Ryokan and minshuku are part of a wide range of accommodation options for travelers to Japan . Pilgrimage aristocrats, merchants, samurai, monks, pilgrims, spa guests and tourists have long walked the plains and mountains of the Archipelago. From the modest rooms made available to travelers in Buddhist temples to the first ryokan offering bed and breakfast in an idyllic setting, this offer has evolved over the centuries. Far from western business hotels or hotels, ryokan and minshuku are a unique experience.

Sleeping in a ryokan means taking a trip to the Japan of yesteryear , discovering the hushed and refined universe of these unique accommodations that Japanese poets and writers have praised so much.

Ryokan (literally "travel building") are traditional Japanese inns . There are about 60,000 of them throughout the archipelago.

Often located in the heart of nature and near hot springs , the buildings are made of traditional materials: wood and bamboo. The rooms have tatami floors and rice paper partitions.

Arriving at a ryokan is an experience in itself. The hostess, okami , dressed in a kimono, comes to welcome the guests. Once you take your shoes off , put on the slippers made available at the entrance. An employee, still in a kimono, then comes to take over from the okami and accompany the customers to their room.

A yukata is made available to customers and can be used as pajamas.

The minshuku are the equivalent of guesthouses, there are about 20,000 all over Japan. These are generally farms located in the countryside or in the mountains , or fishermen's houses by the sea , sometimes in very remote places, but more often near hot springs .

Sleeping in this kind of family establishment offers the opportunity to live in a Japanese house - often typical - and to make contact with the Japanese .