Ryokan, Machiya, Minshuku: Japanese Accommodation Explained

A short walk from the Imperial Palace and the National Museum of Modern Art, this upscale Tokyo inn takes the ryokan concept and reimagines it for an urban audience. Each floor of this 17-storey skyscraper is essentially a six-room ryokan, with each of the rooms connected to a central ochanoma (shared lounge), where you may help yourself to refreshments. Rooms combine traditional features such as futons and shoji window screens with Western dining tables and free-standing baths deep enough to swim in. Dining-wise, choose between Western and Japanese breakfasts, then treat yourself to elegant, seasonal Japanese fish dishes in the evening.

If it’s luxury in the countryside that you seek, then look no further than this high-end, multiple-award-winning ryokan attached to natural hot springs in the wilds of Hokkaido, overlooked by the snow-tipped peak of Mount Yotei. Take your pick of the 15 individually conceived villas, slumber on luxurious futons and soak in your very own private indoor and outdoor onsens, or else meditate on the surrounding nature through the floor-to-ceiling windows. In the dining area, treat your taste buds to an exceptional kita kaiseki (reimagined fine dining) menu, with seasonal ingredients supplied by local producers and an in-house forager.

Relaxation is the focus at this luxe ryokan-with-onsen on the north coast of Honshu, a short train ride from Kyoto. Breathe in the cypress-scented air as you float in the rectangular outdoor pool, surrounded by a bamboo grove, or else opt for a different vantage point by soaking in one of the round fukunu-yu baths. Inside, the rooms are all decorated in the austere sukiya style: kanji scrolls on walls, tatami mats, minimal furnishings, traditional low dining tables and seats to kneel on. The superior rooms and suites with private open-air baths are worth the splurge.

This low-key, family-run minshuku comprises eight traditional, sparsely furnished tatami rooms where you roll out your futon by night; facilities are shared here, so form an orderly bathroom queue. The generous breakfast spread includes miso soup and rice grown in the hosts’ own fields; you can also opt for a home-cooked dinner featuring home-grown seasonal vegetables. The Nitta-no-Yu onsen across the street is a wonderful place to soak your aching muscles, après-ski. Minshuku Kojima is particularly popular during the winter ski season due to its designated ski drying room.

Whether you’re here to hit the hot water or the powder, this friendly minshuku makes for an excellent stay. Dust off your Japanese phrasebook, or be prepared to communicate in the universal language of smiles, since no English is spoken. However, there’s nothing quite like being thrown in the deep end to make your trip memorable. Dine on extensive Japanese breakfasts and dinners – which include produce from the owner’s own vegetable garden – then rest easy in your snug futon room.

If you’re looking to hit the white-sand beaches and onsen of Shirahama, a hot springs resort town south of Osaka, but wish to avoid the stratospheric cost of staying beachside, then this minshuku near the JR Shirahama train station just might be the answer. While the location is not the most scenic, all five rooms are simply furnished in the traditional manner, with tatami mats and rolled-up futons. Unlike many minshuku, all rooms are en-suite – a bonus if you prefer not to queue for your morning ablutions. Some rooms have freestanding tubs on private terraces so that you can bathe al fresco, while the rice-and-seaweed pandas that form part of your extensive breakfast are almost too cute to eat.

Ideal for exploring the centuries-old narrow lanes of Higashiyama – the geisha district of Old Kyoto – this handsome Kyoto machiya is divided into two stylish, self-contained units. Pretend it’s your very own Japanese home as you bed down on a thick futon, kneel on the tatami mat beside your dining room table or admire the scroll paintings on the terracotta-coloured walls.

Natural light pours through the floor-to-ceiling windows as you while away the hours in your extra deep soaking tub. A traditional machiya facade in the heart of Kyoto’s geisha district hides two individually styled, spacious suites that are a curious amalgam of Japanese features – tatami floors, Kyoto rock garden, fusuma sliding doors – and European mod-cons such as rainfall showers and underfloor heating. Even if you don’t opt for the temple garden view suite, Kyoto’s oldest Buddhist temple, Kennin-ji, is just a pebble’s throw away.

The owners of this lovingly updated 19th-century machiya have picked a full-on “Japanese culture” theme and run a few miles with it. In the common spaces, you’ll find samurai armour and traditional wedding kimono on display, as well as Noh masks and wooden Japanese dolls. The kitchen is thoroughly modern; central heating and improved lighting are other contemporary additions, and you can choose between sleeping on futons or Western single beds. Traditional shoji and fusuma paper/wooden latticework doors add a smidgen of privacy. If you’re looking to immerse yourself in yet more Japanese culture, take a walk to the nearby Kyoto National Museum, one of the best museums in Kyoto.