ryokan (Page 4)
This Japanese ryokan with a colorful past offers a modest place to stay near some major city attractions.
You can practically taste the nostalgia permeating this Taisho-era ryokan in Kagoshima Prefecture.
Wait, hot springs can freeze?
TripAdvisor releases its rankings of the top 10 places to experience traditional Japanese accommodations during your stay in the country.
If you’ve stayed at a traditional Japanese inn with your partner, chances are you’ve experienced this custom before.
Before bathing? After bathing? As soon as you arrive? Or not at all? Find out when most people usually change into yukata when staying at a ryokan.
This Rakuten Travel list has us packing our tiny towels, ready for an onsen-focused vacation.
Japanese visitors are falling in love with the gorgeous gardens and traditional rooms at this atmospheric inn.
Wanting to visit Japan? Now there’s an easy-to-follow English video guide on enjoying Japanese-style inns known as ryokan!
One of the great pleasures of visiting Japan is the chance to sleep in a futon, traditional Japanese bedding that’s freshly laid out on the floor every evening. When you’ve got a nice thick mattress pad, a fluffy, quilted duvet cover and a compact buckwheat pillow, a night sleeping on tatami straw floors is a night few foreigners forget.
Now you can share the traditional Japanese bedtime experience with your feline friends, with a gorgeous new range of futons created especially for the discerning four-legged customer. From the gorgeous Japanese prints to the matching pillow and the ergonomic, tail-friendly design, this is the best chance yet for obliging humans to finally reclaim their beds!
Keiunkan Inn in Hayakawa, Yamanashi Prefecture is famous for holding the Guinness World Record for being “The oldest hotel in the world”. Established in 705 A.D., it boasts such notable former guests as daimyo Takeda Shingen, shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, and numerous emperors of Japan.
The inn itself is located in the southern alps of Yamanashi Prefecture, nestled in lush valleys in the very heart of nature. It’s the perfect location for escaping from the hustle and bustle of city life. What’s more, the inn is built upon prime hot springs ground, which means guests are able to enjoy numerous open-air and communal hot spring baths. Each room’s shower, bath and sink facilities are fed by pure hot spring water, which is neither treated nor heated by any artificial means. In fact, except for the toilets, the entire inn uses the hot springs water in its daily running, which makes it a very special and luxurious place to visit.
Our reporter, Yoshio, decided to book a stay in “the oldest hotel in the world” in order to share his experiences with the good readers of RocketNews24. Read on for many, many gorgeous photos of his trip!
Ask any member of the RocketNews24 team, and we’ll tell you: Japan is awesome. A lot of people seem to agree, too, seeing as how Japan gets more and more visitors from abroad every year.
But as much as we love all of our readers, and hope you all get a chance to come visit, our staff doesn’t quite have the collective living room floor space for you to crash at our apartments. Thankfully, the country has plenty of amazing accommodation, as shown by this list of the top 10 inns and hotels in Japan, as picked by foreign travelers.
I spent two winter seasons working in the hospital emergency room (as a translator) in Niseko, a popular Hokkaido snow holiday destination for foreigners. While we had our share of broken bones from ski and boarding accidents, what impressed upon me most was the number of people who get ill while on vacation. There were just as many sudden illnesses as snow-related accidents–everything from gastrointestinal disorders to ear infections and first-time asthma attacks which too many times put people in the emergency room.
The good news is that most of these illnesses can be avoided, but different cultures pose different health risks and knowing what to watch out for beforehand can be tricky, if not impossible. In this article, I’ll share some tips on how to stay healthy while traveling in Japan in wintertime, based on my experience working with hundreds of foreigners who ended up in hospital on their vacations.
By following some simple (but not necessarily so obvious) rules, we aim to keep our snow-loving Rocketeers out of Japan’s hospitals and flying down the slopes in all their glory instead!


















Popular Japanese ramen restaurant Ichiran’s lucky bags are great value for money
Nintendo’s Kirby now delivering orders at Kura Sushi restaurants, but not in Japan
Japan’s EF English Proficiency Index rank drops for 11th straight year, hits lowest ever
KFC Japan opens a Christmas restaurant in Tokyo…but why???
Chinese government’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning has heartwarming non-effect on Yokohama Chinatown
Japan’s Shinkansen trains are getting a Super Mario makeover【Pics】
Cup Noodle mystery meat instant rice returns to Japanese stores after a seven-year absence
Japan considering raising international traveler departure tax even more than previously reported
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
KFC Japan introduces a new burger 8 years in the making
Japanese train company is letting fans buy its actual ticket gates for their homes
Yoshinoya adds first-ever chain-wide ramen with new beef and pork-broth noodle hot pot meals
New fish discovered and named “Vanderhorstia supersaiyan” for obvious reasons
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowd sizes in Nara?
Studio Ghibli stamps lift your spirits with motivational phrases from Totoro
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowds in Shibuya’s Don Quijote?
Starbucks Japan unveils new Christmas goods and a rhinestone tumbler that costs 19,500 yen
Is Kyoto less crowded with tourists after China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning?【Photos】
Real-world Nausicaa Ghibli anime glider completes its final flight in Japan【Video】
Brand-new Pokémon park opens in Japan with larger-than-life-size Lapras【Photos】
Unique inclined elevator in Japan leads to a town that inspired Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowds in Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood?
The 10 best day trips from downtown Tokyo【Survey】
Naturally brown-haired Osaka student sues government for forcing her to dye her hair black
Tokyo hotel lets you make your stay a Sanrio one with special My Melody and Kuromi rooms【Pics】
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
J-pop mega star Ado reveals she’s been living in the U.S., may not understand language acquisition
Japan’s Shinkansen trains are getting a Super Mario makeover【Pics】
Cup Noodle mystery meat instant rice returns to Japanese stores after a seven-year absence
Japan considering raising international traveler departure tax even more than previously reported
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
KFC Japan introduces a new burger 8 years in the making
Saitama senior arrested after calling telecom provider 24,000 times to complain
A whole slew of Totoro Christmas cakes are on their way to make the season extra merry【Photos】
Japan’s first-ever capybara cat cafe opens in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli holiday wreath adds a touch of Kiki cuteness and good fortune to your home【Photos】
The 10 best day trips from downtown Tokyo【Survey】
The results are in! One Piece World Top 100 characters chosen in global poll
Octopus tentacle ear plugs coming to Japanese capsule toy machines
Japanese city creates giant bread bed photo spot for limited time
Photos of Complete Strangers: Japan’s new strange, and strangely compelling, capsule toys【Pics】