Latest news with #ryokan
Condé Nast Traveler
5 days ago
- Business
- Condé Nast Traveler
Beyond the Megacities, Uncovering Japan's Quieter Corners
At Satoyama Jujo—a modern ryokan housed in a lovingly refurbished 150-year-old farmhouse in Niigata—the first ritual is the bath. As I lower myself into the open-air onsen, bounded by whispering trees, the setting sun paints the mountains in amber hues. Though just over an hour from Tokyo, this place feels a world away. Later, as evening deepens, I make my way to the nearby river where a flutter of fireflies performs a luminescent ballet. After nearly two decades of calling Tokyo home, Japan continues to reveal itself to me in layers. The capital's labyrinthine sprawl—more a patchwork of village-like neighborhoods than monolithic metropolis—remains endlessly fascinating, with izakayas tucked into narrow alleys and century-old shops wedged between gleaming towers. But it was during the pandemic's forced stillness, when the borders shut for three years, that I began venturing deeper into Japan's peripheral spaces. Previously, my work as a journalist had briefly dispatched me to Japan's distant prefectures—the island of Honshu's sake breweries in Yamagata and fishing villages in Miyagi—but I'd find myself rushing back to the capital before I could properly experience these places. These days, I've embraced being a tourist in my adopted country; lingering in ceramics villages where the potters eschew electricity, and discovering remote temples carved into mountainside cliffs. While Kyoto's famous temples groan under the weight of selfie sticks, these quieter corners offer something that feels genuine—and right now, in particular, feels like a perfect moment to explore them further. Over the past few years, I've noticed a seismic shift in Japan's tourism landscape. Last year, the country welcomed a record 36.8 million international visitors. This momentum has continued into 2025, with over 10.5 million arrivals in the first quarter alone. During this period, foreign tourists spent ¥2.3 trillion (or $15 billion), up 28.4% from the same period last year. The country is evolving to keep up with the demand. New rail extensions have eased access to places like Fukui, on the Sea of Japan coast, while future expansions will unlock more areas in Hokkaido and Tohoku. I've watched with interest as new hotels and design-forward ryokan blend traditional aesthetics with creature comforts in regions where finding a decent cup of coffee once felt like a quest. Alongside these developments, small businesses have emerged to connect travelers with cultural experiences—craftspeople opening up their workshops, farmers offering culinary classes, and local guides creating bespoke itineraries. For communities facing population decline, tourism brings not just economic lifelines but something perhaps more valuable—renewed pride in cultural traditions that might otherwise fade into history. Recently, I've sought out hidden gems like Yamanaka Onsen—a hot spring town renowned for woodworking and lacquerware—that had previously seemed just beyond reach. Thanks to the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train expansion last year, I found myself here in just two and a half hours from Tokyo. By day I spent an afternoon at a lacquerware atelier where a master craftsman guided a visiting artist through techniques refined over centuries. That evening, I slipped into Bar Engawa, where Yusuke Shimoki serves sake in locally crafted vessels behind a counter in a traditional house with doors featuring intricate wooden inlays. Throughout the town, a new generation of ryokan and shop owners is working to revitalize the area, creating events that showcase regional artisans alongside local cuisine—and launching a contemporary arts festival inside historic buildings.
NHK
7 days ago
- Business
- NHK
Hot spring 'ryokan' coming to New York
Hot spring 'ryokan' coming to New York Visiting hot spring inns, or ryokan, is a staple in Japan. They are often in beauty spots and offer seasonal dishes along with detailed hospitality. One company thinks the idea will work in the US.
The Independent
19-05-2025
- The Independent
The little-visited region that could be the answer to Japan's overtourism problem
'I see the people of Noto standing up and taking a step forward, and I think it is my calling to be here now, in Noto, introducing people to my home town.' Kaho Shoji and I are making our way along a trail of stepping stones that hug the cliffs of Tsukumo Bay in the Japanese town of Noto, on the peninsula of the same name. In the clear water, sea slugs inch along rocky pools and anemones sway in the current. 'I have travelled to more than 30 countries and all around Japan,' Kaho continues. 'But the older I get, the more I appreciate my home: it's the most beautiful place in the world.' It's hard to disagree with her. Extending 100km northwards into the Sea of Japan in central Honshu, the Noto Peninsula is a landscape of seaside rice paddies, small-scale agriculture and fishing. Wooden homes with glossy black roof tiles dot the countryside. The coastline is home to some of Japan's last shellfish divers, and there are Buddhist pagodas and temples to see, including the revered Shinto shrine Keta Taisha, whose ancient sacred forest can only be entered by priests and Emperors. Daily life in Noto is deeply connected to the land. Noto's squid-jigging fleet is just around the headland from where we are walking, while a nearby village cultivates Japan's famously sweet strawberries. On the clifftop, our home for the night comes into view. Hyakurakusou is a ryokan inn that's home to a curious cave bath chiselled into the rock face. It's a scene of tranquillity that belies Noto's recent history: In 2024, the peninsula was devastated by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake and tsunami on New Year's Day. Local guide Kaho was with her elderly mother at the time, and they were thrown to the ground by the force of the quake. Just over 16 months later, the death toll stands at 581 and the impact is still very much in evidence. We pick our way over a concrete quay that was buckled and distorted by the tremors. A large Kiku cherry tree catches my eye. It's a late-blooming variety with billowing double petals like candy floss. If this were anywhere else in Japan, there would be crowds, but in Noto it's just our party of 12 – from the UK, US, Hong Kong and Australia – travelling with Kaho on Walk Japan's inaugural Noto journey. Devised by Kaho Walk Japan's CEO Paul Christie, the tour delves deep into the area's food and onsen culture, and also its recovery efforts, with opportunities to meet locals at every turn. We regroup on a woodland path carpeted with butterbur. 'We ate this yesterday,' Kaho reminds us, picking a heart-shaped leaf. It was just one highlight of a delicious lunch we enjoyed at Saryo Somamichi restaurant in Wajima City. We travelled there along Noto's west coast after our first day together in Kanazawa – exploring a gold leaf workshop and lunching on bento from two-Michelin-star chef Seiichi Nakagawa – and a night in a hot-spring hotel. After a morning spent walking the craggy path to Fukura'swooden Meiji-era lighthouse, we drove to Saryo Somamichi, pulling over where the coastline had been lifted four metres higher, and the ocean floor exposed by the raw power of the earthquake. Saryo Somamichi was a tranquil contrast. One of Noto's finest restaurants, it is located in an old minka farmhouse renovated by architect Yoshifumi Nakamura, the restaurant's former premises having been destroyed. Chef Yutaka Kitazaki has elevated the locally foraged and fished produce to an art form, and we enjoyed dishes such as koshiabura (a wild mountain shoot) tempura and steamed rock fish served on lacquerware by Akito Akagi, a master of Wajima-nuri, a craft synonymous with Wajima. That evening, at Kappo Kuwagumi restaurant, we witnessed the artistry involved in Wajima-nuri at a private demonstration by Hiroyuki Ebata, a 4th-generation artisan of maki-e – a decorative technique using metallic powder. Over the 10-course parade of seasonal cuisine that followed – including firefly squid, Noto beef, cherry blossom mochi and plenty of local sake – Ebata revealed that he is currently creating his masterpieces from a temporary workshop, his home-studio having been rendered unliveable by the quake. On foot in Wajima the next morning, we saw for ourselves the destruction, with street after street of collapsed buildings and rubble in what was once the busy central market. Next to our hotel – the only one back up and running – were scores of temporary homes; the kind Ebata was now living in. It was deeply affecting. Traces of the quake were everywhere we went, but so too were indelible moments of joy. Like meeting the elderly owner of Torii Shoyu in Nanao, who invited us into her soy sauce microbrewery to taste the first batch she had made since the earthquake. Or stopping amongst rice paddies to taste award-winning Italian gelato made with Noto's creamy cow milk. Or listening to Takamitsu Haya, the resident of Noto town, share his experience of the quake and educating us about the area's local squid, while dressed as one. 'Once you are home', Haya implored, 'take five minutes to think of Noto – to remember how it felt to be here, and to help us move towards a bright future'. Kate was a guest of Walk Japan. The company's next four-night 'Onsen Gastronomy: Noto' tours take place in October and November 2025, with four more planned for 2026. From £2,355pp, full-board. Land only.
