour by bus from Kanazawa Station So there are already plenty of inns you know yes and it was truly a wonderful spot in a very quiet place The inn was wonderfully charming and the room was incredibly serene and atmospheric with a truly cozy and inviting ambiance The room had an outdoor hot spring bath it was absolutely amazing That outdoor hot spring refers to an open-air bath located outside so it was like this You can soak in the hot spring while gazing at the scenery outside or up at the sky and that time was in December when I went during Christmas so it was snowing So I could see snow falling from the open-air bath and soaking in the bath while watching the snow—it was absolutely perfect Then there's also a large communal bathhouse A large bathhouse refers to an indoor bath used by everyone together so it includes showers and the like there as well So there you wash your hair with shampoo clean your body and then get into the bath that kind of thing Yes and my husband and I we I absolutely love taking baths and soaking in this hot water which is why I also love the outdoor bathtub in my room We've been to the big bathhouse together as a couple so many times already And another thing that struck me as really interesting was that this was my husband's first time staying at a ryokan and during the time were heading to the large communal bath one of the staff members The staff came into our room and laid down two futons for us And when we returned from the large bathhouse our room was already clean the futons neatly laid out in perfect order That moment when you saw that scene your husband just stood there stunned—Wait really You actually laid out the futon for me There's service like this too I was absolutely amazed And since I've been using inns since I was a child having staff come into the room to lay out the futons is something I've always been familiar with I used to take it for granted so seeing my husband react with surprise I thought ah right— well in a hotel such services aren't really available after all since it's basically just a bed Ah I see—this was quite a surprising twist I thought Yeah it was really fascinating And the inn was overall of very high quality an excellent place to stay but what I particularly loved was The high quality of the food and being able to enjoy it in the room—this varies by inn but I’d say most inns serve meals in a dedicated dining area When it's time to eat we go to the designated dining area and eat there so it's a spacious place Other guests also go there to eat and there are even inns where the dining areas are private rooms—there seem to be quite a few of those This inn was special because were able to eat in the room enjoying our conversation and savoring the meal together Otherwise were able to eat our meal at our own pace which was truly wonderful I absolutely love eating in my room have you ever stayed at a Japanese ryokan Are you team hotel or team ryokan This preference of mine is A phrase used when asking someone which they prefer for example instead of saying "Do you like dogs " or "Do you like cats " you would ask "Are you a dog person or a cat person I guess it's because I'm Japanese after all but I'm really partial to ryokans my main reason is of course the hot springs What's more Japan is a place where you can truly feel the changing seasons—spring summer autumn and winter—so even if you visit the same ryokan the experience will be different depending on the season You can truly enjoy a completely different atmosphere yes it's being able to rest quietly and take things easy When you're living your everyday life there are days when you're incredibly busy or days when you're constantly rushing to keep up with time right But when you go to a ryokan I wonder what it is you can lose track of time and just relax so you might take a nap on the tami floor or soak in the hot spring Being truly relaxed taking it slow and easy enjoying unhurried moments like this—there's something special about experiencing something out of the ordinary and then there's the food of course Hotel meals usually feature dishes made with seasonal ingredients so you'll often find fresh seasonal vegetables and premium Wagyu beef Wagyu comes in various types depending on the region so enjoying the delicious meat from each area is really important to me And basically when I stay at a ryokan I go for the plan that includes overnight accommodation and two meals This "overnight and two meals" option is That's right—the plan includes dinner on the day of arrival and breakfast the following morning Honestly dinner is obviously something I look forward to but breakfast the next morning is something I'm equally excited about Normally I don't eat much for breakfast but when I go to a ryokan I end up devouring huge amounts from the very start of the day Yes that's right so I really love breakfast too especially since there are so many delicious inns yes and by the way Actually there's also a plan that doesn't include either dinner or breakfast and such plans are called "room-only" packages That's what we refer to as a room-only plan Just a simple plan: stay at a ryokan soak in the hot springs and head back the next day Honestly though it's really the hospitality of the ryokan staff that makes it special This type of inn truly offers many thoughtful and warm services which I think is one of the charms of inns and based on the service I personally experienced I was truly moved once actually— it was during a trip I took with my mother We went to Izu in Shizuoka Prefecture A few days before were set to visit the inn there was heavy rain in Izu so when we arrived at the inn a few days later the room we had booked was You reserved a room with a view of the river from the window—beautiful scenery right Then when I arrived at the inn and said " Excuse me I'd like to check in " the staff member replied "We're terribly sorry but a heavy rain occurred a few days prior " Because of the rainfall they said the river overflowed as a result And this overflow— When we say "that kind of thing " we mean when heavy rain causes rivers to overflow so it's due to this rain the heavy downpour that the river has overflowed That must be it—someone from the staff said the view from the window wasn't good but at the time were just thinking well you know that It's just a weather issue so there was nothing we could do but both my mom and I felt completely fine about it so we even told the staff "Oh it's really no problem at all " Then that staff member Truly I hope you're looking forward to the view from that window this time around and for that reason I sincerely apologize—so as a gesture of apology this time They said they’ve prepared a room one level higher for you didn’t they When you talk about a room that's one step up the price tends to jump significantly Yes yet despite the fact that the view wasn’t good because the river had flooded they still provided us with a free room upgrade to a higher-class room And when we heard that my mom and I were both shocked—unexpectedly we ended up saying "Oh we're sorry " but the staff member said No no not at all I'm truly sorry so please relax and unwind in your room I thought you'd be comfortable so you were told to take your time and relax and that's why the room you were given wasn't the one overlooking the river but the one with a view of the mountains That was the room you know— and not only that I was actually apologized to I'm sorry but it has a view of the mountains Just how kind can someone possibly be We were so touched my mom and I kept saying "No no really thank you so much " and then they kindly showed us to a room one level up And when we entered that room it was of course much larger than the one we had booked and the room we had reserved ourselves— The room didn't come with an outdoor bath but it was upgraded to the next level The room even had an outdoor bath and just seeing it instantly raised my spirits— definitely the best thing ever And I truly thanked the staff members expressing my gratitude many times of course I also thoroughly enjoyed the open-air bath And truly that ryokan was perfect in every way—service was flawless the atmosphere of the room was wonderful and the food was absolutely delicious It was such a perfect ryokan that we couldn't find a single flaw and honestly my mom and I still talk about it occasionally to this day We were just saying how we really want to stay at that inn again so we definitely have to go back next time Those are truly unforgettable wonderful memories That's the charm of this inn but in fact inns come in all sorts of styles For example luxury inns As its name suggests it's a luxurious ryokan— slightly pricey but yes the cost is indeed high It's a ryokan with high service and dining standards spacious rooms and a truly special atmosphere When you think of a high-end ryokan a well-known name is Hoshinoya This ryokan is operated by the Hoshino Resorts group It's truly a wonderful inn but it's quite expensive I've never been there yet but I have a dream of visiting at least once someday and I also have a wish to stay at a traditional hot spring inn This is a ryokan dedicated to enjoying hot springs and Japan is home to numerous hot spring destinations across the country each with its own famous hot spring resorts There are so many hot spring inns aren't there If we're talking about famous hot spring destinations what places come to mind Right off the top of my head places like Hakone Hakone Onsen and Kusatsu Onsen for example And then there's places like Pippu Onsen for example—there are truly countless hot spring inns so if you'd like to enjoy the hot springs definitely go there the hot spring inns are really great There are also established inns with long histories meaning they've been operating continuously since ancient times thus possessing considerable historical depth It's a ryokan that's been around for a very long time and you know genuine old-established inns just have a different kind of charm in their buildings Yes you can really feel the rich history and tradition emanating from the buildings themselves Then there are also some modern Japanese-style inns this "wamodan" style being a blend of traditional and contemporary elements It's a ryokan with a traditional Japanese style but also a touch of Western design creating a blend of Japanese and Western elements and there are already quite a few stylish ryokans out there Yes the traditional Japanese inn with a modern touch is really great—absolutely excellent Incidentally when you visit inns in rural areas the nearby shops often only accept cash Since such situations occur fairly often it's probably best to be cautious therefore I recommend always carrying cash when traveling to Japan Also there are a few etiquette rules to keep in mind when staying at a ryokan so I’d like to share those with you as well When entering a guest room at a ryokan you must always take off your shoes first In places like that hotel you can often go in wearing your shoes but inns since they mostly have tami rooms you must always take off your shoes right away when you enter Be careful when going up so please take note of this too Yes and when entering the large open-air bath and other bathing areas It's considered proper etiquette to rinse off briefly before getting into the bath Yes and besides that I think you're bringing a towel and hand towel too but you shouldn't put the towel into the hot spring Yes so please don't put the towel in the hot water—I always keep mine out of the large bath When I go I bring a hand towel and place it on top of my head We're going to bathe in that hot spring Yes There's one more thing about how to wear the yukata When you go to the inn a yukata is usually laid out in your room Or perhaps the staff will personally hand out yukata so during my stay at that inn I’ll wear a yukata I think people tend to wear it often but when putting on a yukata you first drape it over your shoulders like this and once you've draped it turn the right side down first Then bring the left side up and finally tie it with a sash to complete it Here is this You have to wear it so the left side is always on top if you wear it the other way around with the left side down and the right side up that would be wrong This way of wearing it is absolutely unacceptable in Japan so please be careful—always make sure the left side is on top Yes Yes today we talked about Japanese inns—how was that If anyone here has stayed at a ryokan during a trip to Japan please share your experience We’d love to hear your thoughts on your stay at a Japanese ryokan in the comments below— and if you haven’t experienced one yet be sure to try staying at a ryokan at least once Yes and this Sunday December 7th is the JLPT exam So for those of you listening to this podcast I think many people here are preparing to take that JLPT exam so even though the test date is just around the corner don't give up before the very end And please do your best on the exam day—we're all rooting for you Yes thank you so much for listening until the very end today See you next time on the podcast bye for now