Ryokan is a traditional Japanese style hotel or inn, with its own way of providing customers with services, which may be rather strange to guests from foreign countries. Here is a brief description on the servicing system of ryokan, together with points of its usage for foreigners.

■Charges at ryokan
Usually, charges at ryokan include breakfast and dinner. Please note that ryokan will not charge for the room, but for accommodation fee per person. That is, a ryokan bill indicates the charges for a one-night stay with breakfast and dinner per person. Therefore, the amount of charges per person will vary depending on how many people stay the night in one room. There may be a ryokan that charges for the room, but the number is very small.
■Service charges:
At ryokan, services are normally included in the above said bill. It is unnecessary to offer a tip for any service by the room-maid, boy, and any other persons in ryokan.
■ Taxes:
《Consumption tax》
A 5% consumption tax is levied on the total amount of the ryokan bill including the room, boarding and service charges.

《Bath-tax》
Generally, a \150 bath tax is levied on a one night stay per person at a spa. This tax is to be paid by all the guest of the ryokan or hotels at a spa, even if he or she does not take a bath during the stay.
■ At entrance
Just like entering a Japanese home, the guests are requested to take off their shoes, instead putting on slippers at the entrance, or the front, of the ryokan. However, in many ryokan of today, Western styles of living are partially adopted and so, you may go on passageways to the room with your shoes on.
■ Japanese room:
The floor of major sections of the Japanese room is typically covered with tatami (Japanese floor mat). When it comes to foreigners experiencing the Japanese way of living, staying a night on tatami should be a must. Japanese rooms are described for size according to the number of tatami. The usual sizes are six, eight, ten, etc. During the day, the tatami section is used in a multipurpose way as a living and dining room, and at night, as a sleeping room. From the front, you will be guided to the room by a room-maid, but you should be very careful not to wear slippers or shoes on tatami.
■ Tokono-ma:
The Japanese room is usually provided with an alcove called as tokono-ma. It is a recessed portion in which a kakejiku (hanging scroll with picture or writing thereon) may be hung on the wall and an ornament or ikebana (flower arrangement) displayed on the slightly raised floor.
In the ryokan, you will find no bed in the room. Instead there will be a large built-in closet with sliding doors, from which the chambermaid will bring out thick padded blankets and mats called futon and spread them on the tatami for your sleeping at night. Firstly one or two mattress type futons will be laid, wrapped in a sheet, and covered by a blanket type futon as a coverlet. The mattress sheet is changed every day and you can use another futon, and blanket, also, in winter season. The next morning, the maid will roll them up and put them back into the closet. You will not have to do anything with the bed-making.
■ Futon:
■ Yukata:
Yukata is a light cotton kimono used at home for relaxation, and especially today, typically worn by young ladies at summer festivals. During your stay in the ryokan, yukata and also tanzen (a padded jacket-like kimono used to put on yukata) in winter season are always available so that you may wear them after taking a bath for relaxation and for sleeping as well. So yukata washed clean like a new one is offered. In well known resort spas, many guests in yukata and tanzen are often observed rambling on the streets at night. The yukata and tanzen are lent temporarily to the guests during their stay in the ryokan.
■ How to take a public bath:
The Japanese are very fond of taking a bath. Generally, the large-scaled ryokan especially at hot springs have a large bath partitioned into two sections, one for women and another for men. Here you may take a clean bath together with other guests, using as much water as you may desire and talk to acquaintances as long as you desire. However, to enjoy such a bath, you must be very careful not to be nuisance to others.
[Bathing steps]
(1) Put hot water on your body to rinse before getting into the bath itself (bathtub), since the hot water in the bathtub is shared among many people.
(2) Immerse yourselves in the bathtub to warm your body. This will relax you both in mind and body.
(3) Soap yourselves and rinse off completely outside the bathtub.
(4) Get into the bath itself once again fully to warm.
(5) Wipe your body with a small towel.
＜Note＞
・Baths are available during hours which are specified by the ryokan.
・Do not drain the large bath after use.
・Do not soap and wash yourselves in the bathtub.
・Do not enter a bath in your underwear or bring a towel into the bathtub.
・Do not put a towel with which you wash your body into the bathtub.
・Be absolutely sure to soap and wash yourselves outside the bathtub.
・Please be sure not to splash other guests when showering.
■ Toilet facilities:
From the sanitation point of view, a Japanese style toilet bowl has an advantage since it will not contact the bare skin of the user when used. Most ryokan of today, however, are provided with Western style toilets.
＜How to use a Japanese style toilet＞
Do not sit directly on Japanese style toilet bowl, but squat down astride the bowl facing the hood. In the toilet room, you should change your footwear to the slippers provided there. It is needless to say that the toilet bowl, whether of Japanese or Western style, must be flushed after use. All papers except toilet paper must be thrown in the trash box in the toilet room.
■ Refrigerator:
There may be a refrigerator in your room, in which soft drinks, nuts and snacks are kept cold. You can take any one if you desire. Most of the refrigerators are computer-controlled for the payment. If the one you use should not be computer-controlled, you will be required to notify things you have taken out of the refrigerator, and pay them off at the time of your check out. Among the computer-controlled refrigerators, some may be automatically locked on the morning of checkout. You must be very careful with such ones, since you cannot put in or take out anything of them after they are locked.
■ Telephone
Call the front desk at( )and ask them how to dial for an overseas call, since it may be different depending on the phone system installed.
■ Others
*The tap water is fit for drinking anywhere.
*The charges for calls from the room telephone and for room services, if any incurred, must be notified and paid off at the check out.
■ Room key
When you are going out of the ryokan, put the room key on the front desk. Also, when you check out, absolutely be sure to return it to the front desk.
■ Valuables
(1) If you have any valuables, place them in the custody of the front desk.
(2) You may deposit them in the security box provided in your room.
(3) We will not bear any responsibility for any accident to valuables within the guestrooms.
■ Evacuation
(1) Immediately call front desk at 0 (zero), if you encounter the occurrence of a fire, sick person, or any other emergencies.
(2) We are fully provided for emergencies. However, in order to make further assurance please confirm by yourselves the locations of emergency exists within the building.
■ Smoking
Customers are requested not to smoke in any place other than the areas indicated. For the sake of fire prevention, smoking in bed is strictly prohibited.
■ Locking up
Before retiring at night, check that the doors are all locked from the inside.