Differences between Ryokan and Hotel
If you were a foreigner who travels Japan, you may be puzzled which to stay hotel or ryokan, because both have attractions which are really different.
First of all, the greatest difference between hotel and ryokan is the fee system with the ryokan charging for one night’s stay with two meals. The two meals are the evening meal on the day of your arrival, and breakfast served the following morning. At the majority of ryokans, these meals are served in the guest room. However, at some ryokans, the meals are taken in a large dining room or private room specially for the purpose. As for hotel, meals are special rates. You can choose time and restaurants as you like. Besides hotel especially in western, guests often hand tip to the staff as gratitude, which is not normal at ryokan.
Secondly, constructions and features of rooms are really contrastive. For example, while you have to take off your shoes in ryokan, you need not to do that in hotel. At ryokan, you stay at room with Tatami flooring, changing into a typical Yukata after taking an Onsen hot-spring bath, sleeping on a Futon put down directly on the Tatami floor. At a hotel, however, you relax in a large bed, viewing beautiful night scene, and you can take your own bath whenever you like. What is more, interestingly, the staffs of ryokan are always women including Okami, the representative of Ryokan, but the main staffs of hotel are always men. The reason is that the rooms of hotel are really private, so staffs rarely come in to the guest’s room. However, at ryokan, staffs have many jobs like greeting, binging food, spreading out the futon and so on, so lots of considerations like mother are needed.
Finally, how about people? Of course most foreigners who visit Japan first time long to stay at ryokan to feel Japanese culture more. In Japan however, surprisingly, sixty five-percent of people under forty tend to choose ryokan and seventy-percent of people over forty tend to choose hotel according to the statistics. I was really amazed because I thought it would be opposite. It represents that ryokan is popular among families having little children because staffs are really kind to them and parents can lie by the side of their babies. While hotel is popular among business persons or the old couples because they can spend their time as they like. You can swim in a pool, drink in a bar….. whatever.
Considering these aspects, it can be said that both hotel and ryokan represent custom of culture. I think that hotel considers the practicability which is peculiar to the western culture, and ryokan emphasize the hospitability which is peculiar to the Japanese culture. However, both have the element of “relaxation” no matter which kind of place you stay. What’s more, nowadays, there is fusion of hotel and ryokan, like hotel which has unique Onsens. Therefore, you can enjoy your relaxation in various ways.
If you were a foreigner who travels Japan, you may be puzzled which to stay hotel or ryokan, because both have attractions which are really different.
First of all, the greatest difference between hotel and ryokan is the fee system with the ryokan charging for one night’s stay with two meals. The two meals are the evening meal on the day of your arrival, and breakfast served the following morning. At the majority of ryokans, these meals are served in the guest room. However, at some ryokans, the meals are taken in a large dining room or private room specially for the purpose. As for hotel, meals are special rates. You can choose time and restaurants as you like. Besides hotel especially in western, guests often hand tip to the staff as gratitude, which is not normal at ryokan.
Secondly, constructions and features of rooms are really contrastive. For example, while you have to take off your shoes in ryokan, you need not to do that in hotel. At ryokan, you stay at room with Tatami flooring, changing into a typical Yukata after taking an Onsen hot-spring bath, sleeping on a Futon put down directly on the Tatami floor. At a hotel, however, you relax in a large bed, viewing beautiful night scene, and you can take your own bath whenever you like. What is more, interestingly, the staffs of ryokan are always women including Okami, the representative of Ryokan, but the main staffs of hotel are always men. The reason is that the rooms of hotel are really private, so staffs rarely come in to the guest’s room. However, at ryokan, staffs have many jobs like greeting, binging food, spreading out the futon and so on, so lots of considerations like mother are needed.
Finally, how about people? Of course most foreigners who visit Japan first time long to stay at ryokan to feel Japanese culture more. In Japan however, surprisingly, sixty five-percent of people under forty tend to choose ryokan and seventy-percent of people over forty tend to choose hotel according to the statistics. I was really amazed because I thought it would be opposite. It represents that ryokan is popular among families having little children because staffs are really kind to them and parents can lie by the side of their babies. While hotel is popular among business persons or the old couples because they can spend their time as they like. You can swim in a pool, drink in a bar….. whatever.
Considering these aspects, it can be said that both hotel and ryokan represent custom of culture. I think that hotel considers the practicability which is peculiar to the western culture, and ryokan emphasize the hospitability which is peculiar to the Japanese culture. However, both have the element of “relaxation” no matter which kind of place you stay. What’s more, nowadays, there is fusion of hotel and ryokan, like hotel which has unique Onsens. Therefore, you can enjoy your relaxation in various ways.
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