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Where to stayBy MotoUpdated

How to stay at a ryokan: check-in, meals, baths, booking

What a ryokan stay includes, from check-in and yukata to dinner times, baths and futons, how per-person pricing works, and where to book directly.

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Every figure is checked against the sources listed below. See sources

Two-storey wooden exterior of a traditional ryokan in Takayama with lattice windows and lanterns
大野 一将 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

A ryokan is a Japanese inn with tatami rooms, futon bedding and yukata robes, and the price usually includes dinner and breakfast. One or two nights fit most trips. You need it only if you want that traditional stay; skip it if you will arrive late in the evening, need a flexible dinner time, or have dietary needs the inn cannot confirm in advance.

Key facts

  • Time: one night. Check-in usually starts at 15:00 or 16:00.[3],[4]
  • Cost: priced per person, not per room, in most ryokan.[1],[2]
  • Usually included: dinner and breakfast.[1],[2]
  • Have ready: your arrival time and any dietary needs.
  • Where: direct with the inn, through the Japan Ryokan & Hotel Association member search, or on a booking site.[12]

Before you book

  • Number of guests and the age of each child
  • Meal plan: dinner and breakfast, breakfast only, or room only
  • Your arrival time compared with the dinner time
  • A private bath, if you have tattoos or are travelling as a family
  • Allergies or dietary restrictions, sent in advance
  • The cancellation policy
  • Whether you need a bed rather than a futon

How does a ryokan stay work, step by step?

Empty ryokan guest room with green tatami mats, a low wooden table with legless chairs and shoji screens at the window
Tatami guest room with a low table and shoji screens in a ryokan Akonnchiroll · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

  1. Book and tell the inn your arrival timeWhen booking

    Choose the meal plan when you book, because meals are reserved with the room.[7],[3] Check the cancellation terms: fees rise as the date approaches, and a no-show typically pays 100% of the fee.[1],[2]

  2. Arrive and check inFrom 15:00 or 16:00

    Take off your shoes at the entrance, put on the slippers provided, and leave the slippers at the edge of the tatami.[10],[11] Staff usually ask at check-in what time you want dinner and breakfast.[7],[3]

  3. Change into the yukata

    The yukata is the cotton, kimono-like robe the inn provides for guests. Some inns allow it outside and some do not, so ask the front desk.[10],[11]

  4. Bathe before dinner

    The communal bath typically needs no reservation. A private bath reserved for a set time is booked with staff when you arrive.[8],[9] For washing before you enter and other bath rules, see the onsen etiquette guide.

  5. Dinner at the time you chose

    Dinner is served within a set time period. If you miss it, you may not receive the meal.[7],[3]

  6. Sleep on a futon

    Bedding is a futon on the tatami floor.[10],[11] If you need a bed, ask the inn before you book.

  7. Check the curfew if you go out

    Most ryokan have a curfew, for example midnight, after which you cannot go in or out. Some have no curfew, keep staff at the front desk, or give you a key.[6]

  8. Breakfast and check-outBy 10:00 to 12:00

    Most ryokan set check-out between 10:00 and 12:00.[5] If you did not pay in advance, you pay at check-out.[1]

For other house rules, see the guide to Japanese etiquette.

What does the price include?

Most ryokan quote a price per person. Some now charge per room, with a fee for each guest beyond the room’s capacity.[1],[2]

Japanese breakfast at Azuma Ryokan: rice, miso soup, grilled salmon, natto, a raw egg, nori, greens and pickles in small dishes on a tray
Japanese breakfast served at Azuma Ryokan User: (WT-shared) Jpatokal at wts wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Children are priced by age. Some inns charge a reduced child fee, perhaps 50% or 70%, and it is common to pay the full fee for children 12 and over.[1],[2] Enter the exact number and ages of children when you book.

The standard plan includes dinner and breakfast. More inns also sell breakfast-only plans and “simple stay” plans without meals.[1],[2]

At an onsen ryokan you also pay the bathing tax. The municipality levies it, at a standard rate of ¥150 per person per day, and the inn collects it.[13] Check the city’s own website for any accommodation tax as well.

How do I choose a ryokan?

Decide first between an onsen ryokan in a hot-spring town and a ryokan in a city. In a city such as Kyoto, the area you stay in matters as much as the type of room.

If your route includes the Hida region, the Takayama guide covers what to see around a one-night stay.

For a stop on the Hokuriku coast, the Kanazawa guide covers what to see before you check in.

If you are choosing which part of Kanazawa to stay in, the where-to-stay guide for Kanazawa compares the station area, Korinbo–Katamachi and Higashi Chaya.

For a hot-spring town within reach of Kanazawa, the Kaga Onsen guide compares the towns and where to stay.

For an onsen town in southern Hokkaido, the Hakodate guide covers the Yunokawa Onsen district.

For an onsen night near the snow monkeys in Nagano, where to stay for the Snow Monkey Park compares Shibu Onsen, Yudanaka and the other bases.

For a lamp-lit onsen street in Yamagata, the Ginzan Onsen guide covers whether to stay the night and how to get there.

If anyone in your group has tattoos, look for an inn with private baths. Tattoo policies differ widely between ryokan, and guests with tattoos can use the private baths in guest rooms or reserved for a set time.[8],[9]

If you have allergies or follow a vegetarian, vegan or religious diet, write to the inn at least a few days before. Not every ryokan can meet every request.[7]

Where should I book?

Booking direct with the inn lets you ask about meals, baths and arrival time in one message. The Japan Ryokan & Hotel Association’s English site lists only member inns and searches them by area and by price per person.[12] Booking sites also list ryokan; check whether the price shown is per person and which meals it includes.

If you pay on a booking site in advance, you are not asked to pay again at the ryokan.[1]

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the communal bath with a tattoo?

Policies differ widely between inns. Many offer private baths, in the room or reserved for a set time, that guests with tattoos can use.[8],[9]

Do I need to reserve the bath?

Not the communal bath. Private baths reserved for a set time are booked with staff when you arrive.[8],[9]

Can a ryokan serve vegetarian or halal meals?

Some can. Ask at least a few days before your stay, because not every ryokan can meet every request.[7]

Can I stay with a baby or young child?

Yes. Fees depend on the child’s age; give the inn the age of every child when you book.[1],[2]

When do I pay?

It depends on the inn or the booking site: at check-out, in advance, or either.[1]

How do I send my suitcase ahead to the next inn?

Ask the front desk the day before you leave whether it can arrange delivery to your next inn.

Sources

  1. Questions for Ryokan? Pricing (Japan Tourism Agency) (checked )
  2. 旅館Q&A 料金(観光庁) (checked )
  3. Questions for Ryokan? Check-in and access (Japan Tourism Agency) (checked )
  4. 旅館Q&A チェックイン・アクセス(観光庁) (checked )
  5. Questions for Ryokan? Rooms and facilities (Japan Tourism Agency) (checked )
  6. Questions for Ryokan? Curfew (Japan Tourism Agency) (checked )
  7. Questions for Ryokan? Meals (Japan Tourism Agency) (checked )
  8. Questions for Ryokan? Communal bath (Japan Tourism Agency) (checked )
  9. 旅館Q&A 大浴場(観光庁) (checked )
  10. Japanese Ryokan Guide (JNTO) (checked )
  11. Japanese manners and etiquette (JNTO) (checked )
  12. Japan Ryokan & Hotel Association — English member search (checked )
  13. 入湯税 (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications) (checked )