Doubilet-Benson Japan Bike Trip 2012: Ryokan Rules

Many hotels in Japan are similar to those found throughout the world, but a type of lodging unique to Japan is the traditional Japanese inn known as a "ryokan". A few of our lodging places during our month-long trip will be ryokans. We had our first exposure to a ryokan last night, and it was quite the experience. Dinner and breakfast, in the typical Japanese style, consisted of multiple small dishes (many of which were items unfamiliar to us) eaten while sitting on the floor. For sleeping, our hosts laid thin pads out on the tatami-matted (a type of straw) floor and covered each with sheets, a quilt, and a small, hard pillow. The exposure to old Japanese ways was enlightening, but eating and sleeping on the floor was not terribly comfortable, so we definitely won't be discarding our beds and dining room chairs when we return to Boston.

One of the noteworthy features of our ryokan stay last night was the set of rules about shoes and slippers. Shoes had to be taken off and stored in the inn's entrance hall, and slippers were provided for use in the inn. These could only be worn in the hallways, and had to be removed when entering a tatami-matted room, including our bedroom and the dining room. When going to the bathroom, we were instructed to wear regular slippers to get there and then switch to special toilet slippers while in the bathroom. We occasionally made mistakes in our choice of footwear, whereupon we were politely but firmly corrected by the ryokan owners.

Our ride today consisted of 20 miles in fairly hilly territory away from the coast, followed by 20 miles along the coast, and then 10 miles along a river and canal. Even the flat parts were fairly challenging, as we were riding into the wind all day.