Japanese Inns and Hot Springs: A Guide to Japan's Best Ryokan & Onsen

(Paperback)

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Description

Richly illustrated and exhaustively researched, Japanese Inns & Hot Springs is the definitive guide to Japanese spas and hot springs known as ryokans. It presents the finest ryokans in Japan, from historic properties like Hiiragiya in Kyoto and Kikkaso in Hakone, to luxury retreats like Zaborin in Hokkaido and Tenku-no-Mori in Kyushu.

In this Japan travel guide with a difference you will find:

• The 40 best Japanese ryokan and onsens for English-speaking visitors (including 13 in the Tokyo area and 11 around Kyoto and Nara)
  
• A description of the special features of each ryokan and what is included in your stay
  
• Tips on how to choose the right ryokan for you
  
• Practical advice on how to book a stay and a detailed etiquette guide.

Above all else this ryokan guide reveals the enduring traditions of Japanese hospitality, a rich heritage reaching back a thousand years to the time when Japan's hot spring bathing culture took root. The beautiful properties in this book also illustrate the unique design sensibility for which Japan is so justly renowned. Indispensable tips on how to reach each property by train, bus, and taxi are provided along with a detailed etiquette guide to staying at a ryokan and bathing in an onsen, as well as descriptions of the special features of each of the inns featured.

"More etiquette advicee.g., never step on a tatami mat while wearing shoes or slippersis found in Japanese Inns and Hot Springs by Rob Goss, with photos by Akihiko Seki, which highlights 40 traditional ryokan (inns) and onsen (hot springs). Goss, a British travel writer and longtime Tokyo resident, says his goal is to guide English speakers to a traditional Japanese experience. This can be hard to come by, he says, in a country where the hospitality industry can be "polite to a fault," trying so hard to make foreigners feel comfortable that the majority of hotels are indistinguishable from those back home." Publishers Weekly

"If you're looking for a legit awesome ryokan check out the bookJapanese Inns and Hot Springsfor more ideas and where some of the prettiest ones are located."Lisa Ng,This Beautiful Day

Reviews

"More etiquette advice--e.g., never step on a tatami mat while wearing shoes or slippers--is found in Japanese Inns and Hot Springs by Rob Goss, with photos by Akihiko Seki, which highlights 40 traditional ryokan (inns) and onsen (hot springs" --Publishers Weekly
"Japanese Inns and Hot Springs by Akihiko Seki and Rob Goss is a lusciously photo-illustrated tour of 40 choice properties. While ryokan throughout the country are represented, over half of the selections here are within a short distance of Tokyo or Kyoto, making it easy to combine an inn-stay with a city-centered vacation." -- Passport Magazine
"Japanese Inns and Hot Springs takes readers on a trip around Japan, stopping at 40 of the country's best ryokan. Aiming to make your stay as pleasurable as possible, the book offers tips on travel, easy-to-follow advice on booking a stay, and a helpful etiquette guide geared toward English speakers." -- My Modern Met

Author Bio

Rob Goss is an award-winning British writer and long-term Tokyo resident focusing on Japan, travel writing, and creative writing that ranges from short fiction to short-form poetry. His books include the NATJA award-winning guidebooks Tuttle Travel Pack: Japan, Tokyo: Capital of Cool and Japan: a Traveler's Companion. Rob has also contributed to books for Fodors, Insight Guides, Dorling Kindersley and Rough Guides, as well as for magazines including Time, National Geographic Traveler and 100 other publications around the globe.