the japan edition · field notes

Ryokan and Onsen

A ryokan keeps its own form of hospitality, built around a kaiseki dinner, an onsen and a family that has kept the same rhythm for generations. These pieces are on staying well: the first morning, how to use an onsen, the best rooms in Kyoto and beside Mount Fuji, and what a ryokan night by the Sea of Japan gives that one in the city does not.

12 articles

A traditional covered wooden boat moored on a narrow canal thick with fallen cherry blossom petals, blossom branches arching overhead in golden evening light

experiencesA Cherry Blossom Journey Through JapanA spring journey through Japan is felt as much at the table and in the bath as beneath the branches: the rhythm of the days, and the bamboo shoot, sea bream and seasonal seafood that mark the season on the plate.the full article

Hot spring water pouring from a wooden spout into an onsen bath, steam rising from the rippled surface

planningA Japan Honeymoon, ConsideredA Japan honeymoon is best built on contrast and paced for two: a Tokyo of towers and counters, a Kyoto of gardens, and a ryokan with its own onsen at the centre of the route.the full article

Steam rising through a mountain valley of brilliant red, orange and gold autumn foliage

experiencesAn Autumn Journey Through JapanAn autumn journey through Japan runs to a rhythm the season sets: cool mornings in the gardens, afternoons on the move through valleys of colour, and evenings that turn indoors to the onsen and the ryokan table.the full article

A stone open-air onsen at sunrise, steam drifting off the water and a forested slope, with ridges of mountains fading into the haze beyond

experiencesThe Best Luxury Ryokan in Japan, Region by RegionTwenty great ryokan, from the birch forest of Niseko to the thatched farmhouses of Kirishima: their springs, their rooms and their kitchens, and which of them is the most luxurious in Japan.the full article

Tall pillars of kimono silk lit from within at night in the Kimono Forest, Arashiyama, Kyoto

planningHow to Choose a Japan Tour OperatorTwo companies can sell what looks like the same Japan itinerary, and only one of them actually runs it. The questions that separate a Japan tour operator from a travel agency, before a booking is made.the full article

The wooden stage of Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto, built out over the hillside on tall pillars

planningWhat Eighteen Months Ahead Actually MeansJapan specialists begin the best journeys a year and a half out. The reason lies in the country's own calendars: inns of a dozen rooms, gardens seen by application, and seasons the whole nation travels for.the full article

A milky blue-green open-air onsen pool bordered by rock, a waterfall at its head, in the green of spring

experiencesWhat Is an Onsen? How to Use One in JapanAn onsen is a bath of natural hot spring water, which Japanese law defines by its heat or its minerals where it leaves the ground. Guests bathe without swimwear, wash at the taps before entering, and keep the small towel out of the water.the full article

A path of diamond-patterned stone pavers leading straight to a small temple gate between trees in spring green

planningHow to Plan a Japan ItineraryA Japan itinerary works when it is built on rhythm: enough nights in each place, honest transfers, and a clear decision about what to leave out.the full article

A stone-tiled indoor onsen bath steaming before a glass wall onto forest

experiencesA Luxury Onsen Ryokan Room, in KyotoKyoto has few hot springs of its own, so the first question to ask of a room with its own onsen there is where the water comes from. The answers, in the city, in the hills around it and a night away.the full article

A private wooden outdoor onsen bath on a hillside deck, steam rising from the water above a green forested valley

experiencesThe Room with Its Own Onsen, near Mount FujiBeside the Fuji Five Lakes, a room with its own open-air onsen gives the mountain a whole afternoon and evening: hot water, cold lake air, and the snow on the summit changing colour with the light.the full article

Morning light through lattice windows in a traditional wooden onsen bath

experiencesThe First Morning in a RyokanWhat happens between waking and breakfast in a Japanese inn: the room turned from night to day, the yukata, the walk to the onsen and the long breakfast that follows.the full article

A historic hot-spring town at dusk, wooden inns lit against a hillside of autumn colour

planningWhere to Stay in AutumnWhere a traveller sleeps in Japan in autumn decides whether the colour ends at dusk or stays through the evening: the garden ryokan, the mountain onsen inn and the city room with a view.the full article

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