Welcome Inn Properties
Japanese-style accommodations
Ryokan are traditional Japanese inns. A stay for a night or two will be a rewarding experience.
A room in a ryokan is usually a single large undivided room floored with traditional rice-straw tatami matting. It functions as a living room during the day and as a bedroom during the night with comfortable futon bedding being laid out. Bath and toilet facilities are often separate from the room and are shared by staying guests. Ryokan usually provide a clean cotton yukata which serves as a bathrobe as well as pajamas, and a small towel. The rates at a ryokan often include two Japanese-style meals but the rates at those registered with the Center do not include meals, giving you some flexibility.
A stay at a ryokan requires following a few rules that differ from those at a Western-style hotel.
First, guests remove their shoes at the threshold of the inn and don slippers while in its hallways. The slippers should be left outside the rooms. When using the communal bath, first give your body a simple washing with plain water and then enter the tub. Remember that the tub is for soaking and relaxing your tired muscles, and is not for washing. After you have become warm, leave the tub and clean yourself thoroughly with soap at the washing place. You may then re-enter the tub, repeating the process as often as you like.
Minshuku are small family-run inns operated within private homes. Originally developed to provide extra accommodations in vacation areas during high travel seasons, minshuku are homey in atmosphere and feature moderate rates. Guests may be expected to fold up their futon bedding in the morning and stow it away in a closet just as would a family member. You can enjoy the close-up view of Japanese life that these minshuku offer. Bath and toilet facilities are just like those at ryokan. Not all minshuku provide a towel and a yukata cotton robe.
Kokumin shukusha (People's Lodge) are moderate-rated lodgings mostly built in National Parks with the aim of providing the nation with an opportunity to enjoy an inexpensive form of recreation in a select natural environment. Some of them are those constructed by local governments, while others are privately managed and designated as such by the National Park Association. Guest room, bath and toilet facilities are Japanese-style. Kokumin shukusha provide a yukata cotton robe but do not always provide a towel.
Western-style accommodations
Business hotels, as their name implies, were originally designed to cater to budget-minded business travelers. They are run in a business-like fashion. They minimize non-essentials so as to make their rooms available at reasonable prices. Their rooms are compact but clean. There is no room service but they provide vending machines for drinks and snacks in addition to one or more restaurants on the premises. Furniture is Western-style with a private bath as a general rule. Yukata cotton robes and towels are provided to their guests. In keeping with the emphasis on efficiency for business travelers, most of them are conveniently located in city centers.
Pensions, often called “Western-style minshuku,” are small family-run establishments with Western-style facilities. They have been developed essentially to satisfy a demand among Japanese people for good, inexpensive Western-style room and board in scenic areas. Outdoor sporting facilities are usually available nearby. Towel and yukata cotton robe may be chargeable.
JNTO's web site ‘Japan Travel Updates' includes detailed information on some of the Welcome Inn Properties.
